We have just had Midsummer and the summer solstice. It always makes feel feel a bit sad that the nights will start to get darker again, after all the excitement and build up of the spring. It is hard to believe we are halfway through the year already and I feel like I have barely begun my ambitions for the year. June 20th -21st was the summer solstice. June 23rd is St John's Eve. Across Europe these occasions have traditionally been marked by dancing and singing around bonfires. There was also a tradition of performing baptisms in lakes and holy wells in honour of John the Baptist. Both of these ceremonies were intended to bring renewal and new life (and a good harvest). I am hoping to reap the rewards of these in my creative life and I hope you all have a good creative summer!
January has been occasionally beautiful with some magical winter snow but has also been cold and wet and tough with more lockdown restrictions. Now however, hope is on the horizon. While we know this is not yet the end of winter, it is perhaps, the beginning of the end of winter. February the 1st is associated with the ancient celtic festival of Imbolc – a celebration of the coming of the spring. It falls roughly midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It has been the basis for celebrations and folklore in the cultures that followed. The emergence of spring is celebrated in North America with their Groundhog Festivals when the cute rodents try to predict the end of winter. We’ll probably watch the hilarious Bill Murray fantasy film Groundhog Day, again, on February 2nd. In the Christian calendar the festival of Candlemas sees the blessing of candles. This links to celebrating light. Probably the biggest Christian co-opting of this date is St Brigid’s Day. St Brigid is seen as the matron saint of Ireland. In our latest podcast we talked to Melanie Lynch of Herstory Ireland who gave us a great insight into the Brigid figure. Before being co-opted as a Christian Saint, Brigid was a pan-European goddess considered to be a bringer of light, appropriate for this time of year. Her saint’s day used to be widely celebrated with girls in every village making straw crosses. Now the day is being given a renewal with Herstory organising illumination displays to promote the stories of women in history and mythology. They are campaigning to make the day equally as important as St Patrick’s Day . Take a listen to our latest podcast episode with Melanie Lynch of Herstory Ireland. Enjoy your last weeks of winter…
Folklore and folk music are very influenced by the changing seasons but for me my cinema watching can also be affected by seasonal moods. There’s a danger that heads can be turned towards the tinselled delights of Christmas movies with the holiday just around the corner. However, would be skipping ahead and missing out on some great late autumn films. So what do we watch in the meantime? Here is a list of films which are great to watch on rainy autumn afternoons, with Christmas scenes but aren’t Christmas films: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg / Les Parapluie de Cherbourg (Demi 1964). Perfect for a rainy Autumn afternoon. Star-crossed teenage lovers, way ahead of its time in the social issues it tackles, stunning use of colour and an incredible haunting and beautiful score. A musical with no songs – just every single line of dialogue is sung. ‘Distant Voices, Still Lives’ (Davies 1988) Another rainy one. A non-linear magic-realist masterpiece. Memories fade in and out, displaced voices from the past come and go. A violent patriarch and the on-going effects on the family. Or you may be in the mood for something more light-hearted: When Harry Met Sally (Reiner 1989) Beautiful autumn colours culminating in an emotional Christmas and New Year finale. A very clever romantic comedy. Great for Autumn and New Year movie watching. ‘Groundhog Day’ (Ramis 1994) A Christmas film that isn’t a Christmas film so great to watch from November through to February. A great low fantasy concept. What are your favourite autumn films? Let us know.
A look at late Autumn customs and childhood memories of them. Halloween, Bonfire Night and begging!
Over the past month here at DreamSwarm we have been indulging my love of selkies and that looks set to continue! We have recorded a podcast interview with Uisdean Murray – director of ‘Mara: The Seal Wife’ short film about selkies ( listen to it here ). We will continue to be promoting and celebrating great writing, artwork and films about selkies for others to enjoy. We’ll also investigate the darker side of selkie tales. We’ll look at different readings of the stories and what messages they contain. Why do I like selkies? I have loved seals as animals since I was a child growing up on the Northumberland coast, where Europe’s largest grey seal community lives on the Farne Islands. Northumberland shares many cultural aspects with Scotland, and Ireland, but despite this, and the large number of seals who live here, we do not have any ‘native’ selkie tales. Never-the-less, the folklore fans among us often gravitate to these stories. Why shouldn’t the Geordie seals be selkies too?
Autumn equinox - saying goodbye to the summer and facing new directions to spark creativity and celebrate the autumn and fall.
Welcome to DreamSwarm! My DreamSwarm idea has been hovering in the aether for a while now but is finally emerging as a new online hub which intends to foster a community around Films, Stories and Art which are in some way ‘Supernatural’. We kind-of mean stuff like: • dark fantasy • dreams • edgelands • esotericism • fairy tales • folklore • folk horror • liminal spaces • magic-realism • metaphysics • mysticism, • psychogeography • speculative history • spiritual • shamanism • surrealism • time travel • urban fantasy We will be sharing links to images, films, artworks, stories, essays and poems that we enjoy. We will credit the creators and encourage others to follow them. This is also a great opportunity to promote the voices of artists and writers from under-represented backgrounds. We want this to be a kind and inclusive community, free from racism, sexism, homophobia and prejudice. In time, this hub will develop to include our own blog, podcast and videos as we aim to bring on fantastic guests to discuss their work. However, the hub is not intended to replace or rival the great podcasts and blogs that are already out there but instead to celebrate them and signpost supporters towards them. Take a look at our links and recommendations page to follow the brilliant podcasts, websites and accounts that we love. About me and why I set up DreamSwarm: I’m Andy Mark Simpson. I’m from Northumberland (a secret land wedged between England and Scotland) which is full of history, mythology, legends and a unique culture and dialect. My love for folklore and the mystical began as I grew up here, surrounded by the Roman wall, beaches, castles, woods and hills (and abandoned coal mines and crumbling edgelands). I am a filmmaker (and teacher). I have written and directed one theatrically released feature film and several shorts. A lot of my new work has a magic-realist style which combines social messages with the mystical and supernatural. I love discovering other filmmakers, artists and writers with similar sensibilities and I really appreciate it when I get sent recommendations and suggestions. I realised we could build a community hub to celebrate and share these ‘Supernatural’ works; DreamSwarm. The hub is in the very early stages now but we hope you will join us on our journey and that you feel part of the community. Please feel free to send us links to your work or podcasts. If you have any other suggestions, please also get in touch.
