programme

When you gaze into the River Wye’s evermoving waters you are connected to everyother river around the world and all thewater in them and those other people gazing into their river.

Landscape is about

the relationship

between people and

place, theinteraction between

nature and culture

“”

The Wye Valley River Festival is agloriously creative series of outdoorevents embracing innovative artisticwork that inspires and challenges.

Magical family events travelling through thelandscape create captivating spaces forwonder and entertainment. Be delighted andprovoked by our precious River Wye and itsconnections to other rivers and people aroundthe world. Following the very successful firstRiver Festival in 2014, this year’s collaborationbrings communities and artists together tocelebrate the River Wye as our localenvironment and a global water artery.

As with Wye Tourists before, you can immerseyourself in an experience of the Wye’s nature,be inspired by the Valley’s landscape, engagein some contemporary artistic expression andleave with a fresh appreciation of the placeand its relation to your life.

ripplingdappling

wye and usk foundation

The longest river in the world is the Nile River, it reaches 6650 kms in length (4132 miles). The River Wye is 215 kms (134 miles) and is the fifth longest in the UK.

Between Hereford and Chepstow a 58mile/92km stretch of the River Wyemeanders through fertile farmland,spectacular limestone gorge sceneryand dense ravine woodlands. Superbwildlife, intriguing archaeology andimpressive geology led to thegovernment’s designation, in 1971, ofthe Wye Valley as an Area ofOutstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Long recognised as an exceptionallandscape with nationally importantnatural resources, the now tranquilvalley was one of the first places toindustrialise in the 16th-19thcenturies, fuelled by water power fromthe tributaries and charcoal from thewoodlands. People traded goods upand down the river and to marketsand ports world-wide. Meanwhile theconcept of 'the Picturesque' wasdeveloped by artists and thinkers inthe late 18th century popularisedthrough the two day river trip fromRoss to Chepstow.

Welcome to one of our nation’s mosttreasured and unique riverlandscapes with a scenic beautywhich has inspired artists andthinkers for generations.

f lowing ebbing

www.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk#WyeValleyRiverFestival @WyeBeauty

www.facebook.com/WyeValleyRiverFestival

sploshing

I am inspired by creatingtheatre in unusual settingsthat engage ordinary peoplein extraordinary ways.Landscape demands anappropriate response whilstproviding inspiring settings inwhich to connect people withthe place and each other. Ibelieve at its best it canconnect, inform and inspire.Richard Headon

Outdoor arts

reaches

audiences that

other art

doesn't

comedy is just a funny

way of being serious

“

”

I have been engaged in the arts throughout myprofessional life, as a practitioner, producer, creator,commissioner, curator, educator and latterly as a strategist andpolicy maker. I strive for artistic quality, alongside an excellentprocess that engages the widest possible audience.Challenging where appropriate, filling a need where necessarybut always looking for the wonderful. Using the arts, and thesocial and economic wealth they engender, to help createsustainable and prosperous communities.

PhillipPa Haynes Festival Director”

“

The human population of the planet relies on 0.03% of the world’s fresh water to survive.

There is an immediacy andintimacy with outdoor audiencesin sharing a space and timewhere many things are beyondour control - who will come, whowill stay and watch - theaudience and the weathercontrols the space, so there aresurprises waiting to happen allthe time. This is what makes itexciting.Jon Beedell

One of the UK’s most versatile andinventive outdoor arts companies,Desperate Men’s mischievous, warm-hearted work invites audiences to askserious questions about the world. Theyhave been welcoming people to playand collaborate with them for over 35years, creating, performing andproducing ground-breaking outdoortheatre in the UK and internationally.

www.desperatemen.com

“

”

The Arts are

like breathing

they are

essential to life

babbling bubbling

As artists we became more aware ofthe landscape when we moved toNewport. The slow yet regenerativedevelopment of the city centre seemed tohighlight a host of issues relating to spaceand the way we as public interact with it.We open communications and simply takeor provide time to really look at thelandscape we occupy.

we feEL as artists we CAN

help stimulate and

facilitate debate

“

”Mr and mrs clark

www.mrandmrsclark.co.uk

Gareth and Marega Clark havebeen making performance, liveart and dance theatre since 2002.Often their work has a playfuland interactive element inspiredby happenings and live artevents that bring art forms andpeople together.

sprayingsplattering

“”

Tim Hill is a musician, performer andcreator of outdoor shows andcelebrations. His work draws onhistories of outdoor ritual andcelebration and traditions of street,circus, village and street bands. Tim’sband Tongues of Fire are a riot of reedsand brass making a joyful noise fordreaming, dancing and celebration. Hiscompany Rag and Bone breathe newlife into outdoor theatre andprocessional traditions, telling stories,building giants, great beasts anddream machines and creatingelemental performances.

Tim is an inspirational giftedmusician and energetic band leaderwho knows Viscerally the root andsoul of his art, both in its English andWorld contextJohn Fox founder Welfare State Internationalwww.tongues-of-fire.co.uk

Between 70 % and 75 % of the earth’s surface is covered with water.

stormingsurging

One Thousand Birds is aninstallation with surround sound byMatthew Fairclough. According toJapanese legend 1000 origamicranes grant a wish. The piece was inspired by the storyof Sadako Sasaki who died fromleukaemia resulting from theHiroshima bombing. She spent herlast days folding 1000 birds as a wishfor peace.

