Thursday 14 September 2017

St Anne's Well

There is little known about St Anne's Well, an ancient holy well. Originally called Wealletune after the place-name Welton, East Yorkshire. It was adopted by Christianity and re-named St Anne's Well in c.1080. Prior to that it is believed to have been a place of pagan ritual, the well being a portal to the Otherworld. It's particularly meaningful to me as I played around the site of the well as a child. Unaware of the history beneath my feet at that time, I continue to be drawn back there in dreams.

"... the holy well stands before a long, if tiny and ill-lit, corridor of history with doors leading off into many unexpected and little-visited rooms..." James Rattue, author of The Living Stream.

The well has been covered with stone slabs for a long time, a tree has tried to grow over it.  It has been sheltered here over the years in the grounds of Welton House, a large estate which was demolished in 1952.

An archeological report made of an area near the well recovered early prehistoric, Iron Age, Roman and early medieval pottery from a  layer of ‘hillwash’ above the natural chalk; the presence of these pottery fragments testifies to early settlement in the vicinity of the site, including some which could date to the late 11th century, when the well came into being.  


Welton House 1923

I was fortunate to be granted access to the site recently and was delighted to discover the well and natural spring which is still seeping from the ground. For at least a thousand years, this ancient spring has served a multitude of needs. I hope to convey a sense of this timeless promise in the photographs below. 




The water is trickling into here. The well itself is about 3 metres to the right.

St Anne's Well (covered)



"In 1385 there was a well at Bisham (Berkshire) where a tame bird dwelt atop a tree, in whose nest offerings were left in return for the cure of sore eyes at the well." The Living Stream






My composition and film Home Ground features footage 
showing the remains of St Anne's Well.














Ganoderma Applanatum 

White Holly





Still from St Anne's Well


This is an excerpt from my 40 minute immersive soundscape, incorporating CymaScope imagery transcribed from the source audio by John Stuart Reid. It was first shown at Islington Arts Factory in April 2017 on the opening night of my solo exhibition How Shall I Get Elephants To Stay. And subsequently at Leeds Festival 2019 cinema tent, courtesy of Film Oxford.

Within the Cymascope instrument the surface of pure water offers a kind of super-sensitive membrane and by imprinting sounds onto the liquid surface, unique patterns of sound energy are created for every unique sound.

St Anne's Well is a meditative audio-visual experience designed to enhance an alliance with the natural world.

As the soundscape evolves, various bird calls sing out, while at the still centre is the heron. The heron is an enigmatic being richly featured in mythology and folklore. For me, herons can be the most beautiful creatures to grace our skies, and whenever I see one I instinctively feel it is a 'good omen;' somehow they chime with me.  In St Anne's Well, the heron may be both guardian or oracle, but always an enduring presence in our subconscious landscapes.


"Give the bird a gift. Open the portal to the Otherworld."




Ganoderma Applanatum



Ganoderma Applanatum, otherwise known as The Artist’s Conk. I found this one growing on a tree next to the well, I didn’t know its name at the time but thought it looked interesting so I took it as a memento. It was fed by St Anne’s Well, Wealletune. In dreams I roam these grounds and sleep in the water wrapping it around me like a blanket. The well is tangible within this bracket fungus which I  can now reflect on while I hold it in my hands.





Wednesday 23 August 2017

A Child's Rumour



We were gifted with an unexpected visit by an unaccompanied falcon while making this film. We could see from the tags on her legs that her name was Ruby. She arrived in a very timely manner, a bell sounding her arrival; I had just asked the little girl in the film to run around an oak tree, as if to make a spell.

Ruby stayed for a while on the ground, and performing low swoops over our heads. Her raptorial presence amazed and inspired us. She then followed us from above as we walked home through the old, wooded pathways by the fields.

Perhaps our imagination exists beyond ourselves, reaching out for the things we love – and maybe all of nature is listening, waiting for a chance to reach back.












The photograph above is of a mysterious copse I knew as a child. There's a stone trough in the middle and someone said they used to put foxes in it, which is strange, and unlikely. At the time, however, our young brains imagined this to be true. I would love to know more about the copse and who planted it. The trees are like gnarly-limbed old ladies, boughs tangled together in their old age. It is quite something to step into their midst and wonder. 










A Child's Rumour


In the sky beyond power lines, hulking ash clouds
the old tree, a colossus, leans backwards as if to catch the stars

I'm susceptible to ancient springs, melodious landscape
I'm pregnant with the child I was, still exploring branches

underground, a portal, all comfort denied
underneath a table, hard labour – Will Usher relayed the crime

I'm susceptible to mysteries, just like my sister
I'm pregnant with the child I was, still exploring rumour

rumour, a child's rumour
until our lives reveal the mess
our flesh grows around the rumour

caught up in the vast terrain of unanswered questions
jumping over the rose bush, laughing in the pouring rain.





