It’s great to be able to write a post about how many great things are happening artistically in the clay country at the moment - It doesn’t always get the attention it deserves!
I was thrilled to be asked to be involved in artist and ceramicist (and all round lovely person) Zenna Tagney’s Masters Degree project ‘An Altered Landscape’ which focused on the impact of landscape change on local culture and folklore, due to the China clay industry. It is a beautifully shot and thoughtful look at the area of mid Cornwall which often gets overlooked when even locals are exploring the Duchy!
I was honoured that Zenna chose to include extracts from my song ‘The Clay Workers’ Strike of 1913’ as well as filming me playing some music at the top of my very local landmark - Foxhole Beacon. Watch her film below.
Another wonderful project focusing on the clay country, researched and put together during the pandemic was Kemeneth by Storylines.
Kemeneth was project which wanted to focus on those living in the clay country with amazing stories to tell. They particularly wanted to try to reach those living in the area who were particularly isolated and effected by the pandemic. As my granny has lived in the clay country all her life and is nearly 97 (!) I thought she would be a great candidate to take part. I was able to safely collect some of her photos from her door step and take them home to scan for her and then spoke to her about some of her memories over the years. One of her memories links to the next project I will mention!
It is a wonderful book full of amazing stories, photographs, dialect and recipes. Storylines were extremely imaginative in the prompts they gave out to participants and it has resulted in a very rich and varied book. Do follow the link to their website above and check it out!
The final project I would like to tell you about is Kneehigh Theatre’s latest project ‘Random acts of art’. Kneehigh say :
“This Spring, see St Austell Bay differently. In celebration of 40 years of Kneehigh, we invite you to enjoy 40 wonder encounters; from parading lanterns and drive-by puppetry to projection installations and epic sand drawings. Keep your eyes peeled and share what #RandomActs you spot. Let's spread some unexpected joy!”
Many of the acts of art have already started to take place from Par to Mevagissey, Charlestown to Tywardreath! Here is a fantastic photo of the wonderful Laura Martin performing her act of art ‘The Hoss’s Lament’
Laura Martin - The Hoss’s Lament
My own ‘act of art’ is based on a memory my Granny, Mona Trethewey has of the winter of 1933 when she was nine years old. There was such a hard frost that the claypit in the village froze over and the local curate at St George’s church in Nanpean, the Rvd. Perry-Gore ice skated on it with many of the boys of the village. He set jam jars with candles around the edge of the pit to keep off the night that little bit longer!
Here is a sneak preview of some of the music from my act of art. Towards the beginning of May, I will be walking down through Nanpean with a cart carrying a moving model made my Tony Crosby. I will be singing a song I have written especially for this event, telling the magical story! I can’t tell you exactly when this will happen as it is… random! The idea is that people will happen upon these acts of art unexpectedly which will spread some joy and creativity during a very difficult year!
I can however share this preview as a teaser for what is to come!