Foreground Projects, Frome
Matt Stokes has produced this striking sculpture design for the Forge-In Festival taking place over the weekend – Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th September. Matt will be collaborating with younger townspeople, blacksmiths and metalworkers to produce an artwork dedicated to the burgeoning local hardcore and metal music scene. The sculpture will be showcased during Frome Carnival Procession. See below for details of Foreground’s BIG WEEKENDER!
FORGE-IN FESTIVAL
12-13TH SEPTEMBER
FREE, ALL AGES
LOCATION:
Behind Frome Community and Youth Centre
Vallis Road
Frome
Google map link:http://maps.google.com/mapsclient=safari&rls=enus&q=Frome%20Youth%20and%20Community%20Centre%2C%20Vallis%20Road%2C%20Frome&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl
SATURDAY 12TH, 12-6PM (MUSIC, 2-6PM)
Forge work all day, with live music (between 2-6pm), BBQ, t-shirt and banner printing. Featuring local blacksmiths and bands:
ALL GUNS BLAZING
MEIER
BEAR FIGHTS FIRE
THE DEAD LIFE
REJECTED FAITH
SUNDAY 13TH, 12-6PM
Forge work and more …
FORGE-IN FESTIVAL UPDATE!
The Forge-in Festival will be taking place outside, behind the Community and Youth Centre, where there is a hard-standing for the forge work and old BMX track (now a field) for the siting of a tent for the music.
The Wessex Guild of Blacksmiths are supporting us with the generous loan of mobile forges, anvils, vices and tools. A host of local and regional blacksmiths with be collaborating on forge-work and the making of the monument, including: Richard Jones (Dragon Works Forge), John Bellamy (Guild Master, Wessex Guild of Blacksmiths), Alan Paterson (Somerset Smithy), James Blunt-Smith, and Simon Grant-Jones to name a few.
Sound-maestro Will Angelero of Handsome Lama Studios is on the case of our PA needs.
We’re just investigating the possible loan of a small half-pipe too, and hope to have more info about this soon.
A trailer has been found to transport the monument for the procession, and Minerva stone works are kindly providing a black Pick-up for towing this. Next-up, we need to arrange the generator, sound-system, lights (as it’ll get dark during the procession) and a bit of extra, simple decor for the trailer!
The music for the sound-system will be comprised of tracks by local punk/hardcore/metal bands. Drop us a line if you’d like to include a track by your band.
We’re also looking for a crowd to walk with the piece – no costumes or anything like that involved, just come as you want – so, again, let us know if you’re up for taking part!
For Independent State, Matt Stokes is creating Voice | Hand | Hammer | Fire, a monument dedicated to Frome’s punk/hardcore/metal music scene. You can see more on this on Matt’s Myspace page – follow the link: http://www.myspace.com/independentstateoffrome
Drawing on the town’s industrial heritage (in particular that of Singers, a former foundry and forge in Frome), the monument will be built in collaboration with Somerset blacksmiths. A focal point of the project will be a ‘forge-in’ weekend, where the piece can be seen being made using the traditional skills of the ‘smithy’, alongside live music from local bands. This is taking place on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13th September from 12 – 6pm -more on this soon . . .
On completion, the resulting monument will be paraded through Frome’s streets as part of the Carnival procession, accompanied by people involved in the piece’s production and from the local music scenes it celebrates – harking back to when statues left the Singers workshops in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Following the Carnival procession, it is aimed that the monument will take up residence in Frome town.
This site will be used to post info about the design, production and lead-up to the Carnival, so keep checking for updates!
Last weekend saw three days of cutting, sewing and gluing as Edwina Ashton and her core group of Frome participants invaded the Foreground office and got stuck into bug costume making.
Edwina oversaw costume fittings for human-size insects who have bravely volunteered to perform as life size bugs on the float throughout the carnival procession.
Edwina Asthton’s bugs and life-size insect costumes started to come together…
Alongside life sized costumes, Edwina’s assistants were also working on smaller microbes which will form part of the Monster Soup.