LUMINOUS BIRDS ART INSTALLATION

A flock of birds is one of nature’s most amazingphenomena – a dance of hundreds moving in harmony.

This art installation creates a flock of origami-style birds seeminglyflying overhead through synchronised lighting. So, like a murmuration,best experienced at dusk. Each bird is made from waterproof paper andfolded in a traditional origami style creating a stop-motionanimation of illuminated paper birds.

Experience the installation May 6 - May 15, 10am-11pm at Old Station Tintern (but best seen at dusk and after dark)

There is also a Mini Serai, May 6, 11am - 10pm with the official switch on at 7.00pmSee Programme (centre pages) for details.

Kathy’s work grows from a partnershipbetween nature and technologyexpressed through audio-visualinstallations and performances. Drawnfrom behaviours and phenomena foundin the natural world, she creates workthat is generative; that evolves; that canbe different each time it is experienced.

kathyhinde.co.uk

“

” Kathy HInde

drippin

gdropping

1000 BIRDS

An evocative sound and lightinstallation created from‘home-made’ and donatedorigami birds.

Experience the installation in the Signal Box at Old Station Tintern, May 6 - May 13, 10am - 5pm(switch off at 5pm)

creating an

intervention that

lets us see or hear a

place in a new way

I grew up on the road with atravelling theatre company I got intosound at a young age- helping set uppa systems. I think my work now issomewhere between a travellingfairground and a sonic artist.

“

”

Dan Fox is a musician, composer andaudio-visual artist specialising inoutdoor work. He produces sounddesign for illuminated trails,interactive installations, aeoliansound sculptures, sound-walks,street-bands, and mobile Boom Bikesound systems.

danfox.net

dan fox

Cymbals of Redbrook

An audio visual installation onthe former railway bridgespanning the Wye at Redbrookbetween England and Wales.

An avenue of cymbals suspended fromtall poles diffuse sound throughshimmering copper-alloy instruments.The composition will gradually changeand absorb its environment: sounds ofthe river, of the bridge, local voicestalking about their relationship with thebridge, the river and the Wye Valley. Atnight the installation comes alive withsynchronised LED lighting.

Experience the installation on RedbrookBridge anytime between May 2 - May 8,10am -10pm

There is also a Mini Serai, May 5, 11am - 7pm

70% of an adult’s body is made up of water.

crashinglashing

95% of the world’s water is salt water in the oceans. The other 5% is freshwater - most of which is locked up in ice or underground. The human population ofthe planet relies on 0.03% of the world’s fresh water to survive.

That the same water has been circulating since life on earth began, passingthrough all the world’s rivers, cultures, people and animals, inspired muchof the Festival’s theatrical themes. The Water Ones have arrived, to help uslisten, to get us to play and to respect that glorious 0.03%.

in the voice of

the babbling

stream is a music

of humanity

(Wordsworth)

ripplin

g

gurgling eddying

“”

The Water Ones are a motley collection ofdiviners, magicians, musicians, jesters,clowns, healers, borrowers, river people andwell diggers, wanting to share theirknowledge and pool resources. They aregathered from the flowing myriad ofprofessions and vocations that accompanythe rivers of the world.

The Water Ones are on an everlastingjourney swept along by the currents ofhistory and by universal river stories

The Water Ones will show us thevital signs of life through washing,bathing, cleaning, cooking,cultivating, splashing and drippingtheir way across the fields and hillsof the valley in a madcap chase toreturn the waters to the river andjoin us all together in a globalartery of fresh water.

www.desperatemen.com

Now the river is rich, but her voice is low.It is her Mighty Majesty the seaTravelling amongst the villages incognito.

Now the river is poor. No song, just a thin mad whisper.The winter floods have ruined her.She squats between draggled banks, fingering her rags and rubbish.

And now the river is rich. A deep choir.It is the lofty clouds, that work in heaven,Going on their holiday to the sea.

The river is poor again. All her bones are showing.Through a dry wig of bleached flotsam she peers up ashamed

From her slum of sticks.

Now the river is rich, collecting shawls and minerals.Rain bought fatness, but she takes ninety-nine percentLeaving the fields just one percent to survive on.

And now she is poor. Now she is East wind sick.She huddles in holes and corners. The brassy sun gives her a headache.

She has lost all her fish. And she shivers.

But now once more she is rich. She is viewing her lands.A hoard of king-cups spills from her folds, it blazes, it cannot be hidden.

A salmon, a sow of solid silver,

Bulges to glimpse it.

Ted Hughes

783 million people do not have access to clean water

Central to our work, fire presentand important in all cultures,speaks; it is symbolically strong;connecting with our primal beings,it inspires focusses and quickensminds. The energy of fire engageswith emotions, passion,transformation, purification,contemplation, ceremony, wildnessand beauty. And Now findopportunities for audiences toengage with the immediacy of theirsurroundings; creating work thatfocuses and draws together visual,cultural, social, historical andgeographical contexts.

“

”and now

samovar

tr ickling

Samovars hold pride of place forprotracted communal tea drinking and isat the heart of festivities and celebrationsin Russia, Central Europe and the MiddleEast. The samovar heats and boils waterfor tea. A ceremony that embodieswarm-hearted hospitality and inclusivityalways centres around the Samovar.

