Cheltenham Poetry Festival 2012 (by sarah)

Last week saw the Cheltenham Poetry Festival.

I started off by going to see Domestic Cherry - so funny. It was Michael Scott and Hilda Sheechan in the personas of a Swidon Chav and a hyper kitch Housewife.

The I headed out to dinner with one of the stewards and then onto Slak Bar to see Mab Jones and her Welsh Rare Bits - these guys are amazing! Laughter until tears stream down your face. Unfortunatly I had to leave this event early due to illness.

The next morning saw me up bright and early and sitting in The Muffin Man sipping tea awaiting to share my poetry. I was part of the Poetry Cafe Showcase.

I then stayed on to watch The Stroud Pamphlet Poets.

Then I headed over to Waterstones to watch various poets there

Leeum did like a 20 minute show from memory that had the audience reeling (or in one case wanting to give him a hug).

The next day I had a workshop to run - the Monster Writing Game - it was supposed to be at The Brewery but the weather was just too bad so it was moved to Waterstones.

We stuck around for a Jean to take part in Joy-Amy Wigman's childrens workshop - also on monster 🙂

We stayed on for the Childrens Poetry showcase with Francis Axon - Jeany loves her poetry which she had heard at Christmas in the Brewery. The other poet unfortunatly couldn't attend so I ended up performing some of my childrens poems.

The next day saw me back out early for more childrens workshops - this time it was The Poetry Bees and Their Story Tree. My poor Dad had to walk through Cheltenham with a giant papier mache purple tree - only happens to people who know me 🙂

I then got ready for Occupy Poetry - the last night poetry party bonanza.

Alaric was once more forced to listen to poetry - but this time he had company 🙂

I took arty shots

Then the comedy started with Julie Psycho Jones and Josh plus the performance Poet Ash.

It was a brilliant but exhusting week and I wish I'd gotten to see more.

Monster Creation (by sarah)

I have made a short film about the creation of the Muse Monsters from my Monster Writing Game - they turn out to have a complex belief system - some of which is portrayed in this video. Also I like the effect I got with a bamboo flute I picked up a few years ago.

Video is up under Creative Commons Attribution which means as long as you say where you got the material from you can use it in your own creations 🙂

Communion Book Launch (by sarah)

Monday saw me and Alaric in a Chapel within the Campus of the University of Gloucestershire. We were going to the book launch of Communion a beautiful work of stark images and deeply bleak words.

My friend Anna Saunders had written those words and as always her work was hard hitting and brought forth those sirens of the id. The chapel was atmospheric set out with candles.

We watched a short film of the images and word with haunting music permeating the wonderful acoustics of the building. Then Anna read some of the poems from the book plus some new ones from a work in progress with the same artist.

The Artist Suze Adams images were the perfect accompaniment to Anna's words.

Here is my very poor photography of Anna reading

This was all followed by wine and a piano accordian player who's name I sadly can't remember.

Alaric as always sat stoically through the whole thing.

You can see larger images by clicking on the photos - I apologies the light levels were obviously very low and I'm still running with a cheap happy snappy!

What An Amazing Week! (by sarah)

Friday I went off to Not The Oxford Literature Festival were I read out stuff from an upcoming collection called Political Converse including the song Shit Creek.

I gave out my new business cards which I am very happy with from Moo. Each card has a different picture on either of my art work, photos I've taken or me being arty. I have rationed them to one per person as some people want to collect the pictures 🙂

I came home on Friday feeling great especially as I'd worked out the old guy at the festival was infact the guy who's stories I'd been obsessed with as a child!

He's called Dennis Hamley for those of you who are interested 🙂

Then I checked my emails and.... I've won a Bronze Medal in the Gloucestershire Creative Olympics! For my song Windy Gloucestershire. So I am going to to an awards thing at Battle of the Winds in Stroud at the end of the month!

Then Sunday I went off to Art Tournaments No Hoax where I read out more of my Political Converse including another song 🙂 This was all whilst wearing my flashing corset!

Sound quality is naff and I am competing with the band in the other room! But you get the idea 🙂

I enjoyed watching the other acts and knitting whilst Alaric crotcheted - this was then topped off by winning a place in the finals for the Gloucestershire Poet Laureate! Which will take place at Gloucester Cathedral in August 🙂

So with all this I thought I should start working on my web home/hub, somewhere were all the bits of me are collected - I'm still working on it but here it is 🙂

Then I got an email saying I had made the long list for Flash Fiction South West.

I then made a cake with Alaric and Jean for Al's birthday - it didn't quiet work but tasted brilliant!

I feel I am on a roll at the moment and that I may even have reached the 'tipping point' with getting my work out there etc...

The only iffy thing has been that my SponsorMe account will be closed if I don't get some sponsors soon! People keep saying they will sponsor me but haven't yet - so if you're going to do it now please otherwise it will be too late!

Help me bring science art to all 🙂

Bringing Science-Art to All (by sarah)

Science-Art - sponsor me/give me crowd funding have a little read to see what I am upto and what I need money for!

Ok so as many of you know I did a piece of 3D textural science-art for the exhibition In Braille at Centre Arts last year. I have since been asked to do a second piece - but more interactive so I have designed a sound/sensory cave to show through several media the order and structure of nature.

As you can image it contains proper electronics this time (not just the ipod and speakers) which are going to cost me quiet a bit so I am looking for sponsorship in exchange for things like downloads, art prints and the like. The more you sponsor the bigger the gifts.

Also I have been talking to a local gallery about running a Science-Art Exhibition next year (this is a response to my post about National Science and Engineering Week which very few people had actually heard about!).

Now there are several reasons I feel doing this is important and excess funding over and above component costs will go to fund the exhibition and maybe bigger and more far reaching things in future.

The first is that art is art and stimulating and helps creative thought and then there is science-art which helps communicate the glory and wonder of science - showing people it is not a boring and dead subject. Many people feel science and technology is not approachable so I want to make it approachable - less scary but showing concepts using the medium of art.

It is part of communicating science to the general population for - I am not saying the art is science - just a way of showing concepts.

Secondly - if I am doing this - I want to really comunicate it too everybody reguardless so I am very happy to initially be working on a piece with accessiblity in mind.

Thirdly - Science-Art is not really know in the UK, in other countries there are degrees you can take in science illustration and the like. If this art and science combo had been avalible to me I would have probably gone for that. I did look at Art, Archeology and Art History but was told to reapply for a more scientific degree :/

Art as a form of communication is very important especially for engaging the next generation - that was why even during my degree I was writing kids stories to show concepts with pictures and stories. To show investigation and thinking!

So part of this is to get Science-Art out there to inspire the next generation. Anyway there is a video and things and the list of gifts so go look 🙂