Forward Footing at the Flaming Skirt Festival, Ashby and Moira

The Flaming Skirt Banner welcoming us at the start of our Flaming Skirt journey

Artist and curator Sally Lemsford invited Miles and Dacombe to create a Forward Footing Walk as part of the Flaming Skirt Festival 2015, a contemporary arts festival in village halls and public spaces in North West Leicestershire

Participants experienced five mini contemporary art events in Ivanhoe College, Ashby de-la-Zouch, Moira Furnace, Snibston Discovery Museum plus on a double-decker bus travelling between.

Sally devised the Festival because she is passionate about bringing communities the opportunity to experience delightful, creative surprises and the kind of contemporary art events that could happen in village halls or community spaces on a regular basis.

 

It was a new, interesting challenge for Carole and Jo to create a Forward Footing Walk, complete with interventions, that had a tight time frame, was in a designated location and that would fit in between the work of the other artists :- Hunt and Darton, Queenie Tea, Sophie Cullinan and Dave Wood. During the scoping walk in the rain Jo and Carole walked the short distance several times in order to make sure they had their timings correct. It was also important to make interventions that referred to what they saw and experienced in and around the Moira Furnace site.

Inspired by the woodland information boards Carole wrote The Quest of the Flaming Skirt which became an interactive performance by all the participants, some of whom took the part of the characters met during the Quest. 

Some of the children knew the woods well and were able to direct us to the Storytelling circle where our paper boat folding intervention began. 

Jo demonstrating the folds for the Flaming Skirt Flotilla 

It was lovely to see all ages sitting and folding 

paper boats together in the dappled shade.

after the boats were complete we walked our trail 

through the woods, reciting our poem verse by verse

Oscar played the part of the Toad

The Quest of the Flaming Skirt

By the gate beneath the trees

we hear the birds, we feel the breeze

Rustling through the greening leaves

We're on a quest so quiet please

Hidden close at last we spy

The sleepy Toad with the golden eye

Whisper soft my curious dears

Just loud enough just so he hears.

Have you seen or heard or spied

A flashing, flaming skirt rush by?

Not I he says in ponderous tone

I'm dozing here,

I'm all alone

Try the Raven up on high

He may have seen her

rushing by.

Poet Dave Wood was a marvelous Raven

By the gate beneath the trees

we hear the birds, we feel the breeze

Rustling through the greening leaves

We're on a quest so quiet please

Hidden in branches at last we spy

The raven with his flaming eye

Whisper soft my curious dears

Just loud enough just so he hears.

Have you seen or heard or spied

A flashing, flaming skirt rush by?

Not I he says in rasping tone

I'm resting here

I'm all alone

Try the squirrel up on high

He may have seen her

Dancing by

Our Squirrel

By the gate beneath the trees

we hear the birds, we feel the breeze

Rustling through the greening leaves

We're on a quest so quiet please

Up above, at last we hail

The squirrel with his flaming tail.

Whisper soft my curious dears

Just loud enough just so he hears.

Have you seen or heard or spied

A flashing, flaming skirt rush by?

Not I he says in twinkling tone

I'm resting here

I'm all alone

Try the Iris by the river

She may have seen her prancing hither

By the gate beneath the trees

we hear the birds, we feel the breeze

Rustling through the greening leaves

We're on a quest so quiet please.

In the water at last we see

The Iris with her petals three

Whisper soft my curious dears

Just loud enough just so he hears.

Have you seen or heard or spied

A flashing, flaming skirt rush by?

Not I, she shakes her amber embers,

a skirt like that would be remembered.

Try the Robin

He knows best,

He's sure to help you in your quest.

 Out of the woods

Around the Furnace

By the gate beneath the trees

we hear the birds, we feel the breeze

Rustling through the greening leaves

We're on a quest so quiet please.

On the wing, just to the west

Flies Robin with his fiery breast.

Whisper soft my curious dears

Just loud enough just so he hears.

Have you seen or heard or spied

A flashing, flaming skirt rush by?

Ah yes my dears

She came through here.

Fold a boat, she may appear!

To the canal where Queenie Tea presided over the  boat launching

 all our boats set sail in search of the spirit of the Flaming Skirt Festival

and we made sure all vessels were collected before leaving the waterside.

After the flotilla the the Spirit of Flaming Skirt (Jo) 

led our walkers into a field of saplings

gave everyone red ribbons

and invited us to twirl 

and flame in the glorious afternoon light.

The final intervention took place within the mysterious spaces

inside the beautifully restored Lime Kilns

Small groups were given packets of glow sticks and invited to work 

together to create glow sculptures using the cool interior spaces

You can find more photographs from the walk here

After the walk finished we jumped on the bus again

and became participants on this intriguing creative 

journey through North West Leicestershire.

On the return journey we raffled our Outdoor Art Kit.

Here are our winners! We hope they will go out and

on many creative walks of their own in future!

It was a fun filled, fascinating day with wonderful activities and performances.

To find out more about the Flaming Skirt Festival 

and the the artists follow this link