There are a few aspirations in the pipeline for the Earth Heart space, glamping, day retreats, healing and community events to name a few. As creative people though, one thing we really couldn't exclude is the arts. Visual arts, music and all kinds of performance would be equally welcome; but that's a bit of a way off just now. Still, that doesn't stop us finding ways and means to exercise our expressive sides in the short term and we've recently discovered a lovely little open mic night not very far away.
 | On the second Friday of the month, at the community hub The Cross Keys in Llanfyllin, Arts Connection hosts an evening which welcomes music and spoken word. That works very well indeed for Nik and my respective art forms but we've also been working creatively together on bringing his sitar skills into relation with some of the Buddhist chants that I use in my meditative and devotional practice. So, last Friday, we gave our first little piece a public debut! We've called it Perfection of Wisdom Sound Journey and it weaves together the Sunyata and Prajnaparamita mantra, bringing in the Heart Sutra too, which is a perfection of wisdom text. |
On the evening, I also shared a couple of poems and Nik treated the room to a condensed version of the Nat Bhairav raag; evocative of heroic exuberance and lost love. Hindustani classical pieces are often much longer than your average open mic contribution, so arranging an abridged interpretation was no mean feat!
| I've lost count of the number of open mic nights I've been to over the years, as a poet and spoken word artist, as a curious music lover, as a support to a performing friend, or a combination of all the above, but I struggle to recall a night that combined as much genuine talent with such welcoming and warm accessibility. While there's been no shortage of accomplished performance on the nights we've attended, there's also a very genuine open atmosphere that encourages wide participation. There's no stage as such, with audience and performers alike forming a circle, taking turns to share, applaud or sing along as appropriate! Facilitation is minimal and the air of co-creation is both palpable and inspiring. | |
I'm sure we'll be back in June, and I might even remember to take a photograph or two! In the meantime, here's the piece we shared, roughly recorded as a bit of a sketch but enough to give you an idea! If you're local, I'd highly recommend a visit; you don't have to be a performer, though there'd be space for you if you are, and you'd be made very welcome either way!
Hope to see you there!
Hope to see you there!
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