Hundreds gathered to celebrate Wind Charming folklore in Dunstable
On Sunday 31st August, hundreds of Dunstablians joined together on Dunstable Downs to take part in our latest commission Dunstable Wind Charming Day, created by artist Laurence Payot.
Now in its second year, people were encouraged to ‘charm’ the wind, taming its powerful force to stay kind over the coming months. It also involved flying a giant kite sculpture, created by residents in the lead up to the day, and two hundred handwritten messages were attached on ribbon strips and sent into the Dunstable sky. In true folklore style, everyone dressed up in costumes that were floaty in the wind and reflected the light.
“The magic of Dunstable Wind Charming Day is that it brings people together to create something beautiful and out of the ordinary. It’s about celebrating this special place and the people who make it, using the strong local wind as a metaphor for the invisible forces that connect us to each other and to our environment. For me, this event is about feeling alive, here and now, together.”
Laurence Payot, artist
“This event is putting Dunstable on the map in a new way – how many other towns are looking forwards and creating new traditions? We have really enjoyed seeing all the people dressed as wind charmers once again and it was also really moving reading people’s wishes and messages.”
Dawn Giles, Chief Executive, Bedford Creative Arts
More pictures
About the commission Dunstable Wind Charming Day
Dunstable Wind Charming Day is a Test Beds commission.
Test Beds is our new programme to experiment with artists’ work in social settings, getting artists and communities of place/or interest to work together on imaginative creative projects. Six commissions will happen over the next two years in central Bedfordshire. Contact us to find out more about the commissioning process. Test Beds is funded by the LLoyds Bank Foundation.
Photo: John Chatterley 2014
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