{"id":4629,"date":"2017-05-16T14:44:04","date_gmt":"2017-05-16T14:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glasfrynproject.org.uk\/w\/?p=4629"},"modified":"2025-05-13T06:38:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T06:38:09","slug":"ghost-jam-an-infinite-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glasfrynproject.org.uk\/w\/4629\/ghost-jam-an-infinite-series\/","title":{"rendered":"GHOST JAM – An Infinite Series."},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Ghost Jam developed as an idea from an earlier collaborative performance called Beyond Orpheus, featuring Lyndon Davies, Scott Thurston, Penny Hallas, Rhys Trimble, Anthony Mellors and Steve Boyland. This, an amalgam of poetry, film, movement, music and voice improvisation took place in the dark attic space of Undegun in Wrexham. The space was sparsely lit and the audience moved through it from one performer to another. The position\u00a0of each performer and the order of the performances were essentially prearranged. \u00a0Thematically the linking idea here was the myth of Orpheus, although the extent to which the working material of each participant reflected this theme varied greatly. Penny Hallas’ films used material derived from a number of years working in the caves at Craig y Cilau in the Brecon Beacons national park above Llangattock.<\/p>\n

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Scott Thurston and Steve Boyland<\/p>\n

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Film by Penny Hallas<\/p><\/div>\n

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Anthony Mellors<\/p><\/div>\n

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The first true Ghost Jam took place in Crickhowell in 2015, and again featured poetry, movement, music, sound-manipulation and film. The idea of the ghost becomes its own theme now. Established texts were interspersed with improvised verbal\/textual, sound, dance and musical interventions. Performance order was not prearranged, the idea being that the piece should be allowed to engender its own rhythm and structure as it developed.<\/p>\n

The second and third Ghost Jams, in Chapter arts centre and Dempseys pub in Cardiff in 2016 explored these ideas further, abandoning all ideas of thematics and dedicated individual spaces, utilising found texts, cut-ups, pre-recorded and manipulated sound, drawing the audience into the performing spaces as participants in their own rights.<\/p>\n

Later Ghost Jams worked more\u00a0thematically again; for instance on October 27th the Ghost Jam returned.to the theme of Orpheus\/Eurydice for a performance in London under the auspices of Essex University and the University of East London. Other Ghost Jams employed\u00a0freer structures, using material generated by previous events.<\/p>\n

Here are some comments, photos and short films on the\u00a0Ghost Jams, beginning with the most recent:<\/p>\n

Ghost Jam at TactileBOSCH, UnderTheCounterCulture, November 2019<\/h4>\n

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This Ghost Jam took place within the installation of film, performance and sculpture, by Penny Hallas and Tessa Waite with sound by Lyndon Davies, at The Old Rectory in Cathedral Road, Cardiff, on the occasion of the major site-specific exhibition organised by TactileBOSCH. The participants were: Scott Thurston, Wanda O’Connor, Nia Davies, Anthony Mellors, Steven Hitchins, Tilla Brading, John Goodby, Rhys Trimble, Lyndon Davies and Tessa Waite. The following film of the Ghost Jam event was made by Penny Hallas, with soundpiece by Steven Hitchins.<\/p>\n