A Samovar was commissioned for the Wye ValleyRiver Festival to be the heart of the travelling WyeSerai. It was designed by And Now and built by oneof the leading moonshine still makers in ArkansasUSA using time honoured copper working skills.Copper has been used for millenia to provide safestorage for water and food production, it is naturallyanti-microbial. The Samovar is fuelled by wood andcharcoal from the Wye Valley.

If you like taking your timeover your tea, have a sitdown by the Samovar,listen to stories from theWye Valley and enjoy a cupof restorative Wye Serai Teagenerously provided by Mon Teas of Monmouth.

www.andnow.co.uk

monteas.co.uk

And Now, comprising of Ben Rigby andMandy Dike, conceive, design andcreate visual performance, image andinstallations; working with people,ideas, fire, fireworks, structures soundand light. Their work is unexpected,accessible, entertaining and public.

“

”

Since life began, we have had the same amount of water on the planet. The water from your tap and in your tea could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank

and now

roaringpouring

The word samovar

is Russian and

can be loosely

translated into

English as

‘self-boiler’

Russian people believe thatsamovars have souls. This is basedon the fact that they producedifferent sounds when beingheated. The shape of the samovar'sbody accounts for amazingacoustics and water makingpeculiar noises when it is beingbrought to the boil. It was commonto say that "a samovar is singing"

Caravan of Fact andWonder

Microscopic Life as Global Life where artsand sciences collaborate in a mobilelaboratory. Celebrating the biodiversity ofwater with an eclectic collection of speciesloaned from the National Museum ofWales.

Two fascinating characters who havetravelled the rivers of the world willentertain you and show you the intriguingworld of H20 and all that live in it.

The River Beds

At every Wye Serai: come and find the ‘River Bed’,designed by Wye Forest Retreats, recline andexchange bedtime stories of riverside antics orget drawn into the world of The Water Ones.

At YHA Wye Valley - Welsh Bicknor: rest in a riverbed, take a selfie, share your photos#wyevalleyriverfestival #riverbed

April 30 - May 2 Bank Holiday Weekend

May 7 - May 8

We shouldn't be

wondering whether

children need art, music,stories and poems any

more than gardeners

wonder whether plants

need water

River A&E laboratory

Independent and wildly enthusiastic healthprofessionals, Mr and Mrs Clark check thesanity and spirit of the Wye and its environs.Why? … is the Wye Valley truly the magicalarea of outstanding natural beauty that itclaims to be?

A comic performance installation with seriousundertones, working interactively withaudiences, communities and schoolsthroughout the valley during the Festival in afun and thought provoking manner.Connecting perceptions of health to that ofthe art and environment (A&E) of localcommunities and the river.

Come to the A&E Laboratory and you couldleave with a clear, sparkling bill of health or aprescription to embrace healthy walks andbetter water use.

The river is only as healthy as theenvironment and people around itsaid by someone very important… or Mr & Mrs Clark

trickling oozing

“ ”Girls under the age of 15 are twice as likely as boys to be the family memberresponsible for fetching water

Caravan of Hydrositiesand curiosities

Discover a beautiful theatre of the river gypsiesfilled with maps, artifacts and storiesconnected with the river, water use and liquidnonsense, with visual representations ofwaterside creatures, river places and oceangoing tribes, trowmen and troubadours.

Discover and explore all the possibilities of water,some understood, some yet undiscovered, someexplained and some utterly unexplainable: Can water hold our and its own memories?

Is the river a living thing?

Two effervescent characters recall their ownworldly watery stories.Thanks to our sponsors Monnow Voice

caravan of myths and legends

Share stories, myths, legends, poetry fromrivers around the world, including recordedstories, live performance, writing workshops,from sea to shore, rain to river, cloud topuddle, tributary to source, to ponds andlakes, via springs, wells and waterfalls. Words as the water of life. This caravan istelling and collecting stories from the WyeValley visiting schools, village greens, pubs,libraries, laybys and wooded vales.Thanks to our sponsors Puzzlewood

The main performance and activity space is shared around three intriguingcaravans, the 'River A&E Laboratory' and the great Samovar (see previouspage). Add the Water Ones wrangling in a comic chaos of pouring andspilling, singing and dancing, and you are immersed in the world of waterand dreams of the river characters.

The Wye Serai Caravans are curated by artists and environmentalists (A&E)to create intriguing worlds for you to explore, hosted and brought to life bythe river characters. They come together for the main Wye Serai events andthen dissolve to individual locations mid-week as they meander andpermeate through local schools, towns and villages

Serai: a place for comingtogether of travelling

caravans and people, forstories to be told and

amazing things to happen

seeping streaming

Bishopswood

Bank Holiday Monday, May 2 Family Breakfast Barbeque at Bishopswood 10.00 am - 1.00pmJoin community celebrations and see the Water Ones ceremonially launch Festival Flags on canoes.

lydbrook Tump

Bank Holiday Monday, May 2 Tump Fair and Mini Serai 1.00pm - 5.00pm While away the Bank Holiday at the annual riverside Tump Fair – with the added excitement of the WaterOnes and the Giant Samovar brewing potions. Alongside the River A&E Laboratory and the Caravan ofMyths and Legends, Lydbrook Band performs a special concert. There’s also singing in the Garden Café - agreat day out for the family.

redbrook BRIDGE

Bank Holiday Monday, May 2 - Sunday, May 8Cymbals of Redbrook 10.00 am - 10.00 pmA sound installation by audio-visual artist Dan Fox featuring sounds, voices and surprising noises in liveinteraction with people as they cross the bridge over the Wye at Redbrook.

