‘I lost a year’s work in 48 hours, but Hull’s creatives are fighting back’

‘WE’RE USED TO HAVING IT TOUGH’: Writer and broadcaster Joe Hakim. Photograph by Graeme Oxby

Amid fears of total collapse in the arts and culture sector, a £1.57bn Government aid package has been announced. Writer and broadcaster Joe Hakim looks at the impact of lockdown on Hull’s creative community, and finds it as resilient as ever

After weeks of watching our national arts and culture infrastructure crumble around us, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced a £1.57 billion package to preserve the “crown jewels” in the UK’s art sector, as well as support for local venues.

He said institutions applying for the new grants and loans through industry bodies would have to prove how they contribute to “wider economic growth”.

This has just happened, so there’s still a lot of details to be fleshed out: How will freelancers, smaller companies and NPOs benefit from this? Will these grants favour established venues and companies, or will newer ventures and organisations also receive help? Exactly how do you demonstrate that the work you produce and the platforms that showcase it contribute to “wider economic growth”, especially when according to the recently published Social Market Foundation report, Hull is one of the areas where unemployment rates were above the UK's average of 3.8 per cent last year, so we’re expected to have a slow, “painful” recovery? That is a particularly pertinent question considering the vital role arts and culture play in our region’s regeneration.

While positive and desperately needed, the announcement is just the latest development in an unfolding real-life drama that has been playing out before our eyes. It’s yet another thing to contend with, to comprehend, which is difficult when you’re still reeling from the brutal assault you’ve just suffered. As with so many other sectors, those within the creative industries have been bystanders to an ongoing tragedy for weeks. Dizzy, nauseous and traumatised, we’ve watched from the sidelines, feeling powerless to intervene. There has been, and still is, a feeling of utter abandonment; that we’ve left to fend for ourselves, that we’re on our own.

And yet, through it all, Hull abides.

In early March, all of my work for the year was cancelled in a period of about 48 hours. Outdoor interactive theatre projects and working with large groups of people on spoken word events were suddenly off the menu.

Game over. I decided to chuck all of my plans in the bin rather than try to salvage anything.

Thankfully, I still had something to work on. My weekly radio show, Culture Night, which is broadcast on Thursdays on BBC Radio Humberside, quickly became my routine. But it came with its own weight of responsibility.

The prospect of the show turning into three hours of me reading out the latest series of cancellations and companies going under, intersected by cheeky pop hits, was a grim one. As sports events, concerts, and shows all faced rearrangement or the axe, a cold wind began blowing through all the holes in the arts and entertainment schedules. I had visions of me, sat in the studio, reading show descriptions from brochures and flyers for events, festivals and gigs that would no longer be taking place: Wouldn’t this have been lovely? I whisper into the microphone, Isn’t it a shame we won’t get to experience this together? And now, here’s Enya with ‘Sail Away’…

‘The response from the artistic community has been staggering’

And then I was inundated. Despite – or maybe because of – the real, ongoing, threat of financial oblivion, the response from the artistic community in Hull, and the entire region for that matter, has been nothing short of staggering. And the only thing more shocking than the ingenuity of the response has been its rapidity. Waves of incredible art, music, and writing, day after day, week after week.

I haven’t got the space and time to elaborate on this theory too much, but among the many essays and reports that will be written once we begin to emerge from this period of history, I’m sure one of the main themes to be explored will be how uncannily suited certain communities were for this crisis.

Now, I need to make it clear that I’m specifically referring to the arts and creative industries here; I don’t have the talent or expertise to ruminate on how this all fits into the larger picture of what’s happening politically, socially and economically. Instead, I’m focusing my observations on all of the incredible art, activities, and events that have been produced, and are continuing to be produced, under quarantine in Hull.

If you’re reading a publication like The Hull Story, I’m going to make the presumption that I don’t have to explain that Hull had a vibrant, unique and diverse arts and music scene long before City of Culture was even a suggestion. And one of the things that was absolutely at the heart of all Hull’s creative communities – whatever the field or form – was a strong DIY, we-haven’t-got-any-money-let’s-do-it-anyway ethos. For many years, Hull was neglected, sneered at: the butt of national jokes. But we didn’t care. We didn’t need anyone’s permission to create. We did it anyway.

You don’t need to look any further for an example than The Adelphi, a monument to punk spirit and creativity. Underground, counter-culture vibes are soaked into the brickwork along with the sweat from thousands of armpits from hundreds of gigs going back decades.

