Art Farm Blog

Synchronicity, A Festival in the Rain

The skies graced us with a sudden deluge this weekend but that didn’t bother us as everything felt like sunny skies on the art farm during our Synchronicity festival Aug 7th & 8th .  The week ramping up to Synchronicity was hotter then a bakers oven so who were we to guess the weather would turn at the last second. We had a beautiful sunset on the Friday marking our Gala event where over 50 invited guests showed up.  They were the first people to see the artistic collaboration in it’s final…ready or not.  And just as we were about to open the gates and invite the guests through one of the actors got stung by an aggressive wasp. We held the show for 15 minutes to make sure all was ok and then the show went on.  The audience was invited to put on masks and follow the beautiful minstrel around the laurel spiral where the action began. The main character came running in following the sound of wings. The audience was then lead to the 2nd performance space and introduced to another character whose job was to terrorize him and then she promptly sang her heart out…literally. The audience then made their way to the final performance space in the old growth forest where they searched for the bird and her heart. The final moment was when a rising spirit appeared on the hill above the audience and all was revealed.

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Production Week!

Production Week Starts NOW

Rain or Shine, it’s on. The festival is impermeable to weather changes so bring an umbrella and rubber boots if the sky starts to pour.

Closing in on Synchronicity, the art farm is now in the full fling of festival preparation! Production week is underway and the hub is a-buzz with laughter, creativity, and hard work. Masks are being given final touches, costumes are taking shape, and sign posts are finally up. There are hundreds of small tasks still to be done though, and our artfarmers are working harder than ever. The large canopy tent was raised last evening and the Hub is slowly starting to take on the image of Synchronicity.

Our performers this year are Chad Hershler, Sandy Buck, Diego Samper, Lani Claxton, Sarah-Mae Redmond, and Tom Jones. The theatre team had a great day, getting through the entire script on their feet. They are working hard to bring the sunshine coast an inspiring, funny, and imaginative show. Colourful costume and creative music will take participants on a journey they won’t soon forget.

 

 

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Sea Cav!

So this past weekend was the Sea Cavalcade (for anyone living under a rock)! A weekend of celebration in this small little town of Gibsons that combines May Day, Dominion Day and Labour Day in one holiday (taking place from July 23rd to 25th). This year the art farm took part in the Saturday morning parade with a walking float that consisted of a noble woman (Lani Claxton), a flying sprite (Sandy Buck) and an angel (Claire Fearnley). Armed to the teeth with improv skills and smiles, we braved the sun and made the one and a half hour trek through the main town. We also handed out little scrolls and flyers to advertise for our upcoming festival, Synchronicity (August 7th and 8th). The response was great! People and kids alike loved the battling sprite and lady, and adults were more than happy to hear about a festival they could take their kids to! At the end of the day the blisters and sunburns were worth it. Slowly but surely the art farm is becoming a larger and bigger driving force in our small community.

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Synchronicity

Looming over the horizon and coming up fast is the art farm’s pinnacle event of the summer! Synchronicity is picking up speed and we here at the art farm want volunteers and participants alike. Production week (the prep) begins on August 1st and there will be nonstop action and rehearsal On August 7th and 8th we hope to have a mob of families and friends join us for our third annual festival on the sunshine coast. Nicknamed “cirque in the forest”, Synchronicity will be a visual and participation based performance that takes the viewer through various stages situated on the property. The guided experience won’t be one to miss. Aside from the main event there will be food, drink, artist’s market, and craft/colouring stations!

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And the Stubble Vanishes

Four days of cob-plastering brought out the Good Earth Builders - among them their newest member, Keetah Bryant of Canadian Coastal Clayworks - for an intensive workshop on turning stubbly cob walls into silky smooth masterpieces. The inside plaster, consisting of a mixture of pottery clay, soaked newspaper, sand and water, went on like butter after a day's worth of sawing away at the dried cob walls from a year ago.  Outside plaster, which throws a little horse manure into the mix for extra weather-proofing, went on on the last day - which included a half-hour plaster toss by all the young 'uns and a jaw-dropping workshop on natural clay pigments and painting that adds that last layer of beauty to any cob wall. The Earthen floor comes next, along with finishing the roof and the outside plastering. Stay tuned, this project is one that just keeps on giving!

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