Powered by Joy
The Curious Caravan is a pop-up immersive
experience created by Amy Golding, a theatre-maker
from North Shields. Amy was the founder and Artistic
Director of Curious Monkey Theatre for 12 years. She
now works as a freelance artist.
“Curious Caravan started with a moment of
serendipity,” Amy explains. “I met a woman at an
online theatre conference during lockdown who
happened to have an old caravan. We redesigned,
painted, and adapted it. From there, we were off!
Theatres were closed, so we took the caravan to the
heart of communities, meeting people on their
doorsteps and over garden fences, inviting them to
gather outside the van for socially distanced tea,
cake, and stories. It was incredible to connect with
people after so much isolation. I remember parking
outside a block of flats in Byker where many older
people lived, and some hadn’t been outside or
spoken to anyone in months. Sometimes, just being
there to listen to people was enough.”
“The project quickly grew, and the caravan has since
toured various communities, festivals, and events,
collecting and caring for people’s stories. Most
recently, it appeared at Northumberland Square
during North Tyneside Together Festival in August.
Alongside a team of story collectors an illustrator
captures people’s memories in real-time, sketching
them as keepsakes for people who visit.
The concept is simple, but it can be deeply moving.
Every time we take the caravan out, we experience
magical moments. It’s really about spending time
together, connecting people who might never have
met, and listening, face-to-face away from
technology. Sometimes, someone will share
something they’ve never told anyone before. These
go into the ‘secret box,’ where they’re kept safe.”
CURIOUS CARAVAN
The welcoming caravan is adorned
with colourful bunting, bubbles,
pop-up performances, and
umbrella dances. It’s a hub of
activity with plenty of tea and cake
to go around. There’s also a playful
mythology surrounding the
caravan: it’s said she has travelled
far and wide, from India in the 60s
to her current home in Shields.
She’s rumoured to have a TARDISlike interior, with multiple floors of
library space for the collected
stories, and a rooftop jacuzzi
accessible via the secret elevator.
Travelling through time and space,
the caravan’s flux capacitor is
powered by joy.
Amy and her team have big plans
for the caravan. It will serve as a
platform for pop-up performances
and creative experiments, with
plans to return to Shields soon.
Keep an eye out!
Give them a follow on Instagram for
updates…
@curiouscaravan_ne
