Thank you for walking with us Owen Lowery (1968 - 2021)
A photo sent by Owen for A Walk with Shrines. Our thoughts are with his wife Jayne at this sad time.
Showing posts with label #soundscape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #soundscape. Show all posts
Thursday, 20 May 2021
Saturday, 19 September 2020
A Different LENS
A Different Lens is a collaborative project produced by the arts group Thread and Word for the Margate Bookie. Our journey starts with nine participating Kent based artists who have created material for an interactive digital map of stories with a focus on Margate and wider locations along the Kent Estuary.
The first edition, entries to the map, include literary references to Thurber, James Joyce, Homer, Borges, Milton and Galileo. The artists use visual references that connect literature with personal responses to chosen locations.
Each artists has chosen a book, short story or a poem written by someone who is or became blind or visually impaired during their lifetime and introduce their writing to us through a creative engagement with storytelling referencing place.
The project connects with how we develop creative ideas to make the inaccessible accessible.
The map contains a strong audio presence as well as digitalised text and images. Listening to the audio without scrolling the images is a great way of enjoying the experience without the distraction of reading text and looking at images.
If you are walking in Margate we hope that A Different LENS will prompt you to engage with your surroundings through listening, providing a different experience as you might be engaging with familiar locations in a different way.
The mobile web app contains surprise elements and hidden entries that are revealed if you are walking in Margate using your mobile, as the web app of the map links to gps. You must remember to switch the gps on for your phone if you are walking using the map and follow the safety guidelines.
The map is accessible on phones as a walk or on a laptop if you are unable to physically engage in the walk. The laptop experience also connects to gps and can take you on a virtual visit to Margate in an unexpected way. If you scroll through the links you are given insights through text, photos, sound and video which show you the locations and how these connect with memories, books and places.
The map has an information page with full details :
You can visit the map and find out more about the artists , locations and choices of authors on the Thread and Word website:
The vision is for a literary map that is going to develop with time throughout The Kent Estuary. Our next stage for the map will be to include entries by new artists and community members from East Kent Mencap, GOLD for Margate NOW 2020.
Please find information about how to participate through our virtual walks on a Sunday with #distancedrift and Margate NOW here:
We hope you enjoy following our journey!
Friday, 15 May 2020
Let's Take a Moment
This soundscape with accompanying video introduction of a recorded workshop at Turner Contemporary during The Margate Bookie can be viewed In Your Living Room at The Wandsworth arts fringe if you follow this link: Let's Take a Moment
During Creativity and Well being week May 18th until May 24th 2020, I am delighted to offer a box set of 100 signed limited edition prints at a special price of £25
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| Photography by Anna Bowman |
Soundscapes can transport the listener from one environment to another. Listening to a soundscape can calm the mind and encourage time for reflection. Let’s Take A Moment is a sound world reflection of a collection of poetry by Owen Lowery and sounds from a collaborative walk in Gravesend. It focuses specifically on the coast and shoreline from With the fisherwomen of Nairn to the Mediterranean horizon of Pathos Sunset. The artist and composer Lucy Claire worked with sounds from the walk Let's Take a Moment , the shore, the harbour, the hissing and sucking of the shore, the heady buzz of insects and the rhythmical sploshes of oars moving in and out of the water to bring another dimension to Owen’s words and help transport the listener from one place to another.
The Box Set
‘Let’s Take a Moment’ is an A5 box-set of materials produced through a walking event which was part of Arts and Minds a festival in Gravesend, Kent in 2019. The lid of the box has a QR code printed on it. This links to a soundscape of the walk which can be listened to on iCloud. Inside the box are materials to interact with as you listen to the soundscape of the walk. These include a palo Santo incense stick, a rope to knot meditatively while listening, a copy of a performance of a sermon enacted during the walk, and a set of cards with listening activities.
Contact details: Elspeth (Billie) Penfold
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A screen grab from twitter |
Walking Weaves: Digitalising the Quipu
The Wandsworth Arts Fringe started last week , In Your Living Room.
The arts listings and interactive element of this years fringe opens up the range of possibilities to create hybrid events which are both "live'" and digital.
This has created a wonderful platform illustrating the possibilities for artists and community in which to develop events .
This has created a wonderful platform illustrating the possibilities for artists and community in which to develop events .
I have four events which you can access below through Thread and Word at WAF 2020.
The two pieces below are also digital stories containing work made through walking and weaving in collaboration with artists and inviting community participation through making quipus.
a 14 minute film - A Walk with Shrines , with quipus attached to varas
13 short stories each three minutes long at The Listening Post
a 14 minute film - A Walk with Shrines , with quipus attached to varas
13 short stories each three minutes long at The Listening Post
And ,of course you are my community now!
I'd love it if you could checkout the events at WAF, listen to the soundscapes and email a photo of your quipu knotted rope . I have attached a sample of the ones I have received so far.
