EMILY LANSLEY
ART DIRECTION & MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Stealing Sheep based in Liverpool UK where they collaborate with artists in their resident art-space ‘The Invisible Wind Factory’. Members include Rebecca Hawley (keys & vocals), Luciana Mercer (Drum kit & vocals) and multi-instrumentalist Emily Lansley (Lap-steel, Guitar, Bass, synth & vocals).
In 2010 they released their first LP entitled ‘Paper Moon’ (Heavenly Recordings), their debut album ‘Into the Diamond Sun’ (Heavenly Recordings) closely followed in 2011. In 2015 they released their second studio album ‘NOT REAL’ (Heavenly Recordings), which featured the namesake single ‘Not Real’ and the video for second single ‘Apparition’. In 2019 they released their third album ‘BIG WOWS’ (Heavenly Recordings), including ‘Jokin’ Me’, ‘Show Love’ and ‘Why Haven’t I’? They released albums, Fantastic PLanet and Wow Machine during COVID and are set to slef-release their fourth studio album in 2025.
October 2010 - Present
MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN
Music & Sound design for ‘River of Light’ installation ‘Positive Spin’
Positive Spin is a 5.5m high machine from the collective minds of artistic experience creators Invisible Wind Factory and illustrator Liz Harry that invites you to step up and receive a random fortune.
Inspired by a love of summers spent at beach front arcades it's part immersive experience and part spectacle, this brand new commission aims to share the importance of looking forward positively.
POSITIVE SPIN - RIVER OF LIGHT
October 2024 (150,000 attended)
MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN
ARTIST TAKEOVER - FACTORY INTERNATIONAL
September 2024 (300 stakeholders attended)
Emily, a multidisciplinary artist and performer brings her unique creative approach to the Artist Takeover at Factory International in Manchester. Lending her expertise in sound design and performance to the Midnight Temple project, blending structure with creative spontaneity.
AUDIO VISUALS & MUSIC
May 2023 - (10,000 attended)
Welcome To Eurotopia emerged as a cultural initiative that spearheaded Liverpool’s 2023 Eurovision Festival: a vibrant two-week celebration intertwining the rich tapestries of music, art, and culture, weaving narratives from Liverpool and Ukraine alike.
Welcome To Eurotopia, led by local music artists Stealing Sheep and Natalie McCool featured a diverse collective of local and Ukrainian women and non-binary music artists, forming a formidable 10-piece supergroup.
With appearances from star guests such as OMD, The Lathums, She Drew The Gun and Jane Weaver performing a dynamic set of iconic songs from the city interwoven with vibrant Ukrainian musical and dance elements, what transpired was an avant-garde and expansive production, marked by a collective effort that includes dancers, choir, marching brass band, string orchestra, & visuals and art direction by Stealing Sheep.
MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN
Liverpool electro-pop trio Stealing Sheep present a theatrical-musical-dance-art spectacular, in tribute to the electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire. With technical wizardry from experimental performance producers The Kazimier.
A hexagonal stage, sci-fi sunglasses and sparkly suits hosted by BBC Radio 6 Music DJ, producer and broadcaster Nemone, joined in-conversation by Stealing Sheep’s Becky Hawley and Emily Lansley, comedian and Delia Derbyshire fan Helen Keen and lecturer in Sound Production at the University of York and Chair of the Audio Engineering Society Dr Mariana Lopez.
November 2019
MUSIC & PERFORMANCE
We created a mass audio-visual, songwriting experience inspired by LightNight’s theme ‘PLAY’ taking the form of a conceptual SONG MACHINE
where they invited the public to create a 'Liverpool Song for the future of PLAY' to communicate what PLAY IS to them…
The audience members sent up to six words that were fed into the SONG MACHINE and processed into a new composition to create a spectacle, combining light art, sound sculpting and live instruments performed by Stealing Sheep on the 21st of May 2021.
People got involved by: Tweeting their lyrics to @Stealingsheep #playis to join a mass songwriting experience and watch as Stealing Sheep become a SONG MACHINE that can be played by the audience for LightNight Liverpool.
Commissioned by Open Culture for Liverpool Light Night 2022
May 2021 (500 attended)
COSTUME DESIGN & WORKSHOPS
Stealing Sheep devised a colourful and fun procession to rove around Birkenhead Park, marking out and celebrating different sights holding deeper and historic hidden meanings. We wrote the music, made costumes, headed up banner workshops, music workshops and folk dance workshops culminating in a lively colourful inclusive procession, with our giant blow up sheep.
Though The Magic Sheep Procession was curated by Stealing Sheep, the wider festival was organised by Cradle to Career, which is part of north-west charity, Right to Succeed.
July 2023
COSTUME DESIGN & WORKSHOPS
Stealing Sheep embark on a Suffragette Summer with surrealist costume, dance, mobile synthesisers, cowbells and a 15 piece female marching band.
In response to the centenary of suffrage, Stealing Sheep are celebrating women inspired by the suffragette movement. In partnership with Manchester based creative music charity Brighter Sound and Edge Hill University they are bringing together 15 female drummers and percussionists to create a marching band and procession, inspired by women, equality and empowerment.
