What is UB

Unfinished Business is a long term collaboration between artist/AD Leo Kay and artist/producer Anna Smith. We create projects within communities across the UK and internationally. We work with professional and non-professional artists to construct collective spaces for dialogue, exchange and the creation of shared meaning. Our current practice is grounded in participation and situated somewhere-between a conversation, installation, performance & workshop.

"Body, mind and spirit all well and truly nourished following one of the most generous cultural events I’ve ever experienced." Only Wolves and Lions

[ Porl Cooper ]

Who is UB _ Company

Leo Kay

Artistic Director

Leo Kay is a artist and performance maker based part-time in London. His work has moved through physical performance and autobiographical storytelling, towards participation and social practice. Having established UB in 2010 and run the company for seven years, in 2017 Leo embarked on a period of performance research based at a.pass (Brussels, BE), where he developed UBs current company practice: The Bakery Of Slow ideas (TBOSI). Drawing on his previous work exploring food, community and interaction, TBOSI is a durational participatory art practice based around the act of fermentation and sourdough bread baking. Central to the practice are processes exploring dialogue, ritual, deeper listening and collective DIY action.

Leo also works as an artistic mentor and consultant, recent clients include: Ice9 (Tromso Norway), Block9 (UK) and Derby CAN and mentees include: Y? (NYC), Sebastian H-W, Eva Bakkeslett, and fine art duo KeelerTornero.

Throughout his career Leo has worked as a professional performer with a range of companies including Clod Ensemble, NT, The London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Theatre Laboratory of Manipur, Lost Dog Dance, Ron Bunzl (Amsterdam) and Gisella Rocha Cia (Zurich). He's worked as director/movement director for The Birmingham Rep (Decypher collective), Don Letts Presents Speakers Corner (CMN), Roundhouse, Contact Theatre, Quarantine, Polarbear and Baba Israel (NYC). He's taught workshops and run outreach projects internationally at: Taipei International Festival, the Kattaikkuttu Sangam Company of Kanchipuram (India), Au Brana Performance Research Institute (France), Vim Vanderkeybus and Ultima Vez (Brussels), Teatro Casto Alvez, Espaco Xi, Teatro Villa Velha (Salvador, Brazil) and Contacting the World Festival (Manchester).

Anna Smith

Producer

Anna works collaboratively across live art, theatre and community arts as a producer and production manager. Since co-founding UB in 2010, she has developed a creative approach to producing, working closely with artists to realise new performances, socially engaged projects and community based work.

Having managed UB for seven years and produced the work of performance maker Ray Young for 4 (2015-19), she side-stepped in 2017 to undertake a masters in Applied Anthropology and Community Arts at Goldsmiths. This led her to work with community storytelling company - take stock exchange (TSX) and to dedicate more time to developing social art projects with UB. Anna currently works as Production Manager Lewisham Youth Theatre, in South East London where she lives. 

Who is UB _ Collaborators - past/present

unfinished business Unai Lopez Di Armentia
Unai Lopez de Armentia (2011-2015)
Performer and Deviser
unfinished business mestre carlao
Mestre Carlão
Musician and Capoeira Master
unfinished business pedro lima
Pedro Lima de Oliveira
Musician
unfinished business patrizia paolini
Patrizia Paolini
Performer and Deviser
unfinished business diane morgan
Diane Morgan
Lead Consultant
yako
Yako 440 (2013-16)
Collaborating Artist
baba
Baba Israel (2013-16)
Collaborating Artist
unfinished business sam campbell
Sam Campbell
Artist, Designer and DJ
remi-stewart
Remi Stewart
Filmmaker
Nao Nagai (2015)

UB _ Links

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