In the meantime, the 30ft float has been painted and revamped…
Foreground Director Tabitha Clayson, Edwina Ashton and production director Kit Poulson took delivery of Foreground’s new 30ft float, which was previously owned by Clogs Carnival Club and is seen here in its original state with a Stars & Stripes livery. The float has since undergone a transformative paint job. The Carnival event in September will be its first outing in a few years and it will provide the focal point of Edwina Asthon’s project.
Artist Matt Stokes went along to the Battle of the Bands to research and meet with local bands for his forthcoming carnival project with Foreground – Voice|Hand|Hammer|Fire. Local bands from the hardcore and metal scene in Frome will be playing. The Forge-in will take place 12-6pm Saturday 12th September & Sunday 13th September, with live music 2-6pm.
Counting Days (now Landscapes) playing at Battle of the Bands. Photograph courtesy of Liz Bowley
Last Saturday Edwina spent the day working with adult participants at the United Reformed Church on Whittox Lane to begin costume making for her ‘Monster Soup’ project. Whilst adults sewed, stitched and were measured up for their insect costumes, education leader Lucia Harley worked with younger children to construct Edwina-esque head pieces and furry bug tummys to wear to the carnival procession.
This weekend saw the official launch of Independent State at Frome’s Carnival Fun Day in Victoria Park, Frome. Participating artists Edwina Ashton, Matt Stokes and Bob and Roberta Smith were here to introduce individual projects, meet members of Frome’s community, gather research for the coming production period and enroll willing participants to assist in the construction of new works.
Bob and Roberta Smith spent the day interviewing various members of the public including local town criers, Frome residents and various individuals involved in the project. . The recordings will be part of Bob and Roberta Smith’s wider project and will be available to listen to as a podcast on the artist’s radio show on Resonance FM. In a continuation of his previous workshop on 11 July, participants continued to paint the field names of Frome onto placards …
Matt Stokes took to his sewing machine and began work on black bunting, tieing in with the prominent heavy metal theme in his project plans. Matt was able to develop his research through meeting and talking to local residents and members of a wide range of community groups, many of whom expressed a great interest in the project and signed up to be involved.
Edwina Ashton attracted visitors with her array of costumes and enlisted groups of adults and children to wear bespoke Ashton costumes on the night as well as many volunteers keen to help in the construction of her large scale float props.
Alongside artist’s gazeebos, Foreground held two free workshops for children with Bob and Roberta Smith inspired mini-placards and badge making and Lucia Harley leading Ashton-esque bug costumes.
Visitors were also able to purchase Independent State of Frome T-shirts – available to buy now – see here for details.
Independent State’s artist education leader Lucia Harley will be holding a free workshop for children on Saturday 25th July, 12-4pm as part of Independent State.
Come along and build a bug costume to wear to this year’s carnival. All materials are provided, everybody is welcome and you can drop in any time for as long as you’d like! All children should be accompanied by an adult.
In 2008 Foreground produced Intervention/Decoration – a major multi-sited exhibition set in the historic market town of Frome, Somerset, featuring commissions by internationally recognised visual artists Eva Berendes (Germany), Michael Dean (UK), Ruth Ewan (UK), Jim Isermann (USA), Cornelia Parker (UK), Lawrence Weiner, (USA) and Richard Woods (UK). Visit www.foregroundprojects.org.uk for more details.
Foreground last night hosted a fantastic artist’s talk by Edwina Ashton who described in greater detail her plans for Independent State and explained how her new commission will feature in this year’s Frome carnival.
Speaking on her wider practice, Edwina presented a selection of past works: both drawings, documentation of previous exhibitions and film works featuring her fantastical costumes.
Edwina is now beginning to enroll volunteers to wear her bug costumes and take part in the Carnival procession and there are still a number of opportunities to be both part of the bug parade or to assist in making costumes – contact us
Edwina is also currently enlisting the help of willing volunteers to start work on the float based around her original proposal – see here. As part of the float’s construction, she will be making a number of oversized props: a giant teacup and saucer and various other curiosities… if you would like to contribute with the construction of the float and its props contact us.
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