Thursday, May 5Mini Serai 11.00 am - 7.00 pmCome and explore the sound installation with the River characters alongside the Caravan of Curiositiesand Hydrosities and Caravan of Fact and Wonder by Redbrook Car Park. Later in the evening enjoy somelive music at The Boat Inn

Old station tintern

Friday, May 6 Birds Wye Serai 11.00 am - 10.00 pm

The Wye Serai travels to Old Station to build up a head of steam! From 12 noon the Caravan of Myths and Legends starts collectingstories and spinning yarns with 1000 Birds flocking in the Old Signal Box. At 6.30pm the Samovar joins the scene with the Water Ones and the George Choir for the ceremonial launch of Luminous Birds at 7pm. Café open all day.

monmoutH, Town CentreFriday, May 6 Mini Serai 12.00 - 4.00 pmThe River characters get submerged in Monmouth town centre while Articulture's Arts and Landscape Conference takes place inShire Hall with the Caravan of Fact and Wonder outside. The River A&E Laboratory will be by Blestium Street, Cattle Market Car Park, near Monnow Bridge.

swell ing spouting

Hereford, Bishops MeadowFriday, April 29Festival Opening, 7.30pm - 9.45pmThe Water Ones, an intriguing cast of river characters - hermits, fishers, washerwomen, poachers andmusicians, open the Festival. At their first Wye Serai encampment indulge in mysterious water rites, fire,music, circus, aerial dance and comic performance as a procession of illuminated water monsters and RiverCarnival lanterns heralds the arrival of the Great Samovar. Fire is brought from the depths to ignite thegreat tea making sculpture. Tuba, drums and saxophones accompany the specially assembled FestivalChoir and local musicians to celebrate the first ceremonial sharing of the Festival teas. As the Water Oneslift our spirits with mesmerising ritual and liquid nonsense, the banks of the river come alive with fire andflame, fountains of light and the waters of life.

Hereford, Bishops MeadowSaturday, April 30 Wye Serai Opening, 10.00am - 6.00pmA full day of fun with the Hereford River Carnival. Street processions, amazing puppet creations, waterrituals and aqua play, music, dance, food and drink, ending with a colourful flotilla of craft on the Wye anda duck race.

The Water Ones wash away their dreams and bathe for the opening of the first Wye Serai. The threecaravans open for all visitors, convivially hosted by the Water Ones, and the River A&E Laboratory startsconducting comic river health checks with serious intentions for the Arts and Environment (A&E). TheWater Ones continue their water wrangling in a comic chaos of pouring, splashing, prancing, spilling, andsinging.

ross on wye, Rope WalkSunday, May 1 Wye Serai, 11.00am - 6.00pmThe travelling Wye Serai flings opens its doors at 12noon as the as the wayward Water Ones continue theirsurging stories - celebrating water, life, rivers, streams, washing up, teas and tears – with evocative dances,spillages, songs and silliness – accompanied by the George Choir from Newnham and the Festival streetband. Watch out for The Documenter checking passports and recording all and sundry around the BedouinTent, Food Stalls and much, much more. There’s also Ross Beer Fest at the Rowing Club (entrance fee) andfurther fair activity beside the Hope and Anchor.

puddling

plopping

The total amount of water on the earth is about 326 million cubic miles of water.

A Short Story of

Falling

It is the story of the falling rainto turn into a leaf and fall again

it is the secret of a summer showerto steal the light and hide it in a flower

and every flower a tiny tributarythat from the ground flows green and momentary

is one of water’s wishes and this talehangs in a seed-head smaller than my thumbnail

if only I a passerby could passas clear as water through a plume of grass

to find the sunlight hidden at the tipturning to seed a kind of lifting rain drip

then I might know like water how to balancethe weight of hope against the light of patience

water which is so raw so earthy-strongand lurks in cast- iron tanks and leaks along

drawn under gravity towards my tongueto cool and fill the pipe-work of this song

which is the story of the falling rainthat rises to the light and falls again

taking the

audience on a

journey and

enjoying the

wonderment of

theatre and

story telling

Mr Cherry,the Wye Valley RiverFestival Documenter, will be at allthe River Festival sites collectingimages of the river and the people.

WATCH OUT FOR

MR CHERRY

If you see him, go up and say ‘You are Mr Cherry, andI want my Documentation!’. You can then claimyour own River Festival Passport. Get this authorised andstamped by Mr Cherry at different Festival locations andyou will be in the running for a wonderful Festival Prize!

