Say it in the Sand: A Creative Way to Grieve

My dear friend, Sean Corcoran has launched an International project based in Ireland, to help people and families come to terms with their grief.

'Say it in the Sand' has been born from his involvement with the 'Campaign to Prevent Suicide'. Whilst working as a Sand Artist with families during this project, he found that people felt an enormous sense of release by writing messages or names of loved ones and watching the sea reclaim them from the sand.

This has inspired him to devise 'Say it in the Sand',  launched on World Suicide Prevention Day, inviting you to release your grief, privately, on your favourite beach, or if you wish, sharing your sand messages on his page for others to take comfort. Already, in just 24 hours the response has been overwhelming, with people sharing their moving pictures of messages to loved ones who have passed away, such as Tricia Bradfield, who sadly lost her dad and her daughter within 8 weeks of each other in 2011. 

'A Message to Grandad' made by Tricia Bradfield

I feel very privileged indeed that Sean has used an extract of my music for the film. We have lost 2 members of our family to suicide, 2 beautiful young men. The pain never leaves us as a family. By creating music for Sean's Campaign it feels like a small way of reaching out to others and saying, 'we're here, we know, we see you.'

Thank you Sean for your pioneering, innovative and meaningful work. You can join the facebook group page for more details click here ... SAY IT IN THE SAND

10,000 Steps: The Wailing Old Mermaid

Those of you that read last night's post will be as excited as I am, to know that Sean not only loved the improvised piece we recorded for him, he edited his film footage to make a special film of it! I can't quite believe it.

... And here it is folks! My piece of improvised handpan and the voice of the wailing old mermaid, named 10,000 steps, after the Sand Art piece by my dear friend and artist collaborator, Sean Corcoran, when he was a resident Sand Artist at Spittal Festival last week. 

Sean lives on the Copper Coast in Ireland. You can see all his work at The Art Hand where he lives and works with his beautiful Artist wife, Miranda Cocoran and their two lovely children.

OM KALI FILM LAUNCH ON NEW YEAR'S DAY 2016

A Personal Invite to join us in a 5 minute meditation wherever you are in the world

 @ 12pm on New Year's Day 

2016 UK time
OM KALI

We would like to invite you to sit with us, wherever you may be, to launch our exciting & innovative 5 minute meditation via film & mantra

... and then kindly share it online with all your friends on facebook, twitter and any other social media site you can think of, to help us raise awareness and funds for Sound Memories; to continue to develop an innovative new way of working within the arts, empowering those living with dementia.

You can donate to Sound Memories here:

Full Details of the Sound Memories Project 
are available here ... 

http://soundmemoriesproject.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/gofundme-sound-memories.html

When Sand Artist, Sean Corcoran, heard how I am raising funds for my collaborative arts research with older people living with dementia, supporting them through Sound therapy to develop a digital story bank of their life memories, he immediately opened his heart and offered to create a collaborative piece of work across the Irish Sea.

Sean, Co-Director of The Art Hand in Bunmahon, was drawn to my new and ever popular fundraising album 'apples in the rain' and he could not get the track OM Kali from his mind.

Please visit Bandcamp to download & purchase 'apples in the rain'
 to raise funds for Sound Memories :-
https://cherylbeer.bandcamp.com/album/apples-in-the-rain

It is the tradition within Sanskrit Mantra, particularly with Tibetan Monks, that the listener does not know the definition of the mantra, does not apply pre-ordained meaning and that he/she embody the mantra to sense it from within.

Without knowing who Kali is or what she represents, Sean designed his whole beach art work whilst listening to me in mediation with the Sanskrit mantra, designing his response, an octo-sea creature, as frightening as the sailor drowning octopus who  can sink whole fleets, and yet, here she is is, so vulnerable washed upon the beach, stranded in her full beauty. Hearing her plea to heal, the sea rescues her, pulling her slowly back under the waters with salt tinged fingers, where all that is left is a memory of her in the sand.

Om Kali was written as a Sanskrit Mantra under an ancient apple tree in France, where I was resident Sound Healer for the month of September. 

The mantra calls for the empowerment and power of Kali to heal fractured hearts, enabling them to continue to travel though Universal time with respect, love and dignity as they navigate the ageing sands of time.

OM KALI film launch is a time lapse of Sean's artistic response to the Mantra on the stunning Copper Coast in Bunmahon & will be posted on this blog as well as Facebook 1st January @ 12pm.

To those of you who share with us in this New Year meditation and help to raise awareness and funds for Sound Memories, I will send reiki light and love to honour you. 

Namaste

Cheryl Beer

cherylbeermusic.weebly.com

cherylbeermusic@gmail.com

https://thearthand.wordpress.com/

Sound & Sand

Just wrapping up in the studio and it gives me immense pleasure to be pinging my 'hot of the press brand new first ever' meditation CD to the genius that is my dear friend & fellow artist  and activist/pioneer, Sean Corcoran, Co-Director of The Art Hand in Bunmahon, Ireland along with his gifted artist wife Miranda (and off course not forgetting their beautiful family)

Sean is the most exquisite sand artist.

And he has has asked for my recordings from France to listen to as he focusses on his next installation on The Copper Coast this Wednesday 25th November 2015.

He has sent me his design work which I won't share here cos it wouldn't really be fair, but it is a beautiful piece which he will be making in reponse to my sound recordings.

I absolutely love that recordings made by me in France, mixed at home in Wales, will be inspiring an artist in Ireland to create a beautiful piece of transient sand art that will be washed away ultimately by the same sea that washes upon the shores that inspire me day to day, here in West Wales.

 My heart and soul will be with Sean this week as he time lapse films the sand art installation. 

How wonderful will that be. He'll then edit a wee film for the sand art and my sound healing from France.

Namaste, Sean

The rest of the Festival ...

So, I have described Friday night, but this was the very beginning of the most most amazing weekend at The Promenade Festival!

On Saturday morning I met with fellow creative Sam Collins and we made our way to the beach to ground ourselves before meeting the public.

Sam danced beautifully facing the sea.  She had been here at 5.00 am dancing a Cherokee Sun Rise. Instinctively, I decided to walk a large circle around her, slowly, setting the intention of creating a space, a healing space, a space to 'be'.

It was a curious thing because every time I walked back round to face the sea, it took my breath away. I wanted to walk faster on the part of the circle that took my vision away from the sea, but kept my slow pace and enjoyed the thrill of it.

A young woman had been taking time out sitting on the wall, She came and asked me,

'What are you doing?'

'I am walking circles in the sand' I replied.

'Why?' 

'Because it feels like a beautiful thing to do.'

'Can I join you? It looks very relaxing.'

'Off course.'

As we walked our circle, I was intrigued. We had not come to the beach to engage the public and yet, the joy of watching artists prepare for the day ahead, drew people in.

Within 10 minutes, we had children joining us and other adults too. I extended the engagement by borrowing Sam's Sand Staff and asking folk if they wanted to write their names in the sand.

By this time we had been joined by fellow Welsh Artist, Dancer, Laura Jane Jenkins who started to play games with the children in the shapes they were drawing and so the engagement had begun.

I left Sam & Laura dancing in the sand circle and went to my next adventure.