Ambient Jam multi-media sensory-led practice has influenced many aspects of Entelechy’s work. The heart of the practice are bi-weekly improvisation events spanning 25 years, bringing together an ensemble of adults with PMLD, artists and volunteers. From this bi-weekly pulse new sensory-led projects and events emerge which brings the work out into the open to the general public or invited audiences. This area of Entelechy’s work covers art, seminars and social spaces which foreground the senses.

Launch 1989: Entelechy’s (then New Moves) first site-specific dance film with adults with learning disabilities who had recently moved back into the community in Lewisham, from the large hospitals such as Darenth Park, and older women from Time & Talents Community Centre Rotherhithe. Filmed on the Isle of Sheppey and Lavender Pump House in Rotherhithe.

Moving visions in community dance published: 1995: A book mapping the movement and sound work developed by Entelechy (then New Moves) from the 1980s to 1995, with forward by Pete Brinson.

Century 1995 Deptford Albany: A cross-generational, integrated, science fiction production superimposing the past of the Blitz onto the future of Information highways and lost pieces of history. Ambient Jam came together with the cross-generational community from Rotherhithe and Deptford, where sensory movement improvisation and dance were woven into a large scale theatre production.

Moving Visions: Laban Centre and Greenvale School 1996: An open workshop event in collaboration between Entelechy, Greenvale School PMLD department and the Laban Centre

Coincidences, 1996 -a collaboration with Entelechy’s Ambient Jam ensemble, dance artist Yolanda Snaithe and musician Charles Hayward: 2 performances at the Mulberry Day Centre, New Cross: Multi-media Dance, set design and music piece performed to a mixed audience of

dance students/dance artists and choreographers, local learning disabled people, family and health and care sector staff.

Best Value Review, 1999: Commissioned by Lewisham Council Social Services to undertake a user consultation exercise, using film, non-verbal telling of stories, enabling people with complex disabilities to contribute to Lewisham’s Best Value Review of services for people with learning disabilities. Entelechy artists, volunteers and staff spent time sharing the day to day moments in a number of people’s lives.

Incredible journeys 1996 + : Multi-media, multi-sensory art project with young people who have multiple disabilities, speech therapists and young volunteers. Different journeys in a big van to places close to nature: Journey to Kew gardens became a multi-sensory tactile photographic exhibition. This produced new installations in collaborations with Lewisham’s visual impairment officer and artist Ernst Fisher. One of the highlights was a collaboration with London Bubble Theatre Company establishing ways in which young people with profound disabilities could connect and contribute to an outdoor theatre project retelling the ancient story of Gilgamesh.

Summer 2000, Production of Gilgamesh in Oxleas Woods in collaboration with the London Bubble Theatre Company: 3 performances: Ambient Jam in collaboration with London Bubble Theatre’s professional actors: Multi-sensory pathways for audience were created by young people with and without PMLD, who visited the woods; they also created a short film capturing site specific sensory explorations of Oxleas Woods. This was screened in a tent at all the performances. Twelve professional actors from the Bubble ensemble came to Ambient Jam to experience a sensory interpretation of Gilgamesh with participants.

Night flights, 2000 +: Journeys made outside normal hours, at night, and for whole days in collaboration with emerging artists with PMLD: James McLean, member of Ambient Jam, collaborated with artist Malcolm Buchanan-Dick, to curate and make his own films of his bedroom, his gold fish, of aeroplanes and fast red Ferraris. These were projected onto London’s streets at night with an incredible midnight journey made by David Slater, Malcolm and James.

Night flight 2 Sensory Movies: Multi-sensory screening of James films and installation with all participants from Ambient Jam at the Deptford Albany

Night flights 2006: A digital installation using paint, wheelchair tracks and large scale film projections made by emerging artist James Mclean, young people with profound and complex disabilities, and artists Malcolm Buchanen-Dick and Florence Peake at the APT gallery. This collaboration was accompanied by a seminar which brought together people from different agencies and organisations exploring the use of digital technology in enable young people with profound disabilities to become more involved in the creative life of their communities.

The Ambient Rooms at the Octopus Club 1998: transferring Ambient Jam to a night club context: The Zen Room 2004, Heart’n’Soul Octopus Club and Chill-out Chamber: Entelechy were commissioned by Heart’n’Soul for Ambient Jam and designer Beth Hannant to create a multi-sensory chill out chamber that nourished the senses. Attended by members of Ambient Jam and the general public and members of Heart’n’Soul.

Entelechy 21st Century Tea dances 2000 +: The Ambient Jam team bring to Entelechy’s Tea Dances their subtle animation of the social dances so that everyone whatever their ability or age can join in to dance. Individual members from Ambient Jam have accessed these events with the skilled facilitation of the Ambient Jam team collective. One of our Ambient Jam members ended up performing in a dance improvisation with the team whilst the singer Eska performed her latest song.