Mr Cherry will have his Document Tent at Ross On Wye,Lydbrook and Llandogo, which you can visit, at others hewill be roaming around so see if you can find him.www.wyeeye.com

PerformersRichard Headon, Jon Beedell, Mr & Mrs Clark, Rew Lowe, Rosalind Haf-Brooks, June Campbell-Davis,Joana Miranda and Kim Heron

An exciting partnership of actors,singers, musicians and dancers bringingthe central narrative of the Wye ValleyRiver Festival to life, creating magic,mayhem and laughter.

washing splashing

Alice Oswald

from the collection 'Falling Awake' to be published by Cape July 2016www.poetryarchive.org/poet/alice-oswald

monmouth, Vauxhall FieldsSaturday, May 7 Wye Serai, leading to a night performance 12.00 - 10.15pmAround town look out for buskers, river characters and three new outdoor art commissions from Articulture.Encamped on Vauxhall Fields, the Wye Serai will be full of river antics, song, dance and foolishness. TheSamovar will be stoked up and serving tea around performances from Monmouth Band, Forest of DeanMale Voice Choir and a shoal of floating musicians. Plenty of marvellous food vendors and liquid poetry.The day culminates with a spectacular show from 7.30 pm.

the slaughters

Sunday, May 8Mini Wye Serai, 11.00am - 5.00pmA special mini Serai ‘Listen to the Sap Rising and Hear the Earth Move’ with Forestry Commission andwoodland experts, lets you enter a magical woodland experience. The Slaughters is the ForestryCommission riverside meadow just downstream from Symonds Yat East and the Rapids and upstream ofthe Biblins Bridge. Walk or cycle either from Symonds Yat East, or up the Peregrine Path from Monmouth

wye valley sculpture garden, tinternFriday, May 13 The Art of Sustainability: Rivers, Local meets Global - Talk 6.00pm - 8.00pmA live link to Brazil with Professor Henrique Chaves in conversation with Simon Evans from the Wye andUsk Foundation (booking required via www.eventbrite.co.uk). After the talk drinks and wood fired pizzawill be on sale accompanied by live music.

LLandogo

Saturday May 14 Wye Serai, 12.30 - 10.30pmJoin us by the banks of the Wye for a great day out. Alongside the Wye Serai, with the Samovar and theWater Ones up to their usual slippery tricks, there are theatre, games, music, food and a festival bar. Asevening approaches, fire-torch bearers and musicians converge at the river’s edge where choirs andmusicians enchant the river as everyone joins the Water Ones to bless the waters of the Wye.

chepstow Racecourse

Sunday 15 MayGrand Finale 2.00pm - 10.30pmThe travelling Wye Serai gathers for the final time for a fun filled afternoon of stalls and activitiescelebrating water stories and the final servings from the Samovar. There is plenty of food and drink and aBeast Feast. As dusk approaches the Festival Choir heralds the lighting of a river fire sculpture, beforefinally the Water Ones seep away on their global journey.

MINI SERAI

Look out for the special mid-week locations of the individual Caravans and A&E Laboratory as theymeander through local schools, towns and villages between Hereford and Chepstow on 4th, 5th and 11th,12th, 13th May (check www.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk, Facebook and Twitter for details).

Water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid including sulphuric acid.

Flags

Artists Becky Prior and Faye Joines visited 11schools across Monmouthshire,Herefordshireand the Forest of Dean, following up theCitizen Science work.They helped the studentscreate large double-sided flags that referencedthe water life around the Wye Valley. The designs were made using Cyanotype (alsocalled blue/sun) printing which has created thefabulous Festival flags.

River festival choir

Music professionals and singers from the local communities came together atchoirworkshops in Monmouth, Llandogo and Ross on Wye to create a cascade ofsound for the River Festival. Helen Vincent from Singplicity and Ellie Holliday usedtheir musical virtuosity to mould the singers, some who came from other choirs andsome who had never sung in public before, into a Festival sound. They perform theirwatery repertoire at the Hereford launch, Monmouth and the Chepstow finale.

These outreach projects involves countryside professionals from the Wye ValleyAONB; Wye and Usk Foundation; Forestry Commission; Environment Agency; Gwent Wildlife Trust; WelshWater; OPAL; Monmouthshire County Council; Herefordshire Wildlife Trust; Hewelsfield and BrockweirParish Grasslands Project; Herefordshire Mammal Group and the Marine Conservation Society.

Several of the schools involved in this outreach programme have a special Mini Serai visit from one of thetravelling caravans; the Caravan of Fact and Wonder, the Caravan of Curiosities and Hydrosities, theCaravan of Myths and Legends and The River A&E Laboratory.

If the entire world’s water were poured into a 4 litre jug, the fresh wateravailable for us would equal only about one tablespoon

www.singplicity.org

www.creativeyouthnetwork.org.ukrebeccaprior.carbonmade.com

sparkling spil l ing

Following the success of the inaugural Wye Valley River Festival in May2014 there was much enthusiasm to do it again! Through 2015 anextensive Research and Development (R&D) process brought over 60environmentalists, artists and community representatives together toexplore the theme of the River as a Global Artery, debating anddiscussing our relationship with landscape, rivers and the social andpolitical implications and ramifications of our use of water and ourdependency upon it. The seed was sown, watered by successfulfundraising and planning you can now enjoy its succulent fruit. The Wye Valley River Festival’s outreach projects started in early March 2016, combining artsand environment in a unique and inspiring way. Artists, writers, musicians, designers andcrafts people worked with community groups, schools and individuals on a range of projectsleading up to the Festival.

citizen science

More than 550 schoolchildren across the WyeValley were busy pond dipping and surveyingwater quality in advance of the River Festival.Countryside professionals and volunteersintroduced children to pond dipping andwater testing using the Freshwater HabitatsTrust testing kit and they also took part in theOpen Air Laboratories (OPAL) survey.

sprinklin

g

opalexplorenature.org

Currents have carved the epidermicearth, scarred the surface of our world andleft traces of the trauma. Arterial streamstwist down through the ground, tunnelthrough topography, squeezing betweeninterstitial hollows; they penetrate,permeate, invade and intervene. GREG Dunn

Water connects us to each other, to nature and our environment. Itencourages people to see local places, neighbourhoods and landscapes innew ways. It also helps raise important ecological and environmentalissues and how we face them.