Each quipu has a particular story which you can see if you visitThread and Word Facebook Page .
I really hope you have time to listen, make and email me your quipu :
elspethpenfold@yahoo.co.uk
I really hope you have time to listen, make and email me your quipu :
elspethpenfold@yahoo.co.uk
A short description of each of thes events listed can be found below
Are You Listening?
Are You Listening? is a binaural soundscape of a performative walk. This walk took took place in Battersea Park as part of the Chelsea Fringe in 2019. The walk was supported by The Work and Play Scrapstore in Wandsworth. The recording shares sounds from the local area, poetry and performances which respond to particular sites during the walk. These draw your attention to our interconnectedness and environmental sustainability. It has an accompanying slideshow. You are invited to join the walk, wear headphones, if you can. Take a rope ( ( not compulsory, but could be fun) and knot as you join in the poetry readings and actions. You are invited to make a quipu (meditatively knotted rope) of your experience and send the photo to elspethpenfold@yahoo.co.uk . Your quipu and its story will be posted on The Thread and Word facebook page with your permission.
A Thread and Word Production by the artist Elspeth Penfold and invited artis
A Walk with Shrines (a film)
14 mins
Celebrating our love of books and what they mean to us. Artists and authors join together in a walk building shrines to selected books and poems at chosen sites during the Margate Bookie 2018. This film takes you on their journey through the making of the ‘ofrendas’ or offerings and the ritual of building temporary shrines at chosen sites during a walk in Margate. The film was made with funding support from Arts Council England , Turner Contemporary, Margate Bookie, Kent County Council and Margate Festival Now.
A Thread and Word Production by the artist Elspeth Penfold and invited artists
Let’s Take a Moment
Let’s Take a Moment
‘ Let’sTake a Moment’, is a soundscape of a performative walk in Gravesend led by the artist Elspeth Penfold . This was part of REFLECT: Arts and Minds, 2019 a project commissioned by LV21 and Sounduk art. Artists were invited to create work which connected with this stretch of the Kent coastline in Gravesend.
Local community, visitors and artists were invited to walk with us through Thread and Word and take part in the celebration of a mindful walking event through the knotting of ropes.
As you listen to the soundscape and watch the slideshow you are invited to knot a rope as a mindful interaction with the sounds you are listening to.
The walking event and soundscape were made with funding support from The Welcome Foundation and Arts Council England.
A Thread and Word Production by the artist Elspeth Penfold and invited artists
The Listening Post
Join us at The listening Post. A curated aural exhibition of short stories. Thirteen short stories (3 minutes approximately) read in the authors own voices set to sounds by the composer and musician Lucy Claire.
The authors include :Jess Kidd ,Christina Lovey, Owen Lowery, Sonia Overall , Peggy Riley , and Philip Whiteley, Helen Atkinson, Susan Emm , Amanda Jones, Sue McClymont, Elizabeth Scrase
A curated aural exhibition of short stories. Join us at WAF in your Living Room. If you can, listen with headphones and be transported through sounds and words.
A Thread and Word Production by the artist Elspeth Penfold and Lucy Claire.
Monday, 30 September 2019
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| Welcome to the LV21 |
Let's Take a Moment : A Walk for Reflect; Arts and Minds, Gravesend, Kent.
produced through Thread and Word
October 11th , 12th and 13th
3pm meet @LV21, an arts and performance venue on a Light Ship, moored at St Andrew quay, Gravesend.
This is a walk involving benches, the coast, memory and ritual .The walk will take approximately one hour and is mostly on flat terrain.
Introduction
Those of you who have visited my studio looking out at the sea over Tankerton slopes near Whitstable know that there are many benches along the slopes above the beach huts looking out to the sea. These give people the opportunity to create memorials for loved ones and also a place to take time to sit and stare at the sea. I have always been fascinated by these benches placed at regular intervals along the slope. So, when the call out came to take part in Reflect:Arts and Minds in Gravesend I jumped at the chance to be able to create a temporary installation on a bench as a shrine or memorial in response to this event .
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| A vara |
I will be delivering this walk through the arts group Thread and Word which I set up in 2014 . This group invites artists to collaborate in walking performative events. These walks also give participants the opportunity to record their feelings as they walk through a meditative knotting of ropes which are attached to a pole called a Vara at the end of the walk, to record the event.
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We will be walking, with Thread and Word to celebrate all thing coastal in Gravesend, reflecting on what the sea means to us.
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| Anna Bowman |
A. Bowman, L. Claire, V. Fitch J. Mckay, S. McClymont, C. Lovey, O. Lowery, S. Overall, E. Penfold, J. Riddiough, L. Shawyer.
Anna Bowman is sharing a personal anecdote of trips to the seaside as a child. She is also a talented film maker and photographer and will be photographing the event.
