Solstice Shorts 2017: Dusk

Originating in Greenwich, on the Prime Meridian,  its 4th year, Solstice Shorts went nationwide.

Dusk, that time between day and night when everything changes.

On 21st December 2017 Dusk started in the UK in the far NE (Shetland) at 16:53 and finished in the far SW (Cornwall) at 18:21, taking between 40 and 50 minutes depending where you were.

We had twelve sites across the UK all reading/singing different material (chosen by us, read by actors/ sung by musicians) starting In Ellon, Aberdeenshire and ending In Redruth, Cornwall, taking in key spots in between.

follow these links for the videos and more info.

Ellon 17:07-17:54 Inverness 17:15-18:02 Greenwich 17:16-17:57 Nottingham 17:17-17:59 Carlisle 17:18-18:02 Rossendale 17:19-18:02 Lancaster 17:20-18:03 Birmingham 17:21-18:03 Bristol 17:27-18:07 Holyhead, 17:30-18:12 Warkleigh 17:33-18:14 Redruth 17:40-18:20

most events BSL Interpreted

The performances matched the timing of (Astronomical) Dusk exactly, with a live stream to Facebook.  Redruth didn’t start reading until Aberdeen had almost finished and all the other performances overlapped, so that somewhere in the ether we were all reading/singing together, like a murmuration of starlings.

We had much discussion about what we mean by Dusk -We are went with astronomical dusk (as in to do with stars, not enormous!) which is the last ‘official’ segment, when the sun is down, but there’s still a lingering light in the sky, through to out and out night. Useful website here for those of you who are interested:

 

Ellon (Aberdeenshire, Intuitive Music Aberdeen, at Better Read Books), Inverness (Inverness Playwrights at Eden Court), Carlisle (Carlisle Patchwork Opera at Foxes Cafe), Lancaster (North West Literary Salon at the Print Room at the Storey), Holyhead (Anglesey/Ynys Mon Cybi Poets at Ucheldre Centre),  Rossendale (The Whitaker), Birmingham (Unbroken Cocoon at The Goose Selly Oak), Nottingham (Nottingham Writers’ Studio), Greenwich (That would be us at West Greenwich Library), Bristol (Bare Bones Collective at Kelston Roundhill), Warkleigh (near Barnstaple) (Courage Copse Creatives) Redruth (Kernow Education Arts Partnership)

Thank you to our FUNDERS: ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND, plus FEAST and CORNWALL COUNCIL FOR REDRUTH, NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL for NOTTINGHAM, and KELSTON RECORDS for BRISTOL.

 

We would also like to acknowledge in-kind support from Better Libraries, Royal Borough of Greenwich, The Whittaker, and all of our organisers in particular Phil & Sherry in Inverness.

 

most events were BSL interpreted, some interpeters couldn’t make it on the day.

Dusk:
The Complete Programme

Ellon, Aberdeenshire 17:07-17:54
Better Read Books,
Hosts: Euan Kelly and Bill Kelly
Performers: Haworth Hodgkinson and Catriona Yule
BSL Interpreter: Bruce Cameron

Stories
Alex Reece Abbott, MacFarquhar’s Bed
Patrick Gale, Sleep Tight

Music
Intuitive Music Aberdeen: Intuitive music based upon the Winter Solstice mode from Haworth Hodgkinson’s Dundee Ambient

Poems
Mandy Macdonald, Gloaming
Joy Howard, Factory
Jane Aldous, After the Sun, Before the Stars
Eileen Carney Hulme, Blue Hour
Alice Tarbuck, Decoration of a Fermented Season
Alison Lock, Crow Haibun
Sue Johnson, The Shortest Day
Michelle Penn, End of Ramadan

Inverness 17:15-18:02
Eden Court
Hosts: Phil Baarda and Sherry Morris
Performers: Amy Hasson and Alexander Donaldson

Poems
Jane Aldous, After the Sun, Before the Stars
Eileen Carney Hulme, Blue Hour
Alice Tarbuck, Decoration Of A Fermented Season

Stories
Pippa Gladhill, In-Between Dog
Sherry Morris, Granda’s Plan
Alex Reece Abbott, MacFarquhar’s Bed
Lucy Grace, Breadcrumbs

Music
James Bryce, Dusk Song
Ed Bentley, Dusk In The Gers

Greenwich 17:16-17:57
West Greenwich Library

Host : Silas Hawkins
Performers: Math Jones, Grace Cookey-Gam
Stories
Kirsty Fox, They Said there were Pirates
Math Jones, Yes, Twilight

Poems

K Wise, Tempus Erat
John Richardson, all this
Laila Sumpton, Starling Time
Lisa Kelly, Match Girl
Martyn Crucefix, Summers Ended in Sweetness

Music
3 Bucket Jones, Light Another Candle for You
Caroline Watsham, Sundown

Nottingham 17:17-17:59
Nottingham Writers’ Studio
Online: https://www.facebook.com/NottmWritersStudio/