Your sense of self, family, place, culture (and even nation) are made of a complicated weave ofstories. Modern society rarely lets nature and water into those stories, unless there aredrownings, floods or drought.The water that flows through our homes, gardens and bodies comes from the wider watercycles of reservoirs, pipes, rivers, oceans, clouds and rain. It is an intimate and living connectionwith the environment. How we use it affects other life within it. The water in your body may beriver habitat in a few days’ time (carrying traces of any medication you might be on). All thewaste we generate - as bodies, houses, streets, cities, industry etc. will fundamentally affectothers – both humans and non-humans.

As a ‘Hydrocitizen’ be aware of the watery eco-logic of our bodies, homes and lives embeddedin the wider hydro-cycle. Do something different, despite our stressed out, consumption-noisylives:- waste less water; harvest more rain; only flush down the loo the three p’s (work it out);dispose of drugs and medication appropriately; don’t plant a ‘thirsty’ garden; if you’re agardener or farmer think about soil, water and runoff. There is a long list of good and badwater habits which will affect your local and the wider environment.

However it’s not just about worry and environmental problems. Caring for your local place,nature, and each other, increases your enjoyment and well-being. By learning more about localhistory, ecology and contemporary culture, and by doing things – like walking, litter picking etc.builds a sense of ‘place’. You will discover connections, conversations and stories. Share them,embellish them, make new ones. Count the Wye Valley River Festival as a nudge and a wink inthat direction.Owain Jones Professor of Environmental Humanities; College of Liberal Arts; Bath Spa University

The “Hydrocitizens” project addresses and creatively explorespeople’s connections to water, to each other and nature throughwater in systems, places and landscapes. It is an Arts andHumanities Research Council Connected Communities Projectinvolving eight UK universities and community and artistic partnersin fours case study areas, including Bristol and mid-Wales.

soaking sluicing

dunn-roaming.blogspot.co.uk

“

”

bathspa.academia.edu/OwainJones www.hydrocitizens.com

In rivers the water that you touch is

the last of what has passed and the

first of that which comes (Leonardo da Vinci)

The river – any river – links not justscenically and socially, but alsoecologically. It is the highway up anddown which birds, bats, salmon andeven seals move around the landscape.Formerly, it also transported people andmaterials, but now it transmits ouractivities. The river formed thecatchment and everything in thecatchment influences the river: standingby the bank we watch the soils andfertiliser shed by up-stream farming passby, along with fallen trees and discardedwaste from far away. Sometimes as wewatch the river passes smoothly andsilently, but at other times it rustles andhisses like the snake its course mimics onthe map. It even disguises itself: whocan tell where the river runs when itfloods the whole valley?

dr george peterken

Water is the only mineral that is found naturally on Earth in three forms; liquid, gas and solid

whirl ing swirl ing

www.harpercollins.co.uk/cr-102954/george-peterken

“

”

Why the WYE ?

The Wye’s stunning beautycaptures the imagination ofeveryone who visits it. It wasvoted the nation’s favouriteriver in 2010, its vast lengthsof unspoilt beauty describedas ‘magical and timeless’.

The whole river is a Site of SpecialScientific Interest (SSSI) and aEuropean Special Area ofConservation (SAC). It is ofinternational importance for migratingfish such as salmon, shad and themysterious lamprey, as well as hometo otters, kingfishers, the imperilledwhite-clawed crayfish and water vole.The source of the Wye is onPlynlimonn in mid-Wales, where itssisters, the Severn and the Rheidol,also rise. The catchment of the Wyedrains 4136 km2 and a population of230,000 people.

The Wye Valley River Festival 2016 is a Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)Partnership initiative with funding from the Sustainable Development Fund, a WelshGovernment Initiative in the Wye Valley AONB, The Arts Council England, Arts Council of Wales,supported by the Welsh Government and the Heritage Lottery Fund, Big Lottery, EnvironmentAgency, Ernest Cook Trust, Forestry Commission England, New Grove Trust,, Ross Town Counciland in-kind support from Hereford River Carnival,The Shire Hall, Monmouth, Mon Teas,National Museum of Wales, Chepstow Racecourse, numerous volunteers and local communities;main business sponsor Eat Sleep Live Herefordshire and media sponsors Sunshine Radio andLive 24-Seven. Special thanks to land owners at Herefordshire Council, Ross Town Council, TheTump Lydbrook, the Slaughters Biblins, Vauxhall Fields Monmouth, Redbrook Bridge, LlandogoRiverside, Old Station Tintern and Chepstow Racecourse who granted access to make theseevents possible.

