Visionary Arts: Making it so!

 What an incredible day!!

It's very hard for me to put into words the coming together of a collection of ideas

without getting emotional!

 

 

 

Contemporary Dance Troop with Arts Care Gofal Celf LegaC, Rob Latham and Bob Edwards, Sam Collins, Jacqueline Emslie, Rachel Hargrave and the Cardigan Drummers, myself and Amanda Painting made our way down to the secret cove to film the opening film scape for The Dragon Tree.

 

Thanks everyone: YOU ROCK!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Mandy and I went down in July to scope the route down, the sun was shining and we didn't have any drums! We got half way down and it looked easy enough! But today in October with all the gear I have to be honest there was a moment when I thought, 'Oh my giddiest of aunts!'

 

 

 

But I knew it would be worth all the hard work to get down to the beautiful cove in Llangrannog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It became something of a team building experience with people helping each other to make the descent. Certainly the most physical of all my shoots so far!

 

 

 

 

 

While the drummers played, LegaC warmed up on the beach.

 

Let the dance begin ...

 

 

 

 

Bob Edwards and Rob Latham both represented different incarnations of the main character Dafydd as he lay shipwrecked and confused seeing his whole life before his eyes. Dancing around him with waves ... mermaids making a decision whether or not to save him ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Mother of all the Mermaids, Guinivere dances with the shipwrecked fisherman in making her final decision

 

 

And then the trek all the way back to Mandy's beautiful Farmhouse, Morfa Isaf

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up & up & up ....

 

 

 

Great BIG team building hugs

when we got to the top!

 

 
And then down to some serious packed lunching!

BIG thanks to Joy, one of the mums who came to support the dancers today, to Laura Jenkins, Dance Development Manager for Arts Care Gofal Celf and to Zosia Jo, Dance Tutor at Arts Care Gofal Celf.

Massive thanks to all the dancers, drummers and actors!! And of course to Mandy Painting.

But ... BIGGEST thanks to the SUNSHINE for showing her beautiful face ... and to the West Wales Coast line for being a constant heartbeat.

... and to The Arts Council of Wales for my Individual Mainline Grant :)

IF YOU FANCY STAYING AT MORFA ISAF OR FILMING THERE, THEN PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT MANDY PAINTING:

http://www.morfaisaf.co.uk/

More Dragon Roots!! Ddraig Gwraidd

 

The Story bench for my Bi-lingual Arts Installation: Ddraig Gwraidd  is nearly complete.

 
I just need to get the sign writing done on it and we're away to go but I just had to show you it becasue I went to pick it up today.

 Made from West Wales fire wood and drift wood I may also add to it shells and the like from my Fusion Inspire journey, although it is rather beautiful I think, just as it is. Dai Collage will be sat on it for the Installation Exhibitions.

Dragon Roots: Ddraig Gwraidd

 

The Ddraig Gwraidd Table is ready!

 

This table will form part of my Bi-lingual Arts Installation to accompany The Dragon Tree

 

It is made from tree trunk roots dug up by Patricia Mc Parlin in Pembrey kindly donated to Fusion Inspire and a piece of wood I found in Llannon

 

Jeff Beer has rubbed it down and attached the table top to the roots with wooden dowels using a traditional technique to form the piece.

FILM OPPORTUNITY FOR HAND DRUMMERS

CALL FOR HAND DRUMMERS

 

 

 

On Tuesday 30th October at 11.00am I will be filming in Llangrannog. There will be 12 dancers from LeagC Contemporary Dance troop doing their piece in the sea, Maggie Hampton, Director of Disability Arts Cymru will be signing in the waves with them as Mermaid Guinivere, Bob Edwards and Rob Latham will be our actors crawling from the waves .. and in the rocks

Rachel Hargrave will be leading drummers who will represent the waves crashing into the rocks.

 

If you would like to take part please contact either myself or Rachel Hargrave via facebook or cherylbeermusic@gmail.com

 

Please be prepared to wrap up warm with layers, bring dry clothes, towells and blankets.

Please bring a packed lunch.

