Photo: The Woodpecker and the Straw Jack, Harvest Festival 2023. Cecile Pujol.
GARDEN FOLK is an ongoing folk performance project at Purple Patch, Bristol, in collaboration with Alex Goodman and the volunteers of Purple Patch (a local comminity growing project in the city of Bristol).
The Goose and Broom Dance
(Spring Fair 2023 and 2024)
Inspired by the folk customs of Guise/Geese dancing and broom dancing, Garden Folk designed our own Goose and Broom Dance to welcome in the spring at Purple Patch.
2023 Geese: Hannah Sullivan, Alex Goodman, Elisa Bozzarelli, Mary Eddowes, Val Jeannon
2024 Geese: Elisa Bozzarelli, Fiona