This circular urn was the inspiration for my Olveston residency.
On March 19 Barry and I attended a performance in Olveston’s Great Hall by the internationally renowned Slovak Cellist, Jozef Lupták.
During his 60 minute recital I noticed the urn beyond Jozef on the windowsill. The way its handles were positioned it looked as though it was all ready to dance and twirl off the windowsill but the cello music was so heavy the urn sat grounded.
After the performance I couldn’t get the urn out of my mind and I wondered what stories the other treasures in the house might tell. So a chat with Jeremy, a proposal, a plan and the house was opened up to me.
If anyone had told me at Jozef’s concert that in five months time Shona MacTavish would be the urn for me in a dance performance I would have thought they were crazy. I still find it hard to believe it really happened. Terry has a copy of Sunday afternoon’s performance so I’m looking forward to seeing the replay.
And since I’m revealing all tonight……. My Not quite perfec poem was inspired by this vase in the Card Room. I was reading about it in the house inventory where someone had mentioned it was a second as it had slumped during firing. It’s stunning.
And now moving on to perfect…… Here’s Maxine Burney’s pastel response to my poem, The Writer’s Room.
Lighting Dark Spaces
Below is Anna Reid’s Leaning in and out of conversation which is a line taken from my poem, Main St Arrowtown. I wrote the poem in response to the painting in the Olveston library, Main St Arrowtown. So it has been a truly circular process from a painting to a poem to a painting. There are flecks of gold leaf in the painting, on the edge of the paper and the frame (this photo was taken before framing) picks up the gold colour again.
Leaning in and out of Conversation Anna Reid
There are only three more days until the exhibition closes. It’s open daily from 10 – 4 so come along to Olveston and have a wander around the Drying Room Gallery.
