Thursday 15 March 2018

Marjorie Wilton..many thanks.....

I woke this morning with a heavy heart. Partly it's the prospect of greeting friends in Shallal who might not have heard of Marjorie's death until we meet this morning.
Sitting in the circle with our memories and our grief.

Many years ago early in Shallal we have a phase of grief: Marjorie's husband, Zoe's father Roy died, my mother died suddenly unexpectedly aged 59, Tim Churchman's brother Tony aged 14 died from an accident, he fell down the quarry in Newlyn, and Diana Morris' mother also died ( Diana was our first administrator/ supporter and all round inspiration, and set the bar for our ethos and beliefs).
It was a tough year!

Eileen Inge Herzberg another dear friend, who survived a heart attack and came back renewed and dancing, also died unexpectedly while travelling in India just over 10 years ago. We created our show Mind the gap in memory of her.

So, great art is often created in memory of people. What do we do to give thanks, honour them? It's early days.
We have been so grateful for Marjorie, in the early days of Shallal she was an unflinching support and continued to be. Right from our start she came with Zoe and loved it as much as Zoe did, making new friends, supporting and encouraging and available for every outreach, every show, utterly reliable. You can build wonderful things on that dedication and tenacity and Shallal was built on that.

In Shallal we often dance in memory of those we love. Mothers and Daughters was created for Marjorie and Zoe and Kathleen and Christie. I have been bringing the music out and sharing the simple instruction: 'dance for each other, one watches, one dances, take turns'.
I am daunted by thinking of rummaging through our thousands of photographs, as i know there are many gems of Marjorie, I'd like to find.

I haven't time yet and yet should try to before next Friday.
For now i think i will print out the information( dates and times for the celebration of her life and the cremation service) and 2 photographs for today and make cake ( again if i have time!)
In the tradition i live my life in, the day you die is your birthday into eternity/heaven and is remembered every year, with special prayers and koliva.
After Roy died Marjorie and Zoe who had such hard grief met Kerry Lawrence (who i then co-ran Shallal with). They met on a Sunday morning and Kerry said, "I'm going to church at St Peter's." Marjorie who was a staunch socialist had little time for such things before, however they went along and from then on St Peter's church and it's loving community was their home. Marjorie took care of all hall bookings and Zoe is a reader and server in the church. Marjorie once said to me, "dancing is prayer".

From my mothers death i learnt that you can only really see what someone gave and how many lives they touched when they are no longer there! However love doesn't die and they are with us, part of us reaches out to eternity where they are.

It was an extraordinary honour to be at Marjorie's death with Zoe, i never expected it. And an extraordinary honour and privilege to have spent so many years together in the family of Shallal.

Marjorie fought for what she believed in, she was in the local Mencap group for many years: fundraising, awareness raising, championing peoples rights.




          
Memory Line       

A washing line most people think

Is to hang out your clothes to dry

But mine is special, I peg on mine

My special thoughts, my hopes, my fears

A dried red rose from my wedding bouquet

My first mothers day card, specially made

A valentines card, some photographs from long ago

when I was young and slim

Such memories they bring me

My dreams, my hopes, my prayers

These are the things that you will find upon my washing line.

by Marjorie Wilton


Wednesday 14 March 2018

Marjorie, Benefit, Shows...

What a time recently!
Too early maybe to give a full tribute to Marjorie 
but this message from Linda sums up our feelings:

"My love and condolences to all Zoe, family and friends and those of us in Shallal, I know everyone will be touched deeply by Marjorie's death she was such a lovely person, and we were all blessed to know her." 



It was blessed peaceful death but none of us wanted her to go!
It was a privilege to be there with Zoe and her brother Robert.

I've just listened to snippets of Walk upon Wonders songs on instagram. I have some wonderful photos of Marjorie and Skye who were good friends in Shallal and rehearsed and performed together.
So, Zoe sang to Marjorie 'Goodnight Sweetheart', one of Marjorie's favourite songs and i sang a prayer before we left and we went from the hospital to to Skye's benefit, more singing!


It raised £99! had audience of approx 35 constantly and about 50 throughout...thank you to everyone involved!

Which was a good place to shed some tears and see friends. What wonderful music! feel honoured and privileged to hear such good up and coming artists...and as we were leaving Zoe drew a portrait of Marjorie.

Zoe dedicates her art and dances to her father who died many years ago and has immediately started creating work in honour of her mother

So the next show is, Faces,  2 rehearsals left and some good ideas and tunes....brewing...



http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/16076154.Beards_and_bonnets__young_and_old_in_Shallal2__39_s_art_gallery_performance/


and i am writing this blog .....as i need to fill in Russian visa forms, apparently the talk has been advertised now! Oh help! thankfully my dear brother has given me some advice about presentations?!
I have always wanted to write the 'truth' not the promotional advertising eg. "We are half way through rehearsals and hope it will go ok, come along to the finished show and see what you think!"
However here is Jo Lumbers beautifully, as ever, written press release for our ( currently half rehearsed, hope it will be ok, trust in the performers,) show...