Funding and support

sponsors

The Wye Valley AONB Partnership is a public, private and voluntary sector collaboration dedicated to conserving and enhancingthe 327km2 of this nationally designated and outstanding living, working landscape for present and future generations

The Wye Valley AONB Unit is the lead delivery agent guided by Wye Valley AONB Joint Advisory Committee and the Wye Valley AONB ManagementPlan with the key funding partners, being DEFRA, Natural Resources Wales, Forest of Dean District Council, Gloucestershire County Council,Herefordshire Council and Monmouthshire County Council.

The UK’s 46 AONBs and 15 National Parks share the highest level of protection in terms of landscape. www.landscapesforlife.org.uk

Main Business Sponsor Media Sponsors Silver Sponsors

Caravan Sponsors River Bed Sponsor Advertising Sponsor

Hereford River Carnival andCarnival Arts are importantpartners in the biennial WyeValley River Festival.

They deliver the HerefordRiver Carnival every yearbringing water processions,raft racing, fun and activitiesinto the heart of the city.

Commissions

Dripping Tap Theatre Company – ‘Webster& Jones: A pocket guide to Wales’This piece follows two intrepid Victorian explorerson their quest of discovery towards their ultimategoal: the summit of Mount “Snowed On”.Run Ragged – ‘BAAH’An urban shepherd(ess) and dog search for theirflock of sheep. Eventually all are reunited and adance unfolds. Four performers blend walkabout,improvisation and choreography. Chloe Loftus Dance – ‘Act of Strangers’An encounter on a bench that inspirescommunication, connection and engagement. Anoutdoor dance theatre performance and beautifulduet that reminds us of the simplicity and warmthof human contact.runraggedproductions.co.uk

chloeloftus.co.uk

Articulture is a creativeorganisation that aims to bringtogether practitioners tosupport the production ofinnovative, high quality outdoorarts unique to Wales.

www.articulture.org

Engage Youth Circus, one of ourperformance partners this year, arebased in Artspace, a community artsorganisation in Cinderford,Gloucestershire. The Youth Circusoriginally began as a pilot project in2000 and has gone from strength tostrength.

Today they run circus training groups for youngpeople aged 5+ through to adult and family groups,as well as many specialist training sessions. TheSeniors Performance group can regularly be seenboth locally and regionally providing entertainmentvarying from full scale performance productions intheatres to festivals, street shows, fates and fairs.

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ngmizzl ing

www.engagecircus.org.ukwww.rivercarnival.org

Flowing with Creativity

Local artists & craftspeople display water themed

arts and crafts. 29th April 15th May

The Market House, Ross on Wye

Open daily 10am until 4pm. For more information visit :www.madeinross.co.uk

TINTERN ABBEY COTTAGEAcross from the magnificent Abbey, unsurpassed views. Idyllic WyeValley Welsh borders. Fully renovated, warm 18C cottage. Sleeps up

to 6 in 3 bedrooms. Two smart bathrooms, whirlpool bath,lavendered linens, cosy woodburner, CH incl., range cooker,sheltered garden, parking, WiFi. Easy M4/M5, close to castles,racing. Excellent golf, walking, eating. Pet welcome. Visit Wales 5

star & winner Best Self Catering &Winner Best Visitor Welcome Gold2015. Credit cards. Short Autumn/Winter/Spring Breaks. Christmas.

www.monmouthshirecottages.co.uk 01600 860341

Old Station TinternActivities for all the Family

Visit us throughout the Wye Valley River FestivalThe Old Station, Tintern, NP16 7NX • 01291 689566

Built as a Victorian country railway station. the Old Station is a charmingsite to visit for a quiet relaxing day out in the Wye Valley. Facilitiesinclude riverside walks and meadows, children’s play area, picnic sitewith barbeques, tearoom, souvenir shop, tourist information and a

Our Carriages tearoom was voted the Best in Wales 2012/13 in the True Taste of Wales awards.

National Tourism Awards 2013/14 Winner Best Place to Eat (cafe category)

eatsleepliveherefordshire.co.uk

t: 07713 243869 e: info@eatsleepliveherefordshire.co.uk

proud to be main sponsor ofWye Valley River Festival 2016

The guide that tells visitors where to eat, sleep and live life to the full

Contact Mandy on 01600 711525

www.monnowvoice.co.uk

ADVERTISE FROM ONLY £21*Reach up to 18000 Homes & Businessesfrom Monmouth, Ross-on-Wye, Chepstow

The place to shout about your business

24SEVENL I VE

HEREFORDSHIRE, MONMOUTHSHIRE AND POWYS // APRIL 2016

L I VE 2 4 - SEVEN – THE WYE V ALLEY ’ S PREM IER LUXURY L I FESTYLE MAGAZ INE

Live 24-SevenThe luxury lifestyle magazine for the Wye ValleyEvery month Live 24-Seven is packed full oflifestyle news from your area, as well as greatfeatures and exclusive A-list interviews.

Fashion, Health & Beauty features, Motoring Reviews, New Films, Great Restaurants andTropical Destinations all between the covers of Live 24-Seven.

