Thursday 24 October 2013

John Fox guest lecture

A pleasure to live near The Performance Centre and to hear John Fox's guest lecture last night.

I know I would like it and find it interesting but didn't realise how much,
the emphasis on the journey, and fun and play and vernacular culture beneath your feet!

"Very Affirming" as Amanda said and huge thanks to the impetus from Welfare State which has given so much to Cornwall through: Alice King, John Voogd, Bill Mitchell, Sue Hill, Anna Murphy and others, bringing in the lanterns, reviving and creating the feasts and festivals, visual spectacles, outdoor performances which were planted in Cornish soil and culture, took root and continue to grow.

Many years ago I went to Wolfgang and Amici's homage to Hilda Holger and said I am going back to the roots of my roots and here was John Fox and the roots of so much now embedded in the Cornish community and creative culture.
Could have listened to more and a whole series of talks in detail around many areas he only had time to touch on, i.e. spectator, performer, artist, community.

GUEST LECTURE 
John Fox is a prolific artist, printmaker, poet and essayist. He was co-founder and artistic director of Welfare State International, the legendary Arts Company whose pioneering work in celebratory theatre, site specific events, community art, lantern parades, new ceremonies for rites of passage and building Lanternhouse was documented in his 2006 publication ‘Eyes on Stalks’. In 2006, Fox founded Dead Good Guides with Sue Gill.

In the 70’s “John Fox laid down the foundations for form of theatre that abandoned conventional notions almost entirely” Robert Hewison. “Since the advent of John Fox’s spectaculars of ritual and procession in Yorkshire with the Welfare State International Company 45 years ago, much of our most potent theatrical and installation art has taken place in outdoor landscapes, on rivers and hilltops, in forests and fields.” Michael Coveney. Guardian 27 April 2013

For The Falmouth Connection John will give a 30 minute illustrated introduction and then respond to prepared questions about Street Theatre, Spectacle, Community Art, Rites of Passage and Cultural Patterns of the Future.

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