The Quick and the Dead is an ongoing series of events exploring birth rites and death rites. These rites of passage affect everyone, and are arguably the most significant experiences we encounter. The project will explore our own birth experiences, the birthing of our children and the broader “birthing” of creative projects/ideas. Equally, our experiences of loss of loved ones, reflections on our own mortality, and experiences of loss in general such as places we love or passing traditions will be addressed. The Quick and the Dead received a Research and Development Grant from The Arts Council of Wales. Between September and December 2015, a number of events are planned including performances, workshops, teaching and film screenings. See below for a full list of events.
Saturday 19th September 7 pm Theatr Gwaun, Fishguard
Talk by Helen Knowles from the Birth Rites Collection and screening of the film Born directed by Andy Lawrence
Tickets £7.50 / £6 Purchase via Theatr Gwaun website or from the Box Office
Friday 16th October 7 pm Theatr Gwaun, Fishguard
Screening of the film Singing Hospice and Q&A with director Amy Hardie, who is currently film-maker in residence at Strathcarron Hospice
Tickets £7.50 / £6
Stephen Jenkinson will be offering two talks and two one day teaching events in Monmouth and Pembrokeshire:
Friday 6th Nov 7-9 pm Bridges Community Centre, Monmouth
An Introduction to Dying Wise – an evening talk based on his recently published book Die Wise. Tickets £20
Saturday 7th Nov 9.30am – 3.30pm Bridges Community Centre, Monmouth
Making Meaning of the Ending of Days
Early Bird tickets £65 until Sept 30th – does not include refreshments
Friday 13th Nov 7-9 pm Theatr Gwaun, Fishguard
An Introduction to Dying Wise – an evening talk based on his recently published book Die Wise. Tickets £11 / £9. Tickets will be sold through Theatr Gwaun and will be available from their website or box office in September 2015
Saturday 14th Nov 9.30am – 3.30pm Trefacwn, Llanrhian
Making a Village Whole – Caring for the Living and Carrying the Dead
Early Bird tickets £70 until Sept 30th – includes lunches and drinks
Saturday 12th December, Small World Theatre, Cardigan (time TBC) Partus (birth) is a collaboration between visual artist Ruth Jones and electronic composer Andy Wheddon that takes as a starting point a CTG scan of a medicalised labour and birth. The 10ft long paper trace contains ultrasound recordings of a number of bodily rhythms that faithfully record the labour, such as the mother’s contractions and blood pressure and the baby’s heart rate. Partus reinterprets and enacts the trace as sound, mediating between mourning the medical-technological intervention in labour and reclaiming the human experience.
