SONGS OF STONE & WATER
Songs of Stone and Water is a creative project where groups from BlueJam, along with professional artists, responded to three local heritage sites:
Mayburgh Henge, King Arthur’s Round Table and Penrith Castle
through painting, film, poetry, games, music and food.
The henge had a deep impact on my work.
Participant – Songs of Stone and Water
Visiting the site was profoundly inspirational as I felt a part of deep history.
The BlueJam groups who took part include
Wednesday and Thursday Painting for Wellbeing groups (open to all)
CreateJam group (for young creatives)
Friday Jam Club (for families with children not in school)
The groups explored what the sites mean, socially, culturally, and personally, drawing on their long history and especially delving into the importance of community and connection.
We were grateful to receive funding for this exciting creative project from National Lottery Heritage Fund via the English Heritage Community Connections project.
Being creative is helping me feel better when my health is a bit worse
Participant – Songs of Stone and Water
and I feel very inspired by Mayburgh Henge it is a great project to be part of.
In March we ran a series of public events (exhibitions, performances, picnics and gatherings) to celebrate the work that has been created as part of the project. This included a film screening as part of Keswick Film Festival Fringe, a Folk Picnic at the Henge and an all-day exhibition at BlueJam Arts Space.
Three other Penrith groups ran projects simultaneously responding to heritage sites too. It was exciting to be working in collaboration with them and we hope these strong community links will continue now the project has ended.
Creative Showcase
Here is some of the creative work made during the project, inspired by the three heritage sites:
Mayburgh henge feels like a site of many stories, some warped and some clear.
Participant – Songs of Stone and Water
In my piece I wanted to capture its history, distorting the time periods and using
spoken word to represent the community gatherings that may have been an important aspect of the henge’s purpose.