A modern-day Pied Piper will lead group of children playing of musical instruments made from recycled household rubbish on a parade through the town of Ruthin.
Musician Henry Horrell is inviting youngsters from across the region to help him create the wacky orchestra during the project that gets underway at Ruthin Craft Centre on June 27.
They will be using flower pots, bike inner tubes, plastic bottles and an assortment of other waste material to march to an unusual musical beat.
Henry will lead them on a colourful procession through the town beginning at the craft centre on Sunday, June 29, to herald the start of the town’s annual music festival.
He will be working with theatre performer and costumière Ceri Rimmer to create costumes and compose music based on a tale of love and betrayal from the Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh mythological tales.
It will be the first in a series eight weekends of free activities at the craft centre over the summer months as part of the Making Insights project, climaxing at the popular Open Doors Weekend in Ruthin on the final weekend of September.
This project is made possible by funding from Cadwyn Clwyd through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
Ruthin Craft Centre’s education officer Sioned Phillips explained: “Each weekend will feature a different applied artist or craft person and will include an open studio experience at the centre. All the sessions are free and are suitable for anyone over the age of four.
“Ceri and Henry are working together on a promenade performance telling the tale of Blodeuwedd who, according to Welsh mythology, was created by two wizards to be the companion of Llew Llaw Gyffes as he was under a spell and couldn’t have a human wife.
“Blodeuwedd was created from the flowers of broom, meadowsweet and oak but after betraying Llew she is turned into an owl.”
She added: “Ceri, with the help of children and families, will create a costume to be used in the performance which will tell something of the tale of Blodeuwedd. Henry, meanwhile, will compose the music and work with children making instruments that can be used in the performance.
“Then, on Sunday, June 29, everyone who has played a part in making the costumes and instruments will meet at Ruthin Craft Centre for the promenade performance.
“Ceri and Henry will lead everyone, as part of Ruthin Festival, the Art Trail through the town to the Flower Market where the promenade performance will take place.”
Henry Horrell, 30, says it’s an exciting project and he is looking forward to making lots of different musical instruments from old and recyclable material.
He said: “It’s a wonderful project and I hope lots of children and families will come along and get involved. We can use lots of different things such as broken flower pots, bits of metal, old tins, glass bottles and bike tyres to make all sorts of musical instruments.
“I hope children will help me make the instruments we will use in the performance. I’m sure there are plenty of musically-minded children who will enjoy helping me compose and play the music for the performance.
“I will have lots of things which we can use to make instruments but it would be a big help if children brought along items of their own. It’s amazing what we can turn into an instrument whether its old tins or glass bottles, it doesn’t matter.”
Henry, who hails from Dorset but who has lived on Anglesey with his Canadian partner since completing an ecology degree at Bangor University, added: “It’s really good fun making music and new and interesting sounds from discarded materials.
“You can make beautiful music from a collection of rubbish and I’m sure we can write a fabulous new composition which will amaze people when we perform it as an orchestra.”
Meanwhile, Ceri, 28, she has already held a children’s workshop at Ruthin Craft Centre and made petals to be used for Blodeuwedd’s costume.
She said: “We still have lots to do including making Blodeuwedd’s wings. While Henry is making instruments and writing the music I will be working with children on the other side of the room making the costume.
Ceri, who hails fromLlangernyw in the Conwy valley, has her own business, Cherry Head Productions, and specialises in dance and physical theatre as well as costume design.
She said: “I enjoy creating big and elaborate costumes from all sorts of material. I’m self-taught when it comes to sewing machines but I really enjoy experimenting with lots of different textiles.
“It’s going fantastic telling the story of Blodeuwedd and a lot of fun. Henry and I can’t wait to meet and work with children and families to put together a performance we can be proud of.”
Henry and Ceri Rimmer will be holding the free workshops at Ruthin Craft Centre on Friday and Saturday June 27 and 28. On Sunday, June 29 at 1.30pm they will lead a performance, starting at the Ruthin Craft Centre, which will follow the Ruthin Art Trail, as part of the Ruthin Festival, which will finish at the Flower Market. For more information on Ruthin Art Trail visit www.ruthinarttrail.co.uk and for more information on Ruthin Festival visit www.ruthinfestival.co.uk
