Seek, Find, Speak; A Conjuring Told in Gold at Timber Festival

Gemma Gibb, Associate Editor

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Seek, Find, Speak; A Conjuring Told in Gold

6-8 July 2018

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Seek, Find, Speak; A Conjuring Told in Gold
Courtesy Jackie Morris
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As well as the first international forest festival celebrating the transformational impact of trees on people and places, Timber promises to be a woodland wonderland of the highest order for families this summer.

We couldn’t be more excited about the world premiere of Seek, Find, Speak; A Conjuring Told in Gold – the  brand-new official spoken-word adaptation of The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. Bringing to life the language of the natural world, at real risk of being lost, it will take families on an arboreal adventure in the National Forest on the Derbyshire-Leicestershire border. One of Britain’s boldest environmental projects, it’s the first forest to be created at scale in England for over 1000 years.

The Lost Words is a magical book of acrostic “spell-poems” and bewitching gold-leaf illustrations about twenty common nature words – from “acorn” to “wren” by way of “kingfisher” – at risk of disappearance from modern childhood in our increasingly urban and technologised world. It has fast captivated hearts and minds across the land since its publication last year.

Premiering at Timber Festival, Seek, Find, Speak will be a forest theatre-trail for all ages, created by Manchester-based Director Collette Murray together with festival producers Wild Rumpus to bring the spells  and “Lost Words” to life in the great outdoors itself.

Child reading The Lost Words courtesy Chris Payne
Child reading The Lost Words courtesy Chris Payne

 

It will feature stunning 3D installations of Jackie Morris’s golden illustrations and Macfarlane’s words, such as spells wrapped in gold lettering around trees, animals to be discovered in the woodland, and lines of spells perched on branches like starlings. Sound recordings of the spell poems meanwhile, will be heard from some of Britain’s famous voices of all ages and accents, including inspiring athletes, naturalists, actors, poets, musicians and scientists.

Murray says “the Lost Words are hidden in the National Forest waiting to be found. To conjure these spells, a charm of Goldfinches will guide the audience participants through a forest theatre trail to Seek, to Find and, importantly, to Speak some lost words of nature.  The forest trail will offer many golden clues so all will have to explore the landscape, with ears, eyes and heart.  Conjuring these spells with the power of their own voices, the audience will join the Goldfinches in charming these words into our stories and dreams once again – stories to be Told in Gold.”

Collette …. you had us at “charm of Goldfinches”.

Together with a Masked Ball, Coppice Maze, the chance to build your own timberland in a unique woodland playground, storytelling, aerial acrobatics in the trees, The Bewonderment Machine (a magical, theatrical cycle-powered ride-on carousel), outdoor cinema showing forest films, a Fire Garden, bonfire bands, tree climbing, slacklining, stone sculpture building, land art and many other workshops, relaxation and wellbeing activities, we love that Timber will allow families to experience the power of forests directly together.

This is proper adventuring of the highest order.

 

 

 

 

Where to go near Seek, Find, Speak; A Conjuring Told in Gold at Timber Festival

Manchester
Food hall
Kargo MKT

Mighty food hall in Salford Quays, with around twenty street food vendors, serving a huge range of cuisines.

Asap Coffee Interior/ Counter
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
ASAP Coffee

If you’re looking for quality coffee and a decadent brunch in a setting that nails the Northern Quarter brief, you’d struggle to do better than ASAP Coffee.

Interior of George St Chapel
Manchester
Event venue
George Street Chapel

This beautifully restored former Independent Methodist Chapel in the heart of Oldham is as much a creative hub as a heritage landmark.

Chinatown
Restaurant
Pho Cue

Family-run Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. Prepare to queue for Pho Cue.

Come to Swithens Farm for a great family day out in Leeds. Our farm has plenty to offer whatever age you are!Swithens Farm is a working farm. For many years now Ian and his wife Angela have built a following that they welcome in all year around. We now have a farm shop, café, playbarn and petting farm. When we first opened we only had the usual farm animals – cows, pigs, sheep, chickens and it was free entry. We now have llamas, alpacas, meerkats, rabbits, guinea pigs, donkeys and a pony.On the working farm, we breed our own cows, pigs and sheep and we sell the meat through the farm shop and the café. If you buy a sausage sandwich from the café the sausage will be from the butcher who has made the sausage by hand using our own pork. We also produce our own free-range eggs.
Leeds
Swithens Farm

Swithens Farm is a working farm. For many years now Ian and his wife Angela have built a following that they welcome in all year around.

Peak District
Restaurant
The Chequers Inn

The Chequers Inn is a 16th century, family-run, traditional country inn with an impressive dining space. The Peak District at its best.

Testbed Main Space
Leeds
Event venue
TESTBED

TESTBED is a newly renovated 10,000 sq foot event venue in Leeds that offers endless possibilities for creating unique and inspiring experiences.

Manchester
Restaurant
Salt & Pepper

Chinese inspired British food in the centre of Manchester, backed up by plenty of well-deserved local hype.

Morning Glory - Coffee Cup
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Morning Glory

Morning Glory positions itself as a grab-and-go spot, with just 12 seats inside serving coffee, bagels and sweet treats.

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