Press Release for Shallal2 performance  ‘Faces’
Wednesday 28th March at Falmouth Art Gallery

Beards and bonnets, young and old!
Falmouth based performance group Shallal2 have created their latest show, entitled ‘Faces’, based on the many characters who currently grace the walls of Falmouth Art Gallery.

The gallery’s exhibition, ‘Faces of Cornwall’, displays a wonderful range of portraits by artists including Henry Scott Tuke and Charles Napier Hemy, plus automata by local makers Fi Henshall and Keith Newstead. Depictions of inventors Henry Trengrouse and Humphrey Davey sit alongside local characters Jack Rawling and Tuke’s housekeeper Mrs Foreacre.

Shallal2 have devised dance and drama pieces that explore the paintings and the people who feature in them.  This new work incorporates live and recorded music, spoken word plus an array of hats and moustaches!  The company is made of children and adults, with youngest member just three years old.


‘Faces’ will be performed at Falmouth Art Gallery on Wednesday 28th March at 6pm. All welcome and the performance is free.

and an end of project survey for Wheal Martyn..
and ...

St Agnes library show next Friday 23 March daytime...still awaiting timing!


Blackwater booked in....

and an email this week from dear Wolfgang.

Monday 5 March 2018

Book to Wolfgang.... thanks Demelza

Demelza and Zoe both went to Amici's recent Open Workshop, at the Lyric Theatre, London.
Demelza kindly delivered a present to him, a copy of Shallal's Celebrating Heritage Book, which he looked through every page of...
Thanks for the photos Demelza.
It is good to have something non-digital as a memory of our work, thanks again to the artists involved in compiling it and creating the work within it.
Here's to making more!

Thursday 1 March 2018

Writing /avoiding and FACES by Shallal 2 Wednesday 28 March

Time to turn to the blog.
I could look at it as a place to practice writing and i still need to grapple with writing as an art form, I'm happy to give time and wait and work on dance etc but somehow i think writing should just come out ok first time, which it doesn't often, i usually have to reverse most of my sentences! and add in lots of words to make sense!
Sequencing is not my strength, more that 'circular and peripheral' vision.

However this blog is also a place to share and celebrate.
Fantastic to have done the Exhibition and have the Book in our hands and watch it finding it's way to other people.

Shallal 2 show percolating, very short notice but some fun stuff coming along for ...

FACES by Shallal 2, Wednesday 28 March Falmouth Art Gallery 6pm free

Zoe Osmond is making a poster.

I am here as i need to think about preparing a lecture/presentation for the Tretyakov Gallery i had to cancel the first date due to family illness however they got back to me asking for a later date so we hope to go...finger prints and all for visa, you have to go to London for this!
I've only ever done a 10 min provocation, and though i like people and talking! i am not sure talking to people in that format is a strength, however good to try?!
https://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/en/about/mission/ impressed by their mission statement.

I do want to get the work/ethos out there. I looked online and found lots of good centres/organisations nearly all just geared for one or two groups of people and not working together in equality. I love the sharing and the fact that many people have used Shallal constructively for their own art pathways/ careers and they are not 'disabled/labelled.'

Rory - Tate and USA solo show
The Unspeakable Rooms written by Alaric Sumner and performed by Rory McDermott, Battersea Arts Centre, London, 1998
Ziggy - back into music teaching
Caroline - now co-runs Inner Ground Dance co...http://innerground.dance/
Marie Ann Green Possum - painting dancers http://www.summerhousegallery.co.uk/
George - more performing and working with No Ordinary Theatre company
Star - improvised dance in Bowie Lounge https://www.facebook.com/thebowielounge/
Demelza - exploring inclusive dance in Barcelona
Anna - Art diploma
Skye - Music diploma, https://www.facebook.com/WalkUponWonder/
Zoe - Foundation Art

Then report/information needed for funders via Barbara, i am usually too impatient to sit easily and help compile the information, so glad to have Victoria to work with on this!

Then our new R&D to write up for application/s, writing applications is hard for the creative process as you go further then your creative self would like to, it anticipates the unknown sometimes it can be good as it drives you but other times you have to work hard to find it again, it's as if the idea/ creativity has been birthed/given away, too early.
There is less room for the quiet voice anymore and that is what art has to listen to.
"Dreaming and Scheming."

As someone who really enjoys process i have enjoyed "Only Artists" on Radio 4, when i have heard it. It's reassuring and comforting to hear about how people struggle and approach creative work.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ltbhl