Lorna Rees and Dave Young (The Shouting Mute) at Inside/Out Dorset
In Dorset, international outdoors festival Inside/Out delayed by a year because of the pandemic, kicks-off on the 16 September and includes Jerwood Arts supported works by Lorna Rees and Dave Young.
Geophonic by Dorset-based creative and performer Lorna Rees is an interactive sound walk experience, a journey through Symondsbury Estate that will make you more aware of your surroundings. Using bespoke Geophones that Lorna has had crafted locally, audiences will be guided to stop and listen at various points to encounter surprises of a geological nature – some of it naturally occurring, some made by human voice and some with augmented sound and music. Geophonic is about recognising how geology shapes our landscape and remembering that humans are part of nature too.
Dave Young (The Shouting Mute) is joined by designer Sophie Fretwell and sound designer Jonathan Leitch to create Partnering with Earth, an immersive poetic installation. Interviewing and collecting thoughts from local farmers, scientists and activists about their relationship with the landscape in Dorset, capturing their views on climate change in this poetic exploration. The installation is created from natural and upcycled materials, with a soundscape of poems and verbatim recordings from interviews exploring our relationship with the Earth.
Geophonic and Partnering with Earth run from the 24-26 September with multiple performances daily at the Symondsbury Estate. Inside Out Dorset by Activate Performing Arts is running from 17 – 26 September, with live performances in unexpected places – town centres, by the sea, on hilltops and in woodland. Find out more and book tickets on the Activate website here.
Early-career Poets as part of BBC Contains Strong Language and Coventry City of Culture
In Coventry, BBC Contains Strong Language takes place 23-25 September, Jerwood Arts is supporting a programme of commissions and career development support for 15 emerging poets from the West Midlands.
The core group of Early Career Poets are:
- Romalyn Ante
- Siana Bangura
- Olga Dermott Bond
- Raef Boylan
- Aysar Ghassan
- Andrea Mbrushimana
- Sujana Upadhay
- George Ttoouli
- Roy McFarlane
- Sue Brown
- Lisa Franklin
- Emilie Lauren Jones
- Antony Owen
Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship alumni Raymond Antrobus and Jane Commane are also involved.
The commissioned poets will be performing in a range of events including Re:Versing the Sherbourne, Twilight Poetry Walk, Radio 3’s The Verb, Poetry Lounge @ The Box and In Ira Aldridge’s Footsteps. This year’s annual celebration of poetry and spoken word brings together the BBC with Writing West Midlands, Nine Arches Press and Coventry UK City of Culture 2021. The four-day festival will be taking place in venues across the city, celebrating spoken word in all its poetic forms and revealing the best existing and emerging talent from Coventry and the Midlands.
Find out more and book tickets on the Coventry City of Culture website here.
Sonia Hughes’ I Am From Reykjavik
In Ipswich this October, SPILL Festival, also delayed by a year, will finally see the full realisation of Sonia Hughes’ I Am From Reykjavik. This outdoor interactive live installation is the artist’s attempt to claim space and to make a declaration of freedom, building her own temporary dwelling and inviting people to help, have tea with her, or just watch.
An artist rocks up, builds a shelter and declares herself free.
“So in 1965 my mum and dad book a holiday to the Isle of Wight; my mum’s pregnant with me. Dad gets a bit wary and writes to the hotel saying that we’re coloured and would it cause any problems as they don’t want to travel all that way, what with my mum’s condition, to be turned away.
The hotel writes back cancelling the reservation. This time, I’m just rocking up. I’m bringing my own house and my own teacups. You’re welcome to come help me build my shack and take tea with me, but I’m coming whether you like it or not.”
– Sonia Hughes
SPILL Festival offers a packed programme of indoor and outdoor events, all taking place across Ipswich and themed around memory. The festival will be presenting works by artists from across the UK and from countries around the world, as well as projects grown with people living locally. Find out more on the SPILL Festival website here.
Jerwood Arts
Jerwood Arts is the leading independent funder dedicated to supporting outstanding UK artists, curators and producers to develop and thrive. We collaborate with organisations across art forms to imagine a more sustainable sector. Our programmes provide transformative opportunities for early-career individuals through awards, fellowships and commissions, and we present exhibitions in our gallery in London and on tour nationally.