Starts 11.00am likely to go on until @ 2pm

The Filmscape will be used as part of my production The Dragon Tree, kindly funded by The Arts Couincil of Wales and will be exhibited in January and February at Oriel Y Parc, St.David's, The National Botanic Garden of Wales, Carmarthenshire, St.Cadoc's Church, Trevethin,

Lyrical Dance: through the interpretation of sign laguage

 

 

As I sat in the beautiful rehearsal theatre at Arts Care Gofal Celf on Friday night,

with 12 committed and passionate young dancers,
 

led by the gifted powerhouse that is Laura Jenkins,

watching the choreography come to life, listening to my music, my song filling the space, whilst the dancers brought the sign laguage of my lyrics to life with their grace and height, their flow and rhythm ...

I thought to myself ...

Well, it doesn't get much better than this!

 

 

I was awestruck. It was only their 2nd rehearsal!

On 30th October these dancers will be joining me at Morfa Isaf Farm; a beautiful place owned by my chum Amanda Painting and we will based down on her private beach ... so imagine these moves in the sea!

Morfa Isaf Farm

Here are some little film clips taken from my mobile fone on the night to give you a better insight into how the dance is coming together ...



 





oH mY GiDdY aUNtS

Photographs by Lyndon Lomax for Friends of Ceredigion Wildlife.


OH MY GIDDY AUNTS!!!!

Have just finished mixing the track '600 Castles' which is the voice of Kidwelly Castle talking to the main character in the production ... this then goes into 'birdsong' which I recorded 'Quite early one morning' in
New Quay and then the hydrophonic recordings from the research team at Sea Watch Foundation New Quay come in ... I haven't touched them much, I've kept them raw,  as they are heard by human ear, but I have pushed up the top end because actually there's probably a large part we're not capable of hearing ... I have also put a bit of delay and reverb on and you can hear the water lapping at the boat and THE DOLPHINS clear as day.

If I close my eyes I'm back on that boat!

 

 

 

I LOVE MY WORK!!!!

So, now on the track there's me doing the narrative with backing singing of the lyric and poetry ... with birds and dolphins and the lapping waves, with me on guitar & ukulele, Mandy Painting on piano and ... oh yes, me on a little prayer cymbal as well ...

DOLPHINS DOLPHINS DOLPHINS!!! And birdsong ... and did I mention DOLPHINS!

I didn't for one minute in my entire life think that one day I would be sat in the studio funded by The Arts Council of Wales, writing music and collaborating with the voices of dolphins.

And to think that my teacher described me as  'a gal from the estate with crazy ideas' ... well Miss, I've got just one word for you ... DOLPHINS! (have got a big smiley face right now folks!)


Many thanks to Sound Engineer Jeff Beer for trusting my creative vision!

Studio Daze!

Wonderful day in the studio, just taking a wee break now, for grub!

First off we mixed the piano onto the tracks that Mandy Painting came over to record last week. Her piano playing really is breath taking! Sounds beautiful! Thanks Mandy.

Then focussed on mixing in some birdsong which I recorded on the coastal path at 6am. This is an echo of Dylan's 'Quite early one morning' written in New Quay and I wanted to record what 'quite early' sounds like to incorporate into my work.

The lyric in 600 Castles 'Hear the birds singing your name' is now accompanied by the birds singing their little hearts out first thing: Dawn chorus!

It then blends into what for me is the possibly the most exciting piece of my journey; the dolphin voices.

Once the birds and the dolphins were down, I then recorded a piece of music that the dolphins inspired me to write on Uke whilst in my secret writing shack last week.

And that's where we've taken a break to grab a quick slice of toast and a cuppa before we pass out!

 

 

I am quite honestly moved almost to tears to hear what has been in my head falling out into the studio and being recorded. To hear the inside of your head coming back at you is truthfully a feeling that no words can touch.

Practical aside! Developed a ground hum on my electro-acoustic uke from the transducer!

 Nightmare!

 

But we got round it by connecting a ground wire from the output jack to my little finger whilst playing! Top techno tip for you there folks!