Carrick Festival of Light

Background Statistics Artists Carrick Rural Arts Group Find out more

The project has its roots in the traditional bonfire night celebrations and the celtic fire festival it replaced.  It was born of a desire to transform the night from simply one of explosions, bangs and crashes into one of community celebration.  The idea is to bring some light into people's lives through the works created by children involved in lantern workshops.  This eight-week lantern project will culminate in the River of Light's procession on 5 November 2005 from 6pm.

Girvan Attractions Association and Carrick Rural Arts Group are working together to make the annual Bonfire Night in Girvan a night to remember.  2005 sees Carrick Rural Arts Group continuing the development of the project with:

• funding assistance from the Scottish Arts Council and the Girvan SIP,
• the expansion of the project to include pupils from 11 local schools,
• the employment of part time arts workers,
• the experimental introduction of the community led Song of the Sea finale show and
• the return of Al Nahr and Samba Ya Bamba plus fire sculpture installations and a heritage project.

The Festival of Light committee groups want to make sure the  lantern project happens each year.  This is echoed in the excited comments made by children and adults discussing what next year’s lantern and theme might be.

Background

In 2003, the project had a dry run with the Girvan Attractions and Entertainments Fireworks Spectacular.  Tepooka fire performance artists performed at the annual fireworks display wowing the audience.  The embryonic lantern procession had its first outing with jelly jar lanterns with a rather bemused pipe band leading the parade and almost disappeared into obscurity.

The lantern project intended for 2003 (now funded by Awards For All) resulted in workshops being held in three local schools. Community workshops resulted in the 2004 river of light led by school children and local folk carrying their own personal creations and the Welfare State International-inspired Pyramid lanterns.  The river of light that flowed through the town streets lit up local's faces and even got them to leave their houses to join the parade.

Police estimated that between 500-1000 people danced through the town to SambaYa Bamba accompanying 140+ children and their lanterns.  Tepooka returned with the addition of Al Nahre to entertain the gathered crowd of 2-3000 people

In 2004 David Powell, former project worker with Girvan Attractions and involved in the formation of CRAG, became responsible for the development of the Festival of Light 2004 project.  The plan for 2004 was to expand the existing firework display into a two hour programmed event featuring:

• a lantern procession through the town led by Samba Ya Bamba, 
• an 18-piece samba marching band,
• fire performance artistes,
• fire sculptures by the harbour side and
• culminating in a fantastic fireworks display. 

With funding from Awards for All, CRAG introduced the original Welfare State pyramid lantern to South Ayrshire with dramatic effect.  Three schools, one youth club and community workshops resulted in 141 lanterns combined with Samba Ya Bamba, Al Nahr, Tepooka, fire sculptures and spectacular fireworks, producing an event to remember.

Statistics 250+ lanterns, 6400 withies 360 candles 144 rolls of masking tape, 160 metres of 2mm wire and 800 bottle tops donated by Wm Grant & Sons. 11 local schools, six community workshops, open garage workshop sessions, Target Leisure Girls Group, Boyle Court residents sheltered housing. Local Groups involved: HM Coastguard, RNLI, Air Training Corps, Girvan Breakers Club, Carrick 800, Girvan Camera Club, Strathclyde Police.

Artists

Al Nahr is a collective of talented fire swingers, dancers, jugglers and acrobats with performances involving between three and 10 performers.  The group experiment with unusual and innovative ways to use fire in performance, with an emphasis on performers’ choreographies and dance, as well as the movement and volume of fire.  They are constantly exploring new themes and creative ideas for working with fire.  The current Al Nahr group are: Mary Jane Anderson, Manolia Vougiouliku, Suzie Hill and Katriona Holmes.

SambaYaBamba began as a community arts project in 1996 and still runs regular workshops for beginners in Brazilian percussion. Over the years the group has gained an enviable reputation as a dynamic and innovative performing group playing the length and breadth of the UK, from Aberdeen to Brighton plus several appearances in Europe. The group’s repertoire of Brazilian percussion covers a variety of styles from Rio style Samba Batucada, Samba Reggae, Maracatu and other styles from the north east of Brasil to contemporary interpretations with influences of Drum ‘n’ Bass, Hip Hop and Bhangra.

The band continues to evolve, developing new ideas with original material and a unique style packed with an energy that leaves audiences in no doubt that they’ve experienced something very special indeed.  An exciting addition to their 2005 season is their incredible new horn section.

'My inspiration is drawn  from  the natural cycles of the growing season, the huge diversity of form found therein, from flower, seeds, stems and leaves to the effects of the elements and man on the landscape and the mythological relationships which exist between ourselves and the natural world.  An  exploration that  has also  manifest itself over the years, sculptural form and a recurring interest in ritual and celebration which provide  inspiration for the community arts projects that have been  a major  focus for recent  work bringing groups together to celebrate helping people to smile. ' David Powell, artist leading the project.

Carrick Rural Arts Group

Offering a safe, family friendly community activity, the aims of the project are to increase access to the arts for the rural communities that participate and/or come along to watch, by providing the opportunity to experience an arts event of quality.

Carrick Rural Arts Group (CRAG) will encourage a broad cross section of the community to participate actively through involvement in the lantern workshops and procession. This objective will be met by engaging with schools in the rural community through the provision of after school workshops and the provision of materials and tuition to other interested groups, organisations and individuals through a programme of open workshops.

Girvan Attractions Association and Carrick Rural Arts Group are working together to make the annual Bonfire Night in Girvan a night to remember.  At the harbour and boating lake, CRAG will facilitate a series of visual spectaculars including fire sculptures, light sculptures and a Grand Finale Show with Al Nahr fire dancers. The unique sounds of Samba Ya Bamba will provide live accompaniment.  This community performance arts event will be the best of its kind in the south west in 2005 and will provide a benchmark for further developments in 2006.

Find out more Carrick Rural Arts Group (CRAG) is a non-profit Community Arts Group which intends to increase and enhance existing provision, access to and participation in the arts through a programme of multi disciplinary community, environmental and performance based arts projects.

Carrick Rural Arts Group is funded by the National Lottery through the Scottish Arts Council, and also receives funding from South Ayrshire Council, Girvan SIP and Girvan Primary PTA.