Performers: Susie Hennessy, Jay Bradley
BSL Interpreter: Elvire Roberts

Poems
Sue Birchenough, Roost
Kelly Davis, Calling Them In
Katy Lee, Red Coat, Wolf, etc
Stevie Krayer, Sleeping Out

Stories
David Mathews, Flick’ring Shadows
Penny Pepper, Wolf’s Head
Lucy Grace, Breadcrumbs
Kirsty Fox, They Said there were Pirates

Carlisle 17:18-18:02
Foxes Cafe Lounge,
Host: Nell Dunn
Performers: Ben Brinicombe, Kelly Davis
BSL Interpreter: Karen Edmondson

Stories
Rob Walton, Words On Paper
Samuel Wright, Here

Poems
Lindsay Reid, Summer Evening
Kelly Davis, Calling Them In
Katie Evans, 16:30
Joy Howard, Factory

Music
Nicola Reid, Witching Hour
John Chambers, Balcony

Rossendale, Lancashire 17:19-18:02
The Whitaker Museum & Arts Centre,
Host:  Carl Bell
Performers: Tony Curry, Carl Bell, Neil Bell
BSL Interpreter: Amanda Owen

Poems
Aziz Dixon, Calligraphy of Starlings
Alison Lock, Crow Haibun

Stories
Kirsty Fox, They Said there were Pirates
Lucy Grace, Breadcrumbs
Rosalind Stopps, One Two Three, One Two Three
Samuel Wright, Here

Music
Sarah Grundy, Night & Day

Lancaster 17:20-18:03
The Print Room Café, The Storey
Host: Yvonne Felton-Battle
Performers: Mary Hooton, Leo Atkin, Marian Cox
BSL Interpreter: Carol Kyle

Poems
Joy Howard, Factory
John Bevan, Afterglow

Stories
David Hartley, Daylight Savings
Rob Schofield, Four Beaches
Rosalind Stopps, One Two Three, One Two Three

Birmingham 17:21-18:03
The Goose
Host: Adam Elmi
Performers: Sam Arrowsmith and James Bryhan
BSL Interpreter: Emma Dunleavey-Dale

Poems
Nigel Hutchinson, Some Times a Black Cloud
Sue Johnson, The Shortest Day

Stories
Sherry Morris, Granda’s Plan
Fiona Salter, On The Evening Train

Music
Brandon Sheils, Dusk

Bristol 17:27-18:07
The Old Barn, Kelston Roundhill
Performers: Paul Deaton, Elizabeth Parker, Corinne Harragin
BSL Interpreter Paul Mancini

Poems
Paul Deaton, Brunel’s Bridge
Elizabeth Parker, Dhusarah

Stories
Helen Slavin, At Sky’s Edge
Sherry Morris, Granda’s Plan

Music
Ichi, Magic Hour
Anna Kissell, Oh, The Dark!

Holyhead, 17:30-18:12
Ucheldre Centre
Host: Ness Owen
Performers: Nicholas McGaughey, Karen Ankers, Trefor Stockwell
BSL Interpreter: ffranses Wharton-Faraut

Stories
Katerina Watson, Threshold
Cath Bore, The Dusk Runner

Poems
Jill Sharp, The Dogs of Delhi
Ness Owen, Female Blackbird Sings (in Welsh and English)
Jeremy Dixon, Driving to Blackpool to Visit My Sister
Nicholas McGaughey, Magic Hour
Stevie Krayer, Sleeping Out
Carl Griffin, Sea’s Wedding

Music
Fiona & Gorwel Owen, Releasing Birds and Y Gwydd

Warkleigh 17:33-18:14
Courage Copse Creatives
Performers: Katy Lee and Lisa Schneidau
BSL Interpreter: David Wolfenden

Poems
Nigel Hutchinson, Some Times a Black Cloud
Kelly Davis, Calling Them In
Gabrielle Choo, Sundown Breath
Katy Lee, Red Coat, Wolf etc

Stories
Pippa Gladhill, In-Between Dog
Cath Bore, Dusk Runner
Katerina Watson, Threshold
Jackie Taylor, Cape Cornwall

Music
Tom Norden Crepuscule
Sharon Lazibyrd After Dark There’s Sun and Time Has Its Own Song

Redruth 17:40-18:20
The Writers’ Block
Performers: The Story Republicans
BSL Interpreter: Debbie Harvey

Poems
Alannah Egan, I Am Dusk
Roselle Angwin, The Standstill
Bridie Toft, Arrival

Stories
David Hartley, Daylight Savings
Patrick Gale, Sleep Tight

Music
The Farewell Shanty, collected by Merv Vincent
Dusk is Dark, poem by Andrew Lanyon, set to music by Katie Kirk

site start finish minutes
Ellon 1707 1754 48
Inverness 1715 1802 47
Greenwich 1716 1757 41
Nottingham 1717 1759 42
Carlisle 1718 1802 44
Rossendale 1719 1802 43
Lancaster 1720 1803 43
Birmingham 1721 1803 42
Bristol 1727 1807 40
Anglesey (Holyhead) 1730 1812 42
Warkleigh 1733 1814 41
Redruth 1740 1820 40