Anna Bowman
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| A plaque for our bench |
Lucy Claire is a composer and musician who works with soundscapes and will be collaborating with the group to create a soundscape of the walk. This will be available to download . The piece will commemorate our walk through a plaque on the bench in Promenade Gardenswith a qr code linking it to the soundscape.
"Soundscapes can transport the listener from one environment to another. Listening to a soundscape can calm the mind and encourage time for reflection. Let’s Take A Moment is a sound world reflection of a collection of poetry by Owen Lowery that focuses specifically on the coast and shoreline from With the fisherwomen of Nairn to the Mediterranean horizon of Pathos Sunset. I worked with sounds from the shore, the harbour, the hissing and sucking of the shore, the heady buzz of insects and the rhythmical sploshes of oars moving in and out of the water to bring another dimension to Owen’s words and help transport the listener from one place to another. "
Lucy Claire
Virginia Fitch will be reading a well know poem by Shelley to help us on our way.
Julia Riddiough is sharing two pieces, 'Windmills of my Mind' connecting with the story of the area with links to Don Quixote and his own inner daemons . Laura Shawyer will be enacting her second piece 'A Gesture of Harmony' a ritual devised by Julia using Palo Santo oil connected with well being, meditation and enacted through the holding of the knotted ropes as we end our walk.
Julia Riddiough
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| site specific work with James McKay |
James McKay
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| a mosaic by Susan Mc Clymont |
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| Christina prep at Contemporary Art and Ritual |
Owen Lowery has shared several of his poems read in his own voice for the soundscape. He has also helped with selecting the sounds he associates with the poems and the coast. We are delighted to take Owen's voice on this walk with us.
Owen Lowery
If you scan the qr code you can be transported to Owen's reading with a soundscape by Lucy Claire.
Sonia Overall is joining us with pause/play
 What is the quality of a moment? What do different pauses feel like? We will carry a bag of pauses with us as we walk, select one at random and enact it. Pause, play, repeat. |
Elspeth (Billie) Penfold is inviting you to knot ropes to record the experience as we walk. These ropes have been made by hand by Elspeth for this event in her studio.The ropes will be attached to a Vara or pole at the end of the walk to create a document of the walk.
Elspeth (Billie) Penfold
I am always amazed by the creativity and generosity of all artists who collaborate with me in these walks with Thread and Word. I hope you are able to join us on the day and do feel free to share any readings/ memories or rituals with us as we walk.
although free, the walks are ticketed :Eventbrite and numbers will be limited .
The bench installation, soundscape and the walks have been delivered thanks to Funding from Arts Council England with seed funding from Sound Uk and the Welcome foundation.
Sunday, 21 July 2019
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| The LV21 Gravesend , two walks and a tactile bench in October |
A Commission, Soundscape, blog, research and funding.
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| An MA in Creative Events Management at Falmouth University |
Well it's been a while and there is a lot happening.
Commission
I am delighted to be working on two projects with LV21 and Sound uk. These are part of 'Reflect + Arts and Mind project, Gravesend and Bude, 'Time to Sit and Stare'.
https://lv21.co.uk/reflect-gravesham/
I attended the launch of the project in May and am busy working with a group of artists to deliver two walks and a tactile bench.These projects will be delivered through 'Thread and Word'.
https://lv21.co.uk/reflect-gravesham/
I attended the launch of the project in May and am busy working with a group of artists to deliver two walks and a tactile bench.These projects will be delivered through 'Thread and Word'.
Now thanks to the generous funding from Arts Council England ,we will be able to record a soundscape.
Soundscape
As things evolve, and they always seem to, it seemed a great opportunity to record a soundscape of the walks. I am delighted to say I put in an application to Art Council England and have received the funding. This will enable me to create a team through Thread and Word to work with The Mess Room in Chatham and the artist and music composer Lucy Claire to widen participation in our walking events and soundscape.
It is great to have the funding and I am grateful to the Arts Council England for their support.
Blogging, a new Thread and Word reflective blog and research
I have recently started an MA in Creative Events Management at Falmouth University. My first assignment has been to create a blog. This is part of the assessment for the MA and I have now completed it and handed it in .
I have used the metaphor of weaving to create insights into The Journeys with The Waste Land project at Turner Contemporary applying ideas and knowledge recently gained from the MA course.
I have used the metaphor of weaving to create insights into The Journeys with The Waste Land project at Turner Contemporary applying ideas and knowledge recently gained from the MA course.
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| New beginnings, creativity and project organisation |
Here are images with themes for the blog postings . I hope you enjoy them. If you'd like to read them click the caption, I'd love to have some feedback !
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| Moving the Heddle changes the pattern - how we measure value. |
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Unravelling the budget  A reflective weave , hope you're having a good summer! |
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