Exposure – London disability and deaf arts festival: TWELVE, 2004, Deptford Albany: 3 x multi-sensory performances in the Albany theatre with Ambient Jam and band of musicians lead by Charles Hayward and double bass player John Edwards; design by Beth Hannant and Malcolm Buchanan-Dick.

Exposure – London disability and deaf arts festival: Afternoon with Ambient Jam 2005, Deptford Albany Theatre: 2 x multi-sensory performances by the Ambient Jam team members and artists with invited audience of 180 people including students from Greenvale School. Stage designer Beth Hannant and digital artist Malcolm Buchanan-Dick created an immersive set.

High street 2006: Multi- media project exploring a sensory led film and sound narrative of Deptford High Street, with members from Ambient Jam in collaboration artists Malcolm Buchanan-Dick, Brit H, Charles Hayward. This culminated in a multi-sensory film installation, music and dance happening with audience in the Red Room, Deptford Albany.

Endz Meet 2006: Entelechy collaboration with Museum of London bringing together profoundly disabled teenagers from Lewisham with non-disabled teenagers from Hackney, each capturing embodied films and stories of their London; and collaborating on editing into one big film. Led by artist Malcolm Buchanan-Dick using cameras strapped to participants and wheelchairs.

Deptford Herb garden 2006: A mini site specific happening with members of Ambient Jam and musicians Charles Hayward and John Edwards in the Deptford Herb Garden

9 chairs CD music composed by Charles Hayward with Ros Williams, Fred Pugh, Stefan Novak, Sue, Gillian, Tessa W, Ashleigh Marsh, John Edwards and me, 2005-6: A PRS funded collaboration between professional musicians and members from Ambient jam, recorded at the London Musicians Collective studios on Brixton Hill over 2 or 3 sessions. Julia Honess provided tapes of interviews with former residents from Darenth Park. These 2 elements were edited by Charles Hayward me and Nick Doyne-Ditmas at his studio into a sequence of music pieces with brief reminiscences of life before ‘care in the community’. I have a feeling it was funded by PRS (performing rights society).

Laban centre Community Opening Event 2006?: Musician Charles Hayward had been commissioned by Creative Lewisham to record the new Laban building being built over a 2 year period and to make several pieces from these samples with additional live musicians from Trinity, Haberdasher Askes,

Entelechy’s Ambient jam, and local musicians. This was choreographed around the building as visitors moved through it. Soundtracks was designed specifically for the Ambient Jam musicians to improvise with, around and alongside.

Cross Currents 2007?: Dance film bringing together a cross generational integrated ensemble of movers from Ambient Jam, volunteers, Entelechy’s 7 Ages Theatre Company of elders and support staff with film-maker Steve Wyles, music composition by Tunde Jegede. Filmed at the Royal Festival Hall’s Sprit Level.

Market 2008, café Deptford Albany: A multi-sensory exhibition and performance mixing film, objects, costumes and sound to capture Deptford Market’s past and present. A project that brought together 10 young artists with and without disabilities to investigate their cultural heritage: Collaboration with Nexus’ New Beginnings – young adults with PMLD (some of whom became members of Ambient Jam), and dance artist Florence Peake, digital artist Malcolm Buchanan-Dick and sound artist Paul ? . Young people made films, recorded sounds, explored sensory ways of immersing themselves in the history of Deptford which included everything from the slave trade to the history of the market and Cod Father’s Fishmongers; they created a sensory object led dance piece indoors and outdoors. This culminated in an installation in Deptford Albany where the café was taken over for a week with screening of films and sound scores sensory installations on walls and a performance evening in the cafe.

The Tempest, Downham Library Lewisham, Aiming High for Disabled Children 2009: Teenagers with profound disabilities – members of Entelechy’s Saturday Club for profoundly disabled teenagers and their siblings, worked on a multi-sensory production of the Tempest with Entelechy artists, which was performed to an invited audience of family and friends at Downham Library.

Multi-media installation and object graffiti curated at Downham Library with children with PMLD and their siblings, 2009: Working with artist Malcolm Buchanan-Dick the children made films of their chosen objects in different parts of library. They worked on editing their films and these were screened as an exhibition in the library together with an installation of the objects.

Musical sound journey, inside and outside Downham library, 2010: A collaboration between teenagers at the Saturday club with music and sound artists Voss Malone (Chris Leeds and Alrik Guyler) and Zoe Gilmour culminating into a site specific musical promenade journey in the library.

Little Boxes of Memories 2012?: an exploration of Lewisham’s oral history based on collaborations between Entelechy Artists and local older people, which then toured to PMLD departments of London’s SEN schools; specially adapted to share history and story through the senses. This was collaboration between Entelechy, the Museum of London, Lewisham Hospital and multi-disciplinary health teams from Beech Ward, students with PMLD and teaching staff from Greenvale School, older people and Lewisham Adult Social Care re-ablement Teams and residents and staff from Manley Court Nursing Home.