This song is set in Welton, where I grew up. The second verse, "underground, a portal, all comfort denied, underneath a table, hard labour – Will Usher relayed the crime" refers to the sentence of Elizabeth Thompson who lived there. 

"Elizabeth Thompson on the twenty seventh day of October last, 1867, at Welton Wold, in the Parish of Welton, the said Riding, one table cloth, two sheets, two pillow cases and certain flannel of the goods and chattels of William Usher then and there being did feloniously steal, take and carry away contrary to the statute in such case made and provided. We adjudge the said Eizabeth Thompson for her said offence, to be imprisoned in the House of Correction at Beverley, the said Riding, and there kept hard labour for the space of three calendar months."








The truth is stranger than fiction ... gyr falcon x saker - Ruby








Before the falcon appeared, I had been making a puppet to be in this film for A Child's Rumour – she's called Mädchen. Her name, a nod to my German blood. Whilst I was making her, the following phrase played around and around in my head – we carry with us the shells of our grandmother's hearts.




Mädchen

Mädchen

Mädchen under construction



Ruby


"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity."

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)


concept, film & music
composed, performed & produced
by © ℗ Gaynor Perry



























Saturday 29 April 2017

How Shall I Get Elephants To Stay – exhibition

A SOLO EXHIBITION BY MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST GAYNOR PERRY

Islington Arts Factory, 2 Parkhurst Road, London N7 0SF
28 April to 19 May, 2017


About the exhibition


This is an exhibition of the artwork featured in Gaynor's book of dreams,  entitled as above.

Here you will see paintings, photographs and sculptures expressing the artist's subconscious reality which guides the empathic bonds she forms with the Animal Kingdom and Mother Nature.

During sleep the body and mind repairs itself in order to thrive. It is a time for restoration where essential truths are revealed in the realm of dreams, engaging with all the senses. In dreams, perception of time and space defies scientific laws. There are no rules in these surreal vistas, only an invitation to explore, untethered, and learn the true nature of our fears and desires.

Throughout history a reverence for the power and meaning of dreams has shaped civilisations.  They provide us with a potent awareness of ourselves and our bearing in the world.

Gaynor invites you to look through her subliminal lens, to lift the veil on isolation and re-establish a strong alliance with the natural world, mirrored in oneself.

Opening reception


On the opening night, Friday 28 April, there was a presentation of my audiovisual work; music composition and production, singing and songwriting. I directed and produced each of these films which feature generously talented friends and collaborators.



Still from St Anne's Well – immersive soundscape by Gaynor Perry


St Anne's Well (40 mins)


St Anne's Well is a meditative audio-visual experience designed to enhance an alliance with the natural world. This piece incorporates CymaScope imagery transcribed from the source audio.

There is little known about St Anne's Well, an ancient holy well. Originally called Wealletune after the place-name (Welton, East Yorkshire). It was adopted by Christianity and re-named St Anne's Well in c.1080. Prior to that it is believed to have been a place of pagan ritual, the well being a portal to the Otherworld. It's particularly meaningful to me as I played around the site of the well as a child. Unaware of the history beneath my feet at that time, I continue to be drawn back there in dreams.

"... the holy well stands before a long, if tiny and ill-lit, corridor of history with doors leading off into many unexpected and little-visited rooms..." James Rattue, author of 'The Living Stream'.

As the soundscape evolves, various bird calls sing out, while at the still centre is the heron. The heron is an enigmatic being richly featured in mythology and folklore. For me, herons can be the most beautiful creatures to grace our skies, and whenever I see one I instinctively feel it is a 'good omen'; somehow they chime with me.  In St Anne's Well, the heron may be both guardian and oracle, but always an enduring presence in our subconscious landscapes.

"Give the bird a gift. Open the portal to the Otherworld."


What is a CymaScope? “The CymaScope is a new type of analog scientific instrument that makes sound visible, allowing scientists to see sound's vibrations. Within the instrument the surface of pure water offers a kind of super-sensitive membrane and by imprinting sounds onto the liquid surface, unique patterns of sound energy are created for every unique sound. Just as the invention of the microscope and telescope revealed aspects of the world and Universe that we didn't even know existed, the CymaScope allows the once hidden realm of sound to become visible. And since everything in the Universe is in a state of vibration a tool that shows the structures within sound and vibration can provide important new scientific insights.” John Stuart Reid.



Estelle Riviere as The Owl.
Concept and photography – Gaynor Perry.
Venue – Islington Arts Factory

Estelle Riviere (Monsterlune)


Estelle created the owl costume and performance based on my sketch and painting 'Blue Bear'. Estelle is known for her highly creative and outlandish performances, which showcase her unique talent for costume making and painting, transporting her audience into the realms of the surreal.

