When Words Fail

May started with beautiful weather here in Skipton and a very special open mic at craven arts house. The ‘When words fail’ exhibition provided an opportunity for artists to explore expression and communication beyond language. There was a lovely atmosphere and we saw some very moving performances. We heard magical words from our resident poet, Kortu Valentine . She recited ‘The Anatomy of a spark’ looking at the connections and the feelings that are there before you know how to say them. As usual Kortu took me right to those feelings with her voice and her words, and I would read and watch again and again to go to that place. There was also a special performance from a new artist for us- Maria Carlisle- who brought us her beautiful voice and harp. And The Star Sailor, creating evocative sounds with his guitar, voice and loop pedal. And there were many more besides.

‘When words fail’ can mean so many different things to different people or circumstances. The beauty and wonder of art, music and poetry, is that they allow us to explore different themes in our own way. They allow us to explore intense feelings through other media. We wrote a new song for the open mic, originally called ‘Silence’, but later renamed by Meg as ‘The Turtle and the Hailstorm’. This song explores the feelings that a lack of communication can result in, in quite a raw and exposing way.  We also performed another of our songs, ‘Jaded’. I have experienced recent changes personally which have been difficult; they have had a profound effect on my self esteem and the way I think of myself in society. I have always been a very fortunate person, and constantly question the worthiness of my feelings. When people ask me about it, I respond with matter of fact, rehearsed stoic statements. ‘Jaded’ was the outpouring of my emotions over some of these changes and experiences. Meg and I compliment each other in so many ways. She does not find it easy to write words, but her  natural expression is through music and sound. Have a look at our facebook page reels for Meg's improvised solo performance for ‘When words fail’. It was very beautiful and made more than one listener emotional.

We are so grateful to all the artists who join us for these evenings and make them so special. Not one of our open mics has been like any other, each one has brought new magic and surprises and we hope they will continue in this way. Our next open mic is on Saturday 27th June and will not be linked to an exhibition, but we have decided as it is so close to the Summer Solstice to call it ‘The Zenith’ Open Mic. There is an open theme to explore high points or reaching potential. We strongly encourage original spoken word and song writers to join us, but all artists are most welcome to join us with any poem or song they would like to share with us. We hope it will be a very moving and optimistic evening.