Media sponsors for the Wye Valley River Festival

To subscribe contact Sally on 07939 313 333

To advertise please contact Niki Morgan on 07974 307 965 or Michele Whitaker on 07581 007 175

Tune in for local Travel updates

PROUD TO BE LOCAL

106.2 in Herefordshire107 & 107.8 in Monmouthshire105.9 FM & 855 AM in South Shropshire, The Marches, North Herefordshire, North Worcestershire.

Tel: 01594 723290 www.wyeforestretreats.com

Registered Company in England & Wales. Company number: 09517088

www.facebook.com/wyeforestretreats

Creative adventures and wellbeing experiences: from familyglamping with den building on the Wye, to romantic retreats

Simply immerse yourself in the beautiful location and we’ll take care of everything else.

Acknowledgements

Festival Director: Phillippa Haynes Artistic Directors: Jon Beedell, Richard Headon Production Manager: Netty Miles Stage Manager: Katie Davies

Core Ensemble of Performers: Richard Headon, Jon Beedell, Mr & Mrs Clark, Rew Lowe, Rosalind Haf-Brooks, June Campbell-Davis, Joana Miranda, Kim Heron,

The River A&E Laboratory:Mr & Mrs Clark, Pyrotechnics and Samovar Creators: And Now - Mandy Dike and Ben Rigby,

Musical Director and Band Leader: Tim Hill, Band Musicians: Tom Francombe - tuba; Jo Meikle- drums Additional Band members and musicians Rob

Strawson & Music Pool Hereford, Robert Morgan & Lydbrook Band, Felix Tabis & Paris Jazz Café Swing Band; Feliks Tabis - Violin and Tenor Sax, Katie P. - Vocals and

Brushes, A.C.Wood - Guitar, Tony Davey - Guitar, Olly Blanchflower - Double Bass; Northstar, Tamzin Powell - Vocals, Amy Hulme - Accordion, Vocals Matt Powell - Guitar

,Heather McFarlane - Fiddle Brass Bands: Lydbrook Band, Monmouth Band Festival Documenter:William Wilding Luminous Birds Installation: Kathy Hinde

Redbrook Sound Installation and band member: Dan Fox Circus - Engage Circus (Arts Space Cinderford) Bon Fox de Vere - Cyr Wheel, Todd Montague,

Chris Owston & Zach Fox de Vere - Acrobatics, Jen Jones, Victoria Carruthers & Megan Giles - Acrobalance, Phoebe Giles, Emily Goy & Ben Kirkwood - Hula

Hoop, Todd Montague, Jim McKinnie & Chris Owston - Juggling Hereford River Carnival Leo Caithness & Rebecca Huggett - Carnival Arts & makers Rozie Keogh,

Liv Thrane Acons, Lisa Kingham, Ben Hughes, Ben Errington Heron Puppet:Mary Ragg, Dave Young Aerial Dance Co Hereford, Gillian Hipp and performers,

Choirs: Festival Choir - Helen Vincent, The George Choir - Ellie Holliday, The Forest of Dean Male Voice Choir Storytelling: Roger Drury, Rachel Adams

Sound Installation at The Slaughters Richard Jinx - Listening to Sap Rising, Shirley Pegnas ‘Ground Sound’ River Beds: Welsh Bicknor YHA, Wye Forest Retreats

FlagWorkshops: Becky Prior, Faye Joines Origami Workshop: Chloe Edgell and Joana Miranda Makers and Site Crew: William Datson, Paul McGarry, Tom Bull

Caravan Interiors:Megan Clark-Bagnall, Ali Brown, and Carri Love Museum Artifacts: Jennifer Gallichan, Michael Wilson & Julian Carter at National Museum of

Wales Canoes, Rafts and Kayaks: Hereford Kayak Club, Tricia Hales Environmentalists: Dr George Peterken, Owain Jones, Herbie Giradet,Tom Packham,

Dr Stephanie Tyler, Mike Williams, Rob Denny, Simon Evans, George Woodward Art of Sustainability: Steve England Schools Outreach: Joe Allsopp, Sue Parkinson,

Sarah Sawyer, Mike Topp, Dr George Peterken, Kathy Barclay, Petra Mitchard, Mark Langley, Barbara Brown, Jenny Griffiths, Hayley Clayton, Naomi Ewald, Sophie Cowling,

Mike Williams, Jeremy Churchill, Mary Watkins PHd Student: Greg Dunn Wye Valley AONB Unit: Andrew Blake, Sarah Sawyer, Nikki Moore, Nick Critchley, Julie

Godfrey, Sharon Seymour LEMUR + Trainee: Rebecca Bratt PR Consultant: Sharon Chilcott Printers: ABC Print

Many thanks to photographers who contributed to this programme: Jim Ozanne, Linda Wright, Deasy Bamford, William Wilding, David Broadbent, And Now, Dan Green

Published by Wye Valley AONB Partnership, Hadnock Road, Monmouth, NP25 3NG www.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk All information correct at time of going to press.

The Wye Valley River Festival would not be possible without the help of a huge number ofpeople, mostly working behind the scenes. We would like to thank them and also ourwonderful volunteers whether performing, singing or working during the event.

Please let us know how you found the River Festival events, by filling in the ‘Wye Valley River Festival 2016 Audience feedback form’ on SurveyMonkey, links on www.wyevalleyaonb.org.uk

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