The Flaming Skirt Banner welcoming us at the start of our Flaming Skirt journey
Artist and curator Sally Lemsford invited Miles and Dacombe to create a Forward Footing Walk as part of the Flaming Skirt Festival 2015, a contemporary arts festival in village halls and public spaces in North West Leicestershire
Participants
experienced five mini contemporary art events in Ivanhoe
College, Ashby de-la-Zouch, Moira Furnace, Snibston Discovery Museum plus
on a double-decker bus travelling between.
Sally devised the Festival because she is passionate about bringing communities the opportunity to experience delightful, creative surprises and the kind of contemporary art events that could happen in village halls or community spaces on a regular basis.
It
was a new, interesting challenge for Carole and Jo to create a Forward Footing Walk, complete with interventions, that
had a tight time frame, was in a designated location and that would fit in between the work of the other artists :- Hunt and Darton, Queenie Tea, Sophie Cullinan and Dave Wood. During the scoping walk in the rain Jo and Carole walked the short distance several times in order to make sure they had their timings correct. It was also important to make interventions that referred to what they saw and experienced in and around the Moira Furnace site.
Inspired by the woodland information boards Carole wrote The Quest of the Flaming Skirt which became an interactive performance by all the participants, some of whom took the part of the characters met during the Quest.
Some of the children knew the woods well and were able to direct us to the Storytelling circle where our paper boat folding intervention began.
Jo demonstrating the folds for the Flaming Skirt Flotilla
It was lovely to see all ages sitting and folding
paper boats together in the dappled shade.
after the boats were complete we walked our trail
through the woods, reciting our poem verse by verse
Oscar played the part of the Toad
The Quest of the Flaming Skirt
By the gate beneath the trees
we hear the birds, we feel the breeze
Rustling through the greening leaves
We're on a quest so quiet please
Hidden close at last we spy
The sleepy Toad with the golden eye
Whisper soft my curious dears
Just loud enough just so he hears.
Have you seen or heard or spied
A flashing, flaming skirt rush by?
Not I he says in ponderous tone
I'm dozing here,
I'm all alone
Try the Raven up on high
He may have seen her
rushing by.
Poet Dave Wood was a marvelous Raven
By the gate beneath the trees
we hear the birds, we feel the breeze
Rustling through the greening leaves
We're on a quest so quiet please
Hidden in branches at last we spy
The raven with his flaming eye
Whisper soft my curious dears
Just loud enough just so he hears.
Have you seen or heard or spied
A flashing, flaming skirt rush by?
Not I he says in rasping tone
I'm resting here
I'm all alone
Try the squirrel up on high
He may have seen her
Dancing by
Our Squirrel
By the gate beneath the trees
we hear the birds, we feel the breeze
Rustling through the greening leaves
We're on a quest so quiet please
Up above, at last we hail
The squirrel with his flaming tail.
Whisper soft my curious dears
Just loud enough just so he hears.
Have you seen or heard or spied
A flashing, flaming skirt rush by?
Not I he says in twinkling tone
I'm resting here
I'm all alone
Try the Iris by the river
She may have seen her prancing hither
By the gate beneath the trees
we hear the birds, we feel the breeze
Rustling through the greening leaves
We're on a quest so quiet please.
In the water at last we see
The Iris with her petals three
Whisper soft my curious dears
Just loud enough just so he hears.
Have you seen or heard or spied
A flashing, flaming skirt rush by?
Not I, she shakes her amber embers,
a skirt like that would be remembered.
Try the Robin
He knows best,
He's sure to help you in your quest.
Out of the woods
Around the Furnace
By the gate beneath the trees
we hear the birds, we feel the breeze
Rustling through the greening leaves
We're on a quest so quiet please.
On the wing, just to the west
Flies Robin with his fiery breast.
Whisper soft my curious dears
Just loud enough just so he hears.
Have you seen or heard or spied
A flashing, flaming skirt rush by?
Ah yes my dears
She came through here.
Fold a boat, she may appear!
To the canal where Queenie Tea presided over the boat launching
all our boats set sail in search of the spirit of the Flaming Skirt Festival
and we made sure all vessels were collected before leaving the waterside.
After the flotilla the the Spirit of Flaming Skirt (Jo)
led our walkers into a field of saplings
gave everyone red ribbons
and invited us to twirl
and flame in the glorious afternoon light.
The final intervention took place within the mysterious spaces
inside the beautifully restored Lime Kilns
Small groups were given packets of glow sticks and invited to work
together to create glow sculptures using the cool interior spaces
You can find more photographs from the walk here
After the walk finished we jumped on the bus again
and became participants on this intriguing creative
journey through North West Leicestershire.
On the return journey we raffled our Outdoor Art Kit.
Here are our winners! We hope they will go out and
on many creative walks of their own in future!
It was a fun filled, fascinating day with wonderful activities and performances.
To find out more about the Flaming Skirt Festival
and the the artists follow this link