ST ANNE'S WELL was described beautifully by Estelle's spellbinding improvised movement performance.



Estelle Riviere as The Owl 


Estelle Riviere as the owl in the CymaGlyph


Estelle Riviere as The Owl


Blue Bear – 40 x 40cm, oil on board


Audiovisual Programme – Opening Reception



FORGETTING RESCUE

featuring Deborah Griffin, Gaynor Perry,
Estelle Riviere, Maria Rosa Mojo




POISON ARROWS

featuring Howie and Simone Austwick




ANTIDOTE

featuring Evelyne Allard, Noko 440, Gaynor Perry




PERPETUAL BABY

featuring Marnie Scarlet




RICHES ARE GREEN

featuring Gaynor Perry




FATHOMS

featuring Gaynor Perry




CONJURE WITH FIRE

featuring Francis Angol, Estelle Riviere, John Stuart Reid





Selected works


The exhibition comprises 40 works – photography, painting and sculpture. Here is an album of the complete works. Below, a selection. 



Primary Route – 80 x 80 cm, oil on board.
The subconscious landscape; my route to primary school as viewed from above. 
This geography was imprinted on my impressionable and budding subconscious; 
forming the backdrop for sensory episodes delivered in the dream state, 
and still is my prime nocturnal haunting ground. 
I know this landscape intimately. 
The red paint signifies areas of anxiety.



 Little Feet – Air-dried clay sculpture of child's feet. 10 x 6 cm, 13 x 7 cm.



What Shapes Me – 28 x 23 x 10 cm, air-dried clay sculpture. Books.



The Sacred Blue Penguin Portal – Fabric, thread & paint 110 x 25 x 17 cm



The Sacred Blue Penguin Portal – Fabric, thread & paint 110 x 25 x 17 cm



The Sacred Blue Penguin Portal – Fabric, thread & paint 110 x 25 x 17 cm 



Hermit's Burrow – wooden box painted blue,
approximately 42 x 42 x 42 cm, covered in chicken wire, camouflaged with twigs. 
The opening framed with aged timber. Inside the box is a wooden bed.
The mattress is filled with earth and covered in a thin, red quilt.
Seated on the bed is an anthropomorphic bird woman sculpture made from air-dried clay.
Standing sentinel by the box is an aged timber post mounted on a blue wooden square, 40 x 10 x 10 cm.


 
The Resident, Hermit's Burrow - Air dried clay, fabric & wood, soil




Tim-Lay-Lav – Air-dried clay sculpture . 20 x 20 cm



 Charming Fellow, Patagonian Mara – Black & white photographic print



Tim-Lay-Lav – Air-dried clay sculpture . 20 x 20 cm. Mirror disc. Glass bell cloche.




Portrait of Bert – Black & white photographic print. 101.6 x 76.2 cm




I Prick My Thumb: An introvert in the making – hand-carved alder wood thumb, 42 x 20 cm.
Rope. An outline of the artist's body in blue tailor's chalk, hand-stitched in blue thread on pale silk material, with a stitched central silver seam shaped at the throat into a tuning fork, 194 x 110 cm.




I Prick My Thumb: An introvert in the making 



Little Feet – Air-dried clay sculpture of child's feet. 10 x 6 cm, 13 x 7 cm. Mirror disc. Glass bell cloche.



Elephantine Beginnings – Black & white photographic print. 101.6 x 76.2 cm 



Installation Views












Guest Photos


What Shapes Me. Photo – Spacy Gracy


The Sacred Blue Penguin Portal. Photo – Stephen Crampton-Hayward


Opening night audiovisual. Photo – Deborah Griffin


Opening night audiovisual. Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia 


Estelle Riviere, opening night. Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia 


Opening night, We Morph #2 and The Solution.  Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia 


The Sacred Blue Penguin Portal.  Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia


Opening night.  Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia


We Morph #1-2. Photo – Gloria Gigi Garcia


Little Feet. Photo – Deborah Griffin


I Prick My Thumb: An introvert in the making. Photo – Deborah Griffin 


Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Photo – Deborah Griffin


Estelle Riviere as The Owl/Sacred Blue Penguin Portal. Photo – Deborah Griffin

Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Photo – Zaz Arnold


The Owl – performance by Estelle Riviere for St Anne's Well


Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Lou Looby Love


Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby



Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby



Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby



Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby



Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby



Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby



Estelle Riviere as The Owl. Performance for St Anne's Well. Photo – Richard Kaby



An exhibition doesn't happen by itself – with heartfelt thanks, for seamless and solid support, to Jen Snowball, Joe White, Estelle Riviere, Eleanor Pearce and Aleks Solinski/Ace Bros.