Peoples Republic of South Devon

Appledore begins

May 29th, 2008

posted by Cptn

The Appledore Visual Arts Festival kicks off today, and promises it’s usual mix of community-inspired artistic fun, which this year will be right down to earth, because that’s the theme ‘Earth’. Oh, never mind.

As Satish Kumar says: “This year’s festival brings art back to its ancient ecological roots so that we can re-connect with our environment on several levels. We can embrace its role a wonderful, natural muse but we can also start to look upon the Earth as something that we should preserve and protect for future generations of artists and makers.”

And we’ve got a list of events, so you can partake in the festival which if free to children under 18 adults will be asked to contribute £3 for a Festival Pass which will be valid for all four days. Most events are free, there are a limited number of events which have a charge including artists talks (£3/Adult) and a series of advance-booking workshops.

Children and Families:
Each day, there will be wide range of drop-in art creation events and workshops for families, many of which are specifically offered for children. These range from creating a giant scrap planet, to having a go at throwing a clay pot, to playing in the mud to create mudcloths from Mali. Children and adults can experiment painting with natural earth pigments, learn how to carve letters in local stone or help the National Trust build a dry stone wall.

Artists Residencies and a Masterclass:
Participating artists include several internationally famous artists who are inspired by Devon’s beautiful and elemental landscape.

Potter Svend Bayer will be working with local clays to create big pots on the wheel. Visitors will be able to watch him at work and also spend time talking with him about his art and his passion for clay.

Jill Abey and Jackie Smallcombe create unique cob buildings and sculptures. Working in collaboration with dry stone wallers from the National Trust and Festival visitors they will create a cob sculpture which when complete will be painted with red and ochre pigments. So roll up your sleeves and get stuck in.

Stone sculptor David Brampton-Greene will be carving stone on site. David worked extensively on the Seed, Peter Randall-Page’s massive sculpture now installed at the Eden Project. You can talk to David as he works on the Quay.

During a two day residency the highly respected artist, Christopher Cook will experiment with unorthodox combinations of media. He will explore ideas for new work using oil pigments mixed with resin, graphite and a medium new to him, Bideford Black. Bideford Black is a rare pigment found in an underground seam running through North Devon which was once used as eye liner.

Exhibitions:
Steve Thorpe is an unusual combination of artist and a coastal rock climber. The material and colours in his ’Rock Works’ are derived entirely from ground up rocks. As he climbs, he collects stones and rocks which are ground up to produce natural colours, these pigments and textures are then used to create powerful meditative paintings. His paintings are composed as walks, with the rocks he finds on a particular journey.

Artists Talks:
Thursday May 29 (7.30pm): Abey & Smallcombe will talk about their work as cob artists.

Friday May 30 (7.30pm): Svend Bayer will talk about his passion for clay and pots.

Saturday May 31 (7.30 pm) : Peter Randall-Page will be present, talking about Granite Song, a collaborative project with the photographer Chris Chapman which celebrates their local mid-Devon landscape.

Sunday June 1 (2pm): Christopher Cook will talk his Festival residency.

Theatre:
The Plough is running an exciting day long workshop on Friday May 30 from 10.30 – 3.30 pm. Children from 8 to 12 years old will have the opportunity to spend the day creating ‘The Last Apple Tree’ a Play-In-A-Day (£10 / child). Spaces available.

Angel Heart Theatre will perform their new puppet play The Nightingale, it is a magical performance with music, songs, shadow theatre and beautiful wooden puppets. Each puppet has been hand carved from limewood and wears magnificent costumes. Saturday May 31 from 2.30 – 3.30pm: £4 / person and £14.50 family ticket (2 children and 2 adults). Tickets can be bought on the door, supported by Beaford Arts.

Dance:
For those of you who love to dance, Dance In Devon will be present for all four days. On Thursday and Friday (May 29 & 30), they will be running a series of dance workshops and activities and over the weekend they will be running an open studio event with Gill Bliss a visual artist and dancers from YoYo Triptych a local dance group. The sessions are open to all Festival visitors, so feel free to come along and enjoy the chance to dance and get in to the groove.

Rebecca Jeffrey will also be running African Dance classes on Sunday June 1. Here’s a chance to learn an African Earth dance and then perform it during the Sunday afternoon Carnival Parade (£5 / person).

Films and Documentaries:
Alongside all these inspiring artists and workshops a programme of Film Shorts will be screened from 6 – 7.15pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. An eclectic selection of film titles ranging from Earth Between Our Toes to Funkenstein and from Sun In The Nightime to The Beginning should entice any interested film buff.

A beautifully made Oral History film of the special people and culture of Appledore will be screened at 1.45 and 4.30pm on Saturday May 31. The film shows their stories, memories and personalities and represents an important and personal portrayal of the unique maritime heritage of Appledore.

Open Gardens, Artists Trail and Contemporary Crafts :
Another firm favourite of the Festival is the opportunity to explore the winding streets of Appledore, a unique and historic village. There will be Open Gardens, Decorated Doorknockers and for the first time an Artists Trail where selected artists will display and sell their work in the homes of Appledore residents. Selected artists will also be selling high quality contemporary crafts including jewellery, glass, photography, stained glass and ceramics. A Trail Map will highlight were the Open Gardens and Artists Trails can be found.

Music:
Popular favourite the Appledore Silver Band will play on the Quay on Saturday at 2pm. In conjunction with Wren Trust the ReCyc Junk Band will perform the premiere of a new piece of music on Sunday at 2pm. After their performance there will be an opportunity to play their instruments. During the weekend, Bideford Folk Festival and Paul Duggins from Dicey Reilly will also be playing music on the Quay.

Festival Finale - Carnival Parade:
The Sunday afternoon finale is now a firmly established tradition. Energia the Samba Band will start playing on the Quay at 4.30pm, the Carnival Parade will start at 5.30pm. The parade is a fantastic way to close the Festival and this year should be a great spectacle with an array of art creations including a Giant Earthworm, a Scrap Planet and many other artworks created during the Festival including some beautiful carnival costumes.

Appledore is a beautiful estuary town with a maze of narrow winding streets and expansive views across the estuary of the Torridge and Taw rivers. All over the town events will be happening so come along, get creative and enjoy the fun of the festival.

Entry Filed under: Arts, Environment, Society