Tributes have been paid as family and friends mourn the loss of John Varah, 67, the quiet and humble, much-loved and widely respected champion of community arts.
Mr Varah died last week, a year after he retired from Same Sky, the organisation behind the annual Children’s Parade and Burning the Clocks.
He served as the artistic director at Same Sky and founded the Phoenix Art Space where he had a studio himself. He was also a husband, step-father and grandfather.
His legacy springs from his capacity to bring people together through collective art projects and has been described as immense.
Mr Varah joined Same Sky in 1991 as a freelance artist and became its artistic director in 2001 before retiring from his full-time role last year.
He continued as a freelance lighting designer, project manager and adviser.
During his leadership at Same Sky, the charity grew to become one of the largest community arts organisations in the south east.
Mr Varah oversaw the annual Burning the Clocks and the Children’s Parade for decades, as well as hundreds of national and international art projects.
Same Sky chair of trustees Jo Goodey said: “We are devastated by the sudden loss of John. He was the heart and soul of this organisation for more than three decades.
“Same Sky would not be where it is today, generating such a positive impact on so many lives across the country, without him.
“He has illuminated the lives of so many through his incredible imagination and passion for art and bringing together communities.
“Our thoughts are with his wife, Hazel, and his family, who supported John’s work and shared him with our community so generously over the years.
“We will miss him enormously and we are determined to carry his vision forward.”
The Phoenix Arts Space said: “His presence, dynamism and commitment to the organisation shine through the archive and the spirit of the building.
“Our longevity is a testament to the hard work John and others out into the creation of the charity and the building as a home for artists and ideas.”
Mr Varah led more than 700 events during his time at Same Sky, including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant and lighting the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Manchester, as well as a three-year programme in Ghana.
He was a former parent and governor at Fairlight Primary School, in Brighton, and Mrs Varah served as the chair of governors there.
Fairlight head Damien Jordan said that Mr Varah had “meant so much to so many”, adding: “This is a huge loss, not just for those who knew him personally but for our wider community.
“For many across Brighton, John was the Children’s Parade and Burning the Clocks – truly ‘Mr Same Sky’.
“For us at Fairlight, John was the person we turned to for our many creative (and often wonderfully chaotic!) Children’s Parade efforts.
“In his own time, he supported us with everything from building our famously ‘mad’ sound systems to guiding us on what we could safely and legally use (flares / fireworks / power) to always appearing – often at just the right moment – with a pull tie or some electrical tape to hold things together.
“His quiet generosity, creativity and enthusiasm made so much possible.”
Mr Jordan said that he hoped that Mr Varah’s legacy would be recognised at next year’s Children’s Parade.
He said: “It feels only right that his contribution is remembered and celebrated in the very spaces he helped bring to life.”
His family and the team at Same Sky are inviting people to share their memories and stories of Mr Varah – the connections he made and the impact that he’s had on others’ lives.
They will be collated into a book celebrating his life and legacy. Letters can be emailed to info@samesky.co.uk or send a DM via Facebook or Instagram.
Same Sky plans to continue Mr Varah’s work, partnering with local authorities, arts festivals, businesses, schools, community groups and individuals to create art projects that connect people, particularly those who are hardest to reach, as Mr Varah would have wished.
