follyconsult

about us

Project Management Case Studies

We have provided project management services to a number of arts organisations on a variety of projects including:

Watershed Media Centre - Clark Digital Arts Bursary

Folly was selected to undertake a research project and provide consultancy to recommend the development of a residency program with a clear vision which could be communicated to partners, artists and stakeholders. This involved interviewing a wide range of stakeholders including Watershed management, artists and officers from a number of arts organisations throughout the UK to gauge their awareness and perceptions of the Clark Digital Arts Bursary and how it could be developed.

Gill Haworth from Watershed said:
'Watershed and the Clark Trust had been working in partnership on the Bursary since its inception in 1998 and we jointly identified a need for evaluation and to map out our future vision. Folly consultancy gave an informed, professional and independent take on our work together and they provided a supportive, responsive and flexible service which addressed our combined and individual needs.'

 Manchester Metropolitan University - Perimeters, Boundaries and Borders

'Fast-uk (a Manchester-based artist-led organisation) and folly partnered on the presentation of 'Perimeters, Boundaries and Borders' (PBB) as part of the f.city Festival of Digital Culture.  The aim of this exhibition was to present the very latest examples of work that blur the conventional boundaries of arts and design practice through the use of technology.

Fast-uk retained the services of folly for the project management of the exhibition and related events.  The PBB activities included an internationally significant exhibition (comprised of new commissions and existing works in this area), a public symposium, and a free one day workshop on the use of an open source 3D software package. PBB was funded by ACE, MIRIAD, and Lancaster City Council.

Without this partnership Fast-uk would have not been able to fully realise our plans for PBB.  Originally planned to take place in Manchester the project was on hold because of delays with our main venue partner. The members of Fast-uk had prior positive experiences in working with folly and when a partnership with them was suggested it seemed a great opportunity to expand our remit and reach a new audience.  The exhibition and events were moved to Lancaster and folly began work to find a venue partner, eventually leading to the CityLab site at Dalton Square.   

folly's staff were receptive and responsive throughout the process.  Issues that arose were resolved to Fast-uk's satisfaction in a timely manner. Most were related to timing issues as a result of a tightly compressed schedule
(6 months).  Also, a few issues of communication occurred due to the rapid expansion in folly personnel after the project had already begun compounded by the roles of 'partner' and 'consultant' being blurred. In general however, the proactive attitude, enthusiasm and professionalism of folly's staff were a major contributing factor to the success of the exhibition, symposium and workshop.

Fast-uk with folly's immeasurable support and expertise produced a very successful exhibition for Lancaster and the region.  Fast-uk would look forward to partnering for the future with folly and building on the relationships, lessons learned and major achievements from PBB.' - John Marshall

Carnforth Station and Railway Trust Co. Ltd. - Aural History Project

Folly contributed to the Award Winning refurbishment of Carnforth Station by project managing the display in the Visitor Centre. Starting with a brief that the exhibition in the Visitor Centre should reflect Carnforth's history as a railway and industrial town and its connection with the film Brief Encounter and working within a limited budget, Folly assembled a team of Aural History researchers, photographers, designers and writers who together created an Exhibition which captured the vision of the Carnforth Station and Railway Trust Co Ltd, assisted in the Station receiving local and national awards and, most of all, been of interest to and appreciated by the tens of thousands of visitors to the Station since it opened. - David Taylor, Project Manager, Reminiscence Aural History Project