This performance is part of the Both Sides Now programme led by Brighter Sound, and commissioned by Edge Hill University in their role as Sound City Innovation partner to champion student excellence, and as part of their Wonder Women programme of events to mark the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage. Both Sides now is an initiative which aims to support, inspire and showcase female artists based in the North of England.
July 2016
RESEARCH PROJECTS
A research Project devised by Stealing Sheep with the aim of creating a new all female and marginalised gender team to work with on live shows and tours, endeavouring to bridge the gender gap in the music industry.
We worked with a group of eight people to envisage and devise a show utilising everyones skills with the hope of creating a new network and with the hope of working together again in the future.
INFINITE VISIONS - Research Project
Jan 2021 - Jan 2022
MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN
Written in 2011 released in 2021 / Still performed live
René Laloux’s celebrated 1973 sci-fi animation La Planète Sauvage is overhauled with a re-imagined soundtrack by electronic modernists Stealing Sheep and legendary sound innovators The Radiophonic Workshop.
This exclusive release is part of Fire Records’ re-imagined score series, and was released on
Delia Derbyshire Day 2021.
REMIXES
Ongoing
Reimaginings and remixes of other artists work adding to our profile of skills and sound design expansion.
ILLUSTRATION & GRAPHIC DESIGN
DOGSHOW BRANDING & WEBSITE DESIGN - Ongoing
Designing posters, branding, merch, designing and making website for band, Dogshow.
Other websites include stealingsheepworld.com / nanshouse.co.uk / animalhair.com
PERSONAL WORK / PAINTINGS & ILLUSTRATION
Personal print work & commissions, displayed amongst other artists on the Prints n Tha’ website. Selected prints shown in local exhibitions including The Bluecoat.
Using acrylic paint, gouache, water colour, later digitally developed using Photoshop, Illustrator or Procreate.
Printed limited editions sold as Giclee Prints.
Ongoing
SCREEN PRINTING & PRINT FAIRS
Prints n Tha’ - art collective organise & curate a print & zine fair, hosted at Metal, Liverpool. An affordable place for low income artists to sell their work & to introduce new artists to the Prints n Tha’ collective & Liverpool Community Prints with the aim of creating a supportive community and teaching screen printing techniques.
Designing & screen printing prints & posters to commission, in collaboration with Liverpool Community Print, where I am one of the community interest company directors.
Ongoing
MURAL PAINTING & PUBLIC ART
Ongoing
Designing & producing pop-up murals in homes and on the streets of Liverpool.
PUBLIC ART
Liverpool Culture Company and Wild in Art commissioned 125 mini-Superlambananas as part of Liverpool's 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations. The LCC wanted to create a cultural event that involved local people in the production and consumption of the art.
I was asked to produce two artists Superlambanana’s that can be seen at Runcorn Train Station.
2008
ILLUSTRATION & COMMUNITY WORK
Visual Minutes, is a live, illustrated recording of conferences, events or meetings, listening and visualising ideas in a dynamic way.
The minutes unfold during the event and the information is brought to life with illustrations and colour.
Visual minuting or graphic recording pulls out the key themes and messages making the information digestible.
VISUAL MINUTES - MORE THAN MINUTES
January 2024 - Present
REMOTE BANNER WORKSHOP - LANTERN COMPANY
July 2020
Lantern Co is an artist led organisation that creates thought provoking and uplifting projects, commissions and events that bring people together in unusual and outdoor spaces.
I created a remote banner workjshop for families to take part in, to try and connect with neighbours during the COVID pandemic.
Community Organisation, Positivity Inc. Sowing seeds of positivity across Liverpool with yoga, mindfulness and creative outdoor activities.
My roles included branding, poster and flyer design.
Ongoing
Rice Lane City Farm Summer 2022
I held Weekly painting workshops with local community at Rice Lane City Farm where we painted illustrations on to wood of the local wildlife & animal members of the farm ready to be used as signs for the farm.
Manchester Day Parade - 170,000 visitors
June 2019 - Annually
Designing, budgeting and producing over one hundred signs for schools and groups involved in Manchester Day Parade.
VIDEO ART
EUROVISION
2023
The making, animating and syncing of visuals for live performance, utilising Final Cut Pro and Premiere.
EVENTS
December 2019 - Present
Mothmas, curated by Vice Moth (myself & Alex Germains) is the creation of a night and TV programme to support musicians, artists, performers, cooks, nature lovers across the North West.
SOLO AUDIO VISUAL SESSION
TOBOGGAN SESSION - 301 VIEWS
February 2022
Another session from the series this time with the always wonderful Emily Lansley who has played with so many acts over the years it is pretty inspirational, but you probably know her most from Stealing Sheep. Emily included visual artwork in her live performance including film, projections and live mix interactions which made for a unique approach to developing and delivering her piece. POSTMUSIC Indoor Toboggan Sessions is a collaborative series produced by Stephen Cole for WhatStudio. This was helped, in part with funding by The Arts Council of England and airtime by Roger and the team at the then 'The Popular Music Show' on BBC Radio Merseyside.