To welcome The Tethered Fairy Ring: A Symphonic Poem & Ukulele Overture for the Light Hearted, I decided I would like to go to the West Wales Coastline where I wrote the story & welcome in the journey with a ceremonial gong.
The reason for this is that I plan to go to Kerala to make a Shadow Puppet Film of The Tethered Fairy Ring & the team of 8 puppeteers that I will be working with, usually perform their traditional Puppet Theatre as part of 5 months of Temple Ceremony. This opens for them with a Ceremonial Gong ...
So, it seemed fitting to me that I do the same here, in West Wales.
I put out a shout on facebook and Isobel Eleanor Sinead Stevenson put me in touch with Jim Fox from The Centre of Holistic & Complimentary Therapies in Swansea.
Jim very kindly came with me to Cei Bach Beach, New Quay, with his Sun Gong ...
I have edited the film leaving in the environmental sounds including the wind noise, which is traditionally edited out of film, because I wanted to capture how the elements worked with the resonance of the gong.
It was really very magical indeed and impossible for me to capture on my little hand held camera the whole ambience of the wind, the running water, and how the gong resonated with my body making me smile involuntarily.
It was also quite funny because I became so engrossed in the piece, filming Jim, that I failed to notice the growing crowd of people who stood on the wall above us watching. It was really quite spooky! They didn't smile, or speak, or show emotion: they just stood stock still watching, wide eyed and in awe.
One little lad had almost forgotten he was holding an ice cream, and I noticed how it was melting slowing and had run down the cone and was coiling around his sun kissed arm, such was his fascination.
And then once they had seen what was happening, the disappeared back to the other side of the wall! Almost as quickly as they had arrived, no doubt continuing with their own form of factor 15 sun workshop!
When I put the photo's of the day on facebook, Daisy Davies wrote about jim, 'He looks like a very magical man.' and I thought ... yes, he does, doesn't he!
I have never met Jim Fox before this day. How generous of him to simply offer to come. I was so very touched. We had such a wonderful time from the cuppa and chat before we left, through to carrying the gong and equipment to the beach and filming the gong ceremony.
I played The Tethered Fairy Ring Ukulele Composition to Jim and he not only said he liked it but that he had never heard the ukulele played quite in that way before ... I was touched.
I found myself saying to him that I wanted to take my l'il ol' uke away from her comfort zone, to make her into the story telling instrument that she is, to give her the respect and love that I feel in my heart for her, to repay her for the joy she has given to me in my world ...
In that moment, I swear I felt her pulsate as if she had a heart beat of her own and I was merely the vehicle for her to shine through.
Thank you so much Jim for your generous kindness.
Here is a link to Jim's Healing Centre in Swansea
They do amazing things there ... like the Labyrinth Book Store which raises money to give free holistic therapies to cancer patients ...
I'm definitely booking a session there because I really like the idea of doing tonal voice work with Jim and his set of Tibetan singing bowls ... will let you know how that feels ...
Meanwhile, I will send some of the books I have written to the Centre to help in a small way ..
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