Category: Art
Cocos Lovers, one of the many bands who will be performing at the festival. Illustration by Georgia Coote.
I love a one-day festival, epecially when its heart is in the right place, and is bringing together the best of arts, crafts and music with all good intentions. Such is this Saturday's A Canterbury Trail, brought to our attention by our lovely friends at the Folie à Deux Gallery
Not to presume stereotypes of Amelia's Magazine readers, but I can safely presume that there will be something for all of our readers at this festival. Artists involved in the day include Liam Magill & Raven Bush (Syd Arthur); Jennifer Price; Cocos Lovers; Mark John Smith; Ruth Geldard; Victoria Foster; Ben Fletcher; Lucy Kitt; Andy Warner; Edwin Brooks and the Burning Glass; Germaine Dolan; Adam Dawson; Laurie Lax; Tom Maryniak; Ladies of the Lake; Glad-Rags; Shed Space; Scandalmongers Theatre; Amy Wickham and Andrew Prowse. The aim of this project is to reactivate spaces in Canterbury with many art forms: theatre, video & sound installation, poetry, circus, painting, sculpture, workshops, craft and more, ending with a live music and feasting finale!
I spoke with Sophie Burns, part of SondryFolk, a collective which has put together the festival. She explained the reasons behind it:
“The Sondryfolk project was born out of a concern that we are growing disconnected from each other, our surroundings and ourselves. We hope that working together, through engaged artistic expression and shared ideas, we can reconnect, inspire and provoke. We are interested in working with anyone who shares the desire to see a shift to more engaged and creative cohesive communities – something we passionately believe must happen sooner rather than later!”
If there are any Kent based readers who would be interested in getting involved in the festival, Sondryfolk are currently recruiting a team of volunteers to help out before, after and mainly during the event. The different roles include invigilating artwork & equipment, help with decor, the install/ uninstall of artwork, assisting with tours, and stewarding (guiding the public and giving them information). To join the team please email sondryfolk@gmail.com. Alternately, you can contribute by making food! As the festival will be ending the day with a musical and feasting finale between 5 and 7pm in Best Lane Garden, you can bring your favourite dish or cake (and drop it off at Best Lane Garden at the beginning of the day where it will be stored for later).
The event will be accompanied with a map of sites and timetable for live work, detailed in the programme which can be picked up at various points, including from Best Lane Garden on the day (opposite the West Cornwall Pasty Shop). Go to SondryFolk for more details.
Thanks to Georgia Coote for the Cocos Lovers illustration.