IOU50
A two-year programme celebrating IOU’s pioneering legacy in experimental art and performance.
IOU50 – a two-year programme celebrating IOU’s pioneering legacy in experimental art and performance, while acting as a springboard for the future of the IOU Creation Centre, a place where artists collaborate, experiment and present new work.
At the heart of the programme is the creation of the IOU Archive: a new physical and digital resource bringing together materials, props, films and images that document the origins and evolution of IOU and its founding artists.
Over the next two years, IOU Labs will commission contemporary artists to respond to the archive, using it as a catalyst to generate ambitious new work across multiple disciplines, spanning art, performance, engineering, technology and environment.
The archive will function as a living space for past, present and future productions, activating stories and memories from artists and audiences through workshops that capture the lived experiences of those connected to IOU.
The programme culminates in a major exhibition that brings together archives, new commissions and contemporary practice, celebrating IOU’s legacy while confirming what comes next.
Current Events & News
Where You There ?
The IOU Archive is bringing together the stories, memories and experiences of the people who have been part of IOU’s journey. Were you in the audience? Did you perform, volunteer, take part in a workshop or help make a production happen? We’d love to hear your story. Follow the link above to share your story with us.
IOU50 Photography Exhibition
A glimpse into the IOU Archive with some previously unseen images from past productions. On display in the shared spaces and bedroom of the IOU Hostel
The South Pennine Series
As IOU celebrates 50 years of making experimental art, The South Pennine Series brings together the work of long-standing IOU collaborator Charlie Meecham with an invitation to get outside and explore Calderdale creatively. Charlie’s photographs capture the moors, reservoirs and valleys around us. Each image is linked to a local walk and Ordnance Survey location, inviting you to step beyond the photograph and discover the landscape for yourself.
Recent Events & News
Archive Revealed Cataloguing Grant Award
We are delighted to have been awarded an Archives Revealed Cataloguing Grant from @nationalarchivesuk - helping us to unlock one of the UK’s 'most important archives of experimental performance' by cataloguing 1,880 records spanning five decades of radical artistic practice.
A Curious Tapestry: Crafting New Cultural Ecologies
15 July 2026. The IOU Symposium returned to consider what an effective cultural ecosystem can be. We were delighted to welcome so many artists, practitioners, researchers and policymakers to the Birchcliffe Centre and IOU Hostel, in partnership with the University of Huddersfield. Image Gallery from the day plus the Symposium Programme available to download now
IOU Hostel Open Studio Weekend
3-5 July 2026. Marking 50 years of IOU and featuring activities from the IOU Creation Centre and Active Hub, the programme brought together art, nature and creative exploration for artists, families and visitors of all ages.
Cultural Ecologies In Practice - Workshop Day
16 July 2026. A series of experiential workshops based at IOU Hostel and surrounding landscape, working with a range of creative facilitators, makers, artists and exploring the connection between creative practice and nature. Participants explored a range of creative disciplines including movement, visual art and music, but also had the opportunity to deepen their personal practice.
IOU Artist in Residence 2026
Delighted to welcome Nat Whitney as our new Artist in Residence at the IOU Hostel. Nat is an audio-visual participatory artist working with creative technologies and tactile materials to construct interactive, sensory objects and environments inviting curiosity and play. IOU invited applications for a unique 6-month live-in artist residency. The fully funded residency provides rent free accommodation, access to IOU’s Creation Centre studios and workshops, creative mentorship, and a £3,000 production budget to develop a new commission that is inspired by the IOU archive.
IOU50 Triptych: Body, Land & Lens Commissioned Artists
Commission for artists working body-based performance, durational practice, movement/land art to create new performance-to-camera or film works in collaboration with MA Cinematography students at Leeds Beckett University. Find out about our commissioned artists