A Pocketful of Magic, Dora House, Westminster Arts, 2009
A Pocketful of Magic was a year-long, multi-media, participatory arts project based on the fairy tale template and produced by Westminster Arts. It incorporated storytelling, poetry, photography, movement and dance as well as visits to unusual theatre spaces such as Peter Pan in Hyde Park and musuems such as The Wallace Collection.
Collaborating with photographer Hester Jones and choreographer Greta Mendez, I worked closely with seven residents of Dora House, a sheltered accommodation in London, to draw out personal portraits of their lives. I devised and ran weekly workshops to provoke discussion and interaction and to invoke memories and inspiration. I created and wrote seven new fairy tales based on each of the participants’ childhood experiences, anecdotes, memories, cultural heritages and personal objects. The final body of work consisted of he fairy tales and still images of the participants published in an anthology. This was complemented by audio recordings of the participants reading their branded fairy tales and further edited into a moving projection of images interacting with the sound of each participant’s voice. The project culminated in a performance at Westiminster Town Hall attended by the Lord Mayor of Westminster.
Photos: Hester Jones
Derek, South Africa
Extract from Derek’s story - Jared Teaches the Tokoloshie Manners
He is Shaka the unshakeable,
Thunderer-while-sitting, son of Men
He is the bird that preys on other birds,
The battle-axe that excels over other battle-axes in sharpness,
He is the long-strided pursuer, son of ‘ndaba,
Who pursued the sun and the moon.
He is the great hubbub like the rocks of Nkandhla
Where elephants take shelter
When the heavens frown…
But when his father’s friend started telling about the sangoma, the Zulu shaman who could open up the heavens and bring down the rains or banish a Tokoloshe, Jared resolved to go in search of this man of magic so that he could learn how to banish Tokoloshes too. The Tokoloshe was the stuff of Jared’s nightmares. His parents had told him many stories of the Tokoloshe who was half human, half demon, liked to drink beer and milk and looked like a nasty teddy about three feet tall.
Derek’s objects: Oranges, Boat, Spear, Sjambok, South African Flag
Pamela, England
Extract from Pamela’s story - The Wishing Well at the Top of the Faraway Tree
‘You can talk!’ Sweetpea exclaimed shocked.
‘All the animals can. We just don’t let humans know that. My name is Mr Hoofsure Trotalot. Your pig and chickens told me what happened. Would you like me to help you get Rosebud and Fred Purse back?’
‘Oh would you? I’ll do anything to bring Fred Purse back. I can always get a new doll but there will never be another Fred Purse’, said Sweetpea. ‘Okay, that settles it. Hop on. Chop, chop we’ve no more time to lose. There are many lands that pass through the top of the faraway tree and we don’t want the one with the wishing well to move on to make way for a new land before we can rescue Fred Purse. If it moves on before we get there, we won’t see Fred Purse for many years. He may be a bit annoying sometimes but he does have his good points. Besides, I think he wants to marry you when you both grown up!’ he snickered.
Pam’s objects: Doll, Acorns, Seeds and Grains, Toy Horse, Picnic Basket, A Wishing Well
Mario, Chile
Extract from Mario’s story - The Scarlet Macaw
A long time ago, long before Manco Capac emerged from Lake Titicaca with his golden staff and founded the Inca empire, there lived a young boy named Yaco in a little village very high up in the Andes Mountains. Yaco liked to entertain everybody with his singing, dancing, theatrical pieces and larking around. He was so good at it that nobody took him seriously even when he was being very serious indeed. Yaco didn’t mind too much but every now and again, he did wish that people could see that he was more than just the joker of the pack. Even so, he always maintained his good spirits and was always ready to drop whatever he was doing if he knew somebody needed help.
Mario’s objects: Feathers, Birdcage, Bread, Beef Jerky, Fish
