Following several visits to the City, the Quay Brothers have focused their vision on three mouthwatering locations: the Dark Arches, the Corn Exchange building and the County Arcade in the city centre. Sound and light tests are now being carried out in these spaces; expect a surreal blurring between live performance, film and light installation.

Canvas is all about the flow of water into and through our city, mainly inspired by the history and mythology of our beloved River Aire. It was therefore entirely serendipitous for the Quays to discover that one of their musical heroes - the composer Gavin Bryars - was born in Goole, in East Yorkshire, at the spot where the Aire merges with the Ouse and leaves Leeds behind. Bryars, who has worked with artists as diverse as Ballet Rambert and Tom Waits, has fallen under the Canvas spell, and is now writing new music especially for the project, as well as exploring the music and musicians already here in Leeds.

You may have read that Ruth MacKenzie has recently been appointed as the artistic director of the whole, UK wide Olympic cultural programme, and we are delighted that an invitation has been extended to Leeds Canvas to meet with Ruth and ensure that our project has the widest support and profile. Moira Innes from Leeds Met Gallery will represent the Canvas team at the meeting which takes place in London at the end of May.  Next time we'll ask Ruth to come to us: you can only get into this project if you know how our City flows.

Dominic Gray – Opera North