Cd with charles Hayward, Laban centre ?

Because I dance, 2010: A stills film created by young adults with complex disabilities and Entelechy Artists as part of Entelechy’s Dance Lab project. Shared at Deptford Albany as part of a happening with an invited audience.

Siobhan Davies Dance Studio (SDDS) 2010 – 2016: In 2010 years dance artist and teacher Gill Clarke visited Ambient Jam. This began the building of bridge between Entelechy’s integrated sensory movement work and in-depth uncovering of communities local to SDDS, with the beautiful spaces of SDDS. The connection was strengthened by then ED Andrew Broadley and developed by producer Alison Proctor who went on to curate and commission Entelechy’s Ambient Jam-led practice into their own programmes such as Human Nature, Memory and Place: This body of work brought together local families – children, parents, grandparents, a local nursing home and day centre for people with dementia; Entelechy’s 7 Ages Theatre Company of elders, Blackfriars Settlement, and the Ambient Jam team of Entelechy associate dancers and sculptors, individual Ambient Jam members with PMLD, children from Greenvale with PMLD and older people from Entelechy’s Meet Me at The Albany, dance students, and musicians from the Spitz jazz collective. Artists Florence Peake, Shane Waltener,

Daniel Lobb, Kim Norton, Christian Kerrigan and People’s Bureau were curated by Alison Proctor to collaborate and participate in an exchange with the Entelechy team on multi-sensory open workshop happenings in the roof top studio and other spaces such as the Garden Museum and Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre.

Morrison’s supermarket multi-sensory Tea Dance, The Albany 2017: A collaboration between Ambient Jam 1 and 2 and Morrison’s Supermarket creating a multi-sensory dance, sound, light, sculpture, taste happening with an invited audience, celebrating Morrison Foundation’s generous donation towards the Ambient Jam Programme.

ORTUS 2017: Ambient Jam’s artists and lead emerging artists performed a durational piece – Open Moves; using tactile sculptures created by Shane Waltener in collaboration with patients at Copelston. This took place at the ORTUS Centre. ‘Open Moves’ was part of Camberwell Arts Festival. The piece was followed by a discussion with members of the audience.

Multi-sensory national training events led by the Ambient Jam team and emerging complexly disabled leaders:

Between Two Worlds, Royal Festival Hall 1999: Training programme for health and social services support teams, teachers and artists. Facilitated by Ambient Jam team including Charles Hayward and emerging leader Carol Greenslade

Between Two Worlds 2, Royal festival Hall 2000: Training programme for health and social services support teams, teachers and artists. Facilitated by Ambient Jam team including Charles Hayward and emerging leader Carol Greenslade.

A three day programme for practitioners from the health social services and the arts sector took place at the RFH. The training examined ways in which

people described as presenting challenges to services can be supported to connect and contribute to cultural events and activities happening in their neighbourhoods.

Barbican Arts Works 2014: National multi-sensory training event designed and led by Entelechy’s Ambient Jam team including emerging leader Carol Greenslade.

Barbican Learning Lab 2015: National multi-sensory training event designed and led by Entelechy’s Ambient Jam team Ambient Jam team training events as site specific happenings in public spaces 2013 +:

Ambient Jam holds 3 team training events and salons every year which attract volunteers, artists the PA’s and family of our PMLD members. Many of these events take place in public spaces. In public or other spaces they appear like a dance flash mob, albeit one that is sensory. These events test the ability of the team to respond to the uniqueness and unpredictability of a new space and its emergent story through sound, movement and other senses. Over time this has developed a resilient sensitivity that maintains a struggle for authenticity and embodied intelligence, relational communication, whilst holding the gaze of the general public or an ‘audience’.

The wider team of dancers, sculptors and musicians co-shaping Ambient Jam comprise currently around 20 artists. There are also a committed team of artist volunteers working on the Ambient Jam programme. This wider ensemble includes learning disabled and disabled artists and volunteers. It is a cross generational team of 20+ through to 60+ practitioners.

Woven into this growing collective who attend the training events, now are lead emerging PMLD artists, who are members of the weekly Ambient Jam programme.

Gradually over time within a developing body of trust an ensemble is forming, that in an organic way are shifting this area of Entelechy’s work out into the open.

Improvisations have taken place at:

Crossrail Place, Canary Wharf – in collaboration with Crossrail to explore the sensory possibility of this green space above the Canary Wharf Crossrail station.

Greenwich Park Rose Garden

The Arthouse, Deptford

Charlotte and Cullinan Arts Studio in the East End.

Ortus learning and reading centre

The meadow outside the Deptford Albany.

Stave Hill Ecological Park.

Events range between completely open to those which are guided by working scores and an exploration of how structure can enter into this area of work.