Timothy Ellis frsa : Artist CV

 

Born 1961 Leamington Spa – currently Oxford resident

 

1967 : First public performance playing Spinet with The Avonside Trio.

 

1971 -1974 : Collegiate Choir of St Mary Warwick, annual residencies at Chichester Cathedral, European concert appearances, and LP records.

 

1976 : Left school age 16 a rural punk. Self-taught sound engineer and music improviser / outsider / develops cassette to cassette audio dubbing techniques.

 

1980 : Founded Red Spot Recording Studio : Produced own recordings plus numerous regional and national artists.

 

1980 to present : Founded General Theory of Dub. Reggae Dub performance unit.

 

1982 : Join Glasshouse reggae band made up of Specials and Selector musicians.

 

1984 : Instigator of The Cell, Leamington Spa musicians collective.

 

1986 to present : Founded Jackdaw with Crowbar seminal multi-media performance troupe. Numerous European tours including beyond the Iron Curtain.

 

1987 : Jackdaw with Crowbar sign to Ron Jonson records for 2 x 12” singles and 2 x LP records.

 

1987 : Record two sessions for The John Peel Show BBC Radio 1. Jackdaw with Crowbar “The best thing to come out of Leamington since The Grand Union Canal” Stewart Lee.

 

1993 : Jackdaw with Crowbar sign to Hax, Turin for LP record and Italy tours.

 

1993 : General Theory of Dub recordings premiered on Kiss FM “This ain’t no white guy from Warwick” Jah Shaka,

 

1995 : Founded New Music : New Places to present music performance in adventurous settings e.g. Music in High Places : performance on top of St Marys Church Tower, Warwick attracts national reviews and attention from BBC Radio 4

 

1996 : New Music : New Places curates Cryptic Collaboration. Dave Coulter (Pogues) virtuoso digeridoo with Wave of Bongo drum orchestra in The Crypt of St Mary’s Church, Warwick.

1996 : Composer for The Warwick Pageant. Large scale community play in grounds of Warwick Castle. Recreated the original (hidden, forbidden) castle pipe organ using sampling technology.

1996 : Composer for ‘Break Point’ film by Anne Forgan, starring Ken Morley

 

1996* : Sound art performance ‘Hearing is Believing’ festival Cardiff

 

1997 : Studied Composing for Moving Image at The National Film & Television School in Beaconsfield.

 

1998 : Commission to compose tango music for Ace Dance, Birmingham. Also, to train CEO Ian Parmel in new music technology.

 

1999 : Founded Jam Station. Centre for young people to develop music skills funded by the new Youth Music.

 

1999 : Sound design development for ‘Trips’ play by Sarah Woods. Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

 

1999 to present : Youth Music projects and instigator of numerous arts and community media projects across Warwickshire.

 

2000 : Co-founded Cool in Northamptonshire, (possibly) the first formal alternative education setting in the Midlands to deploy cutting edge creative technology as re-engagement tools outside mainstream.

 

2001 : Exhibition of sound art – Naught to two in two – Push Exhibition - Sweet Tea House. Bethnal Green.

 

2002 : Instigate second music centre in Northamptonshire to meet demand for youth music activities.

 

2001 : Release - Circle OBS via The Noodles Foundation / Leaf Label – possibly the first County n’ Western trad arrangement mixed in dub.

 

2003 : Founded Hybrid Arts. Alternative Education with focus on art and music. Funded by The Learning and Skills Development Agency to set up creative labs in Rugby and Leamington Spa.

 

2003* : Commission music for Warwickshire Youth Dance.

 

2005 : Release CD – Jackdaw with Crowbar via Commercially Unfriendly / Gott Discs

 

2006 : Hybrid Arts win British Business Awards - Investing in Young People.

 

2006* : Coin phrase ‘Taming of the Crew’ to summarise pioneering, creative work with young gang members.

 

2006 : National award for pioneering film and art work with Warwickshire Drugs and Alcohol Team.

 

2007 : Commission from NHS to make film ‘Virtual Visit’ (contraction promotion)  film content with young gang members.

 

2008 : Hybrid Arts win British Business Awards - Social Enterprise of the Year.

 

2008 : Nominated Fellow of The Royal Society of the Arts

 

2008* : Commission of creative projects for Shelter, Coventry. Engaging homeless NEET’s in creative project ‘Electronic Graffiti’

 

2009 : Jackdaw with Crowbar album ‘Barking’ and more European tours. “The guitarist plays magnificent slide and shred” Thurston Moore, Sonic Youth

 

2010 : Commission - accordion music for film ‘The Pizza Miracle’ by Tony Grisoni / UK Film Council / Film 4

 

2011 : Roskilde Festival, Denmark. Jackdaw with Crowbar.

 

2011 : Commission of sound art and performance of The Wolfamcote Bells

 

2012 : Nominated Arts Champion of The West Midlands for The Cultural Olympiad. Created ground-breaking project Extraordinary Cycles combining European Champion Flatland BMX rider Keelan Phillips with choreographer Junior Cunningham (MotionHouse). The launch event was opened by BMX World Champion Shanaze Reade.

​

2012 : General Theory of Dub selected for BASS Festival, Birmingham, Punch Records
2012 : General Theory of Dub selected for Bruton Horse Fair, Bruton, Somerset.

 

2013 to present : Founded Leamington LAMP. Arts education centre and venue.

​

2013 : General Theory of Dub at Nova Festival, nr Brighton

 

2014 : Live score performance ‘Le Voyage dans la Lune’ by Georges Méliès for Leamington Underground Cinema

 

2015: LAMP wins Warwickshire Venue of the Year (for 2014 activities)

​

2017 / 18 : General Theory of Dub shows with Black Uhuru - Macka B - Dreadzone

 

2018 : LAMP awarded Pride of Warwick District.

 

2018 to present : Developing work with Italian artist Elena Cecchinato. Liquid Sonic Abstraction - synthesised bass frequencies disrupt paint on water at the moment of printing. https://www.liquidsonicabstraction.net/work.html

 

2019 : LAMP winner of Professionals Award, National Autistic Society.

 

2019 : LAMP winner of regional Education Awards and shortlisted for NASEN Awards.

 

2020 : Speaker at National Autistic Society Professionals Conference.

 

2020 : Founder of Tactical Stroke label.

 

2020 to present : Established Plucking the Spectrum. Abstract electronic music searching for unheard sounds. Currently three albums at Bandcamp via Tactical Stroke.

 

2021 : Developing Liquid Sonic Abstraction proposals for joint show in Oxford and Padova in Collaboration with Italian artist Elena Cecchinato.

2021 : ‘Twenty, Twenty One Mood Swings’ Plucking the Spectrum, experimental electronic sound / music in show ‘Unprecedented’ OVADA Oxford.

2021 : Liquid Sonic Abstraction on show at ‘Art in the Age of Now’ Fulham Town Hall – project by Ben Moore of Art Below and Lamington Group.

 

 

A * indicates date is approximate