THE ADELPHI: ‘Counter-culture is soaked into the brickwork’

Humber Street Sesh, which is the biggest and best festival of unsigned talent in the UK, had its origins in one person, Mark Page, deciding to put local unsigned talent on stages in pubs because why the hell not?

And as the shockwaves from the Government’s actions (or lack of) rippled up from London and throughout the North, the firm foundations which enabled Hull’s arts and culture to flourish during years of financial and cultural neglect remained solid. The indefatigable scaffolding that binds us together and will always stand, whatever happens.

‘Great art emerges during opposition and conflict’

Great art emerges during opposition and conflict and Hull is a shining example of that. And that punk spirit, that drive and resourcefulness kicked in immediately. Only this time, instead of picking up guitars, everyone is buying podcast equipment.

There’s been an explosion of art, music, theatre and literature exploring the online space and alternative platforms. And the support, enthusiasm and need to look out for each other has been tangible. Look at the continuing sterling work of the volunteers and schemes like Chatty Hull.

Collaborations and alternative platforms are being formed and consolidated in new and exciting partnerships. Artists, companies and venues are embracing live-streaming and social media in vital, pioneering ways. And because of Hull’s commitment to developing pioneering digital technology and integrating it into our city’s infrastructure, we have an opportunity to be at the forefront of the rapidly evolving way in which we consume and interact with our arts and entertainment. A cursory glance at some of the work going on in the city right now illustrates it.

Middle Child [theatre company] immediately set up support for freelancers by developing a support fund with Luke Barnes. They’ve also been streaming past performances, arranging workshops and continuing to develop and mentor new voices. Hull Truck has provided access to online archives and past shows. Both continue to offer resources for artists and theatre-makers.

PROVIDED ONLINE ACCESS: Hull Truck Theatre

Back to Ours immediately took their events into the living rooms of the communities they work with throughout Hull, providing a wide range of entertainment, ranging from DJ sets, singalongs and circuses. Absolutely Cultured offered micro-commissions for artists to explore new online spaces. Freedom Festival has teamed up with BBC Radio Humberside to broadcast this year’s festival.

Artists like Anna Bean have started arts clubs. The young people of Yada Yada spoken word have teamed up with Hull Is This to record poetry podcasts. Independent bookshops like Wrecking Ball Books and Music, JE Books and Rabbit Hole have teamed up indie presses like Wrecking Ball, Barbican and Wild Pressed to promote writers and literature. Artlink has featured online exhibitions and are exploring how the online space can increase inclusivity.

Musicians like Chiedu Oraka and Deez Kid, Downtown Kayoto, and bdrmm are releasing music that’s making national playlists. New bands like Oceaneers and Aphelia continue to emerge.

There’s so much stuff that I haven’t mentioned, simply because of space, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

And in recognition of the vital role that arts and culture has played – and continues to play – in the economic regeneration of the region, Hull City Council is welcoming applications from small business and freelancers in the city’s creative industries for the Hull Business Discretionary Grant Fund.

Grants of up to £2,000 are available for those whose creative work and business has been directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Councillor Dave Craker, Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said: “Hull City Council has already distributed more than £45 million in grant funding since the coronavirus pandemic began.

“But not every business is eligible for national support, as the funding is tied to business rates within rules set by the Government. That’s why we launched a discretionary business grant fund to help businesses that may have missed out on previous support during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The creative industries in Hull have been hit as hard as any by the economic effects of coronavirus. We are urging small businesses and freelancers working in the city’s creative industries to apply for help through this grant to ensure these businesses survive and thrive.”

I’m not naïve. I know that things are going to get bleaker, more difficult. Nothing in the arts and entertainment industry is safe, everything is still up in the air, and we’re very much having to adjust to things on a day-to-day basis. More people than ever are focused on the simple act of survival: paying the bills, feeding the family.

‘I’m convinced we’ll get through it’

But more than ever I remained convinced we’re going to get through it. We’re going to come out of the other end. Arts and culture in Hull will continue to thrive, innovate, and push the boundaries, even as the creative industries continue to face unprecedented threats and challenges. Because even if we are skint, we’ve been there before, and I’m sad to say we’re going to be there again in the future.

But our resilience, creativity and community will remain. It will remain because it has always been there, a deep part of our identity. It’s woven into the collective consciousness of who we are, who we all are:

Because we are Hull.