August 7, 2009 by Annie

FEAST 2009 – the fire and the music

Mac Dunlop welcomed guests to the fireside and spoke to the company of people present..

he introduced the caravanserai project in a moving speech that invited us to remember those no longer with us reading a poignant text written by FEAST project manager Laura Hardman only a week before she died…

“My dad always says ‘if you never change, you never grow’ and I think it’s dealing with challenges and problems that enable us to change. We all have coping strategies for the here and now, sometimes we need the inspiration to move beyond the unknown and taste the future. I’d like to think that art can help us change and I hope that some of our FEAST projects will elicit this change in people’s lives.

Mac then dedicated the lighting of a fire sculpture created by Bristol artist Hannah Cox to Laura – the crowd drifted across the field to watch it burn in silence, against the backdrop of night sky and full moon above.

Returning to the campfire we were enthralled by fantastic fiddle and guitar music provided spontanaeously by campsite visitors J & B followed by numerous anecdotes, stories and offerings from people participanting in the celebration.

pics by Mary Alice Pollard

March 2, 2009 by Annie

all abroad – a proposal

project proposal

Concept: sound artist and writer Mac Dunlop proposes to visit vessels currently lain up in the Fal River to record personal and traditional stories that catch a flavour of the international cultures these Fal River “Skeleton Crews” carry with them even while living on the River.

Context:

“Near the King Harry Ferry just south of Truro, you suddenly glimpse the giant ships – car carriers, bulk carriers, banana boats…there are Filipinos, Polish, Portugese, Russian, Ukranian and Bulgarian sailors with little access to the outside world.”
Guardian Newspaper, 31/01/09

January 31, 2009 by Annie

blanket

the next foray in the knitting department is a super duper textual blanket created from any old colours, stitches, needles and absolutely open to all manner of mistakes…a durational work in progress , 7 squares done 57 to go:

November 22, 2008 by Annie

re-learning to knit

Debs and Rachel have got me knitting, haven’t done this since a child.. easy straight fingerless gloves. cast on 28 stitches (size 5 needles) k1,p1 to make the rib. Then moss stitch to just above knuckles (k1, p1 one row, p1,k1 second row – then just carry on alternating the start stitch). I ended up making loads for friends and family. Great to discover knitting again as it fulfils the need to do stuff but provides some mental space at the same time – and things get made.