Kaleider

Exeter-based Kaleider is a production studio making artworks that combine installation, digital, and performance. We spoke to Executive Producer and Joint CEO Katie Keeler to find out more.

What do you do?

It can be hard to describe our work; long-standing theatre critic Lyn Gardner wrote that Kaleider creates “projects that do not fit into any art-form box, which are almost always participatory, and are startling in the way they make us engage with the world and interrogate our own responses to it.” I think that sums it up.

We present our work all over the world, usually outdoors in public space. You might encounter Kaleider’s work by passionately advocating for something in a show-game, donning a VR headset to dance, adding a selfie of yourself to a giant Robot-painted mural,  making yourself a balance mobile, creating the best drawing of your life with a harmonograph, or singing your heart out as a beautiful arch made from ice and concrete inevitably falls.

How did you get started?

Seth Honnor founded Kaleider in 2012. I joined at the very end of 2016 as Executive Producer and in 2020 became joint CEO. I came to Kaleider to work with Seth. His practice has always inspired me and I had already worked with him when we were both at Theatre Bristol. Seth’s practice never fits an artform formula – though of course there are unifying themes – so it makes for variety and challenge.

I was also interested in Kaleider developing a creative industries hub focused on art and technology for the South West – beyond Bristol. Not working alone and learning from others is so vital to our practice.

Who do you work with and why?

Ultimately, everything is about audiences and participants. It is about finding ways to create moments of deep reflection, moments of wonder and joy, moments of profound dilemma, and moments which are transformative. Personally, I love my job because I love working with artists – the people who bring us these moments.

We rent a fantastic building, Kaleider Studios on Preston Street, that allows us to make things, store things, do the desk work, convene meetings, run small events, try things out, bring in training, and more. We also share the building with other small businesses and creatives, which is really inspiring.

Talk us through a favourite project or piece.

My favourite project right now is Arch. Arch starts with one voice, singing; no language is discernible. Two performers light a fire and begin to build an arch, piling heavy concrete and ice blocks. As they build, the singing continues; sometimes one person alone, sometimes many – on stage or blending into the crowd. The singers include dozens of local residents, joining in as the song swells, or quieting as it fades. Finally, the arch stands. The performers drag the fire under the arch and disappear into the audience. The ice drips and melts. Audiences and participants stand vigil, chatting, singing, waiting for the end. When the arch finally falls, the choir continues to sing. Here is a 4 minute film.

Not only is Arch an incredible artwork, we also came up with a really exciting idea to get it made. A way to stand behind and be a part of an artwork about community and solidarity in the face of global challenge. 

This is it: we are trying to find 2,000 people willing to give £10 each to be a Citizen Commissioner of Arch. We'll include every Citizen Commissioner's name (or the name of someone they nominate) next to the artwork online and on tour around the world. It is a show credit for life.

We’ve had a fantastic response so far – but 2,000 is A LOT of people.

If people are interested in being a Citizen Commissioner – or know someone else who might be – they can find out more here.

Photo: Kaleider’s Arch R&D at Atelier 231, Sotteville-lès-Rouen, France. Credit: Fluxx Films.

What’s been the best moment for you or your group in the last year?

For me, it was our week at the National Theatre Studio (NTS) in February/March 2023. I love London and the NTS looked after us really well, helping to create the conditions for a very creative week. We were working on Arch, bringing in a Musical Director and singers for the first time. I absolutely loved it, and something about the role of Producer clicked for me. After all this time! It was probably mostly about trust. Trust in myself and trust in others. Including others and allowing yourself to be included. The Producer is witness to the work and reflects back what she sees and feels, but stays neutral – allowing the artists to work their magic. Well – if anyone reading this is a Producer, perhaps we can talk in person.

In what ways are you helping to put Exeter on the cultural map, nationally or internationally?

We are out and about in the UK and Europe a great deal, both for behind-the-scenes-work and to present artworks. This week Milan and Blackpool. Over the coming weeks: Durham, Salford, Bristol and Plymouth. We’ve performed in Sydney Opera House and Tianjin Grand Theatre. We were the only UK representative at the international outdoor showcase festival at FiraTàrrega twice in the past 3 years. We are an associate artist of the European network In Situ: a platform for creation in public space.

Photo: Fish Mobile, commissioned by Children’s Capital of Culture 2025, in Rotherham. In September 2023, Kaleider represented the UK at international showcase FiraTàrrega with Fish Mobile. Credit: Fluxx Films.

Name one thing that would make your life easier as an artist or arts organiser.

Regular financial support. Loads of sectors in the UK receive subsidies, including for-profits. We work as a non-profit in a non-profit sector to bring cultural experiences to audiences in the UK and internationally, representing UK creative industries. Without regular financial support from Arts Council England and Exeter it is extremely hard to continue operating at the level we do.

Subsidy stabilises our organisation and helps us impact the region economically too. Previous regular funding over 5 years enabled us to leverage an additional £1.8m and we have helped bring nearer £10m into the region. Without regular financial support, this simply won’t happen. 

This is about more than money; it’s about sustaining the social value of arts and culture, and freedom to experiment and create. 

And what keeps you going when things get tough?

My colleagues: Joc, Irene, Peter and Seth. They care about things; they make me laugh; they think around corners. I also googled a more eloquent response because I wanted to say something about freedom as motivation. Apparently, Bruce Lee said: “Art lives where absolute freedom is, because where it is not, there can be no creativity.” 

So. What he said.

Photo: Bruce Lee fighting for creative freedom. Source: Imdb.

What does the next year look like for you?

Arch will be out in the world in 2024/25, on tour to 10 countries.
And we’ll be celebrating our Citizen Commissioners!

What if ….?
If we could ask for anything – maybe love. We know these are tough times for everyone, including local authorities. Knowing that city leaders care about artists and arts workers doing their thing for very little financial reward can be really empowering.

How do we find out more?

Meet us in person (and buy mini Kaleider art): St Thomas Winter Market on the 18th November 2024

Become a Citizen Commissioner: If you are able, please consider supporting our new work Arch for £10: https://ko-fi.com/kaleider.

Check out kaleider.com or follow us on socials (@kaleider).