Funding from the Earnest Cook Trust and FEAST Cornwall has made this project possible this year.

The schools that we are working with form the Keskowethyans Multi-Academy Trust: On 1st March 2014 the St Keverne and Coverack Federation of Schools joined with three other schools, Grade-Ruan C of E School, Manaccan Primary School and St Martin to form the Keskowethyans Multi-Academy Trust. Each school has retained its individual identity but collectively work together to share resources. All the children meet for activities such as an annual Beach Day held at Kennack Sands and Sports Days. The joining up promotes cohesiveness, builds new friendships and ensures there are lots of familiar faces when the children go on to secondary school.

Please Note: Any other schools or programmes that wish to participate in the procession at 2pm on Friday 24 October are welcome and should contact Kestle Barton.

The Keskerdh an Kammva-dro

My work is about the ways in which natural and man made forces interact to effect change on the surface of the landscape. This interest springs from the agricultural environment of west Cornwall in which I grew up. – Julia Giles 2012

In the farming community, making a living means planning and working the land within limits set by the rotation of the seasons. Success depends upon a predictable rhythm of seasonal change. But sometimes the unexpected happens with the weather or seasonal conditions; it’s too hot, too cold too wet or too dry and crops fail. Throughout history, in an effort to influence elemental forces and thereby ensure the safe return of the next season and a good crop, people who work the land have performed rituals and ceremonies. My piece recalls such a ritual.

This autumn at Kestle Barton visitors are invited to participate in the Keskerdh an Kammvra-dro. Roughly translated from the Cornish, this means the ‘Pilgrimage of the Turnstile’.

Devised by artist Julia Giles, this procession is comprised of a 300-metre  march around a route marked out in the shape of a Celtic cross.

Each arm of the cross (The Kammva-dro) is decorated with coloured bunting to represent a season. The procession follows the coloured route around the cycle of the seasons, waving banners or branches, banging drums to a four part beat. The noise and energy generated keeps the turnstile moving.

Made initially by Giles in October 2012 with the Newlyn Society of Artists exhibition Site Non Site , the Keskerdh An Kammva Dro returned to Kestle Barton in August 2013 for ‘This Land’, part of Tallys an Tir (Stories of the land), a series of events held at different locations across Cornwall during 2013. This is now our third year in a row performing the piece in our orchard. We are hoping this will become an annual event.

The Big Draw 2014

From 11am – 2pm on that Friday (24 October), before the public procession, all the participating school children from the Keskowethyans Multi-Academy Trust will gather at Kestle Barton to work again with Storylines practitioners and artist, Hannah Woodman. This is a closed event for the schools. Using Woodman’s current exhibition Garden Drawings as the inspiration the children will be led through a series of drawing exercises in the garden with an emphasis on the changing seasons. These drawings will then be incorporated into the procession space at 2pm where the children will be joined by their parents, other community members and the general public for ‘The Keskerdh an Kammva-dro’ procession.

Storylines

Storylines Pulling threads, weaving stories

Kestle Barton and Storylines practitioners worked closely together on ‘Tallys an Tir’ Traditions & Stories of the Land’ which took place in 2012-2013. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund with additional support from FEAST Cornwall, ‘Tallys an Tir’ worked with communities and primary schools around Cornwall to explore and rediscover Cornwall’s rural past through story. Please visit www.cornishstories.com for photographs films and information on this project.

Storylines specialises in delivering creative, narrative based projects, enabling people of all ages to express themselves, share experiences and learn from one another. Using a participatory approach alongside digital technologies, Storylines aims to bring generations together to celebrate, share, learn and grow; helping to build stronger, healthier communities.

By recording and digitizing peoples’ memories, Storylines helps to celebrate, preserve and share stories, allowing us to learn from the past and connect with each other into the future. Through this process, Storylines encourages new relationships, and helps foster understanding and respect between generations.

Digital storytelling is at the heart of much of Storylines work, helping make stories accessible to a wide range of audiences, whilst providing a springboard for learning and creativity. Storylines specializes in making heritage accessible to children and has led a number of projects for the Institute of Cornish Studies and Cornwall Heritage Trust.

Storylines is a relatively new organization, though as a collective we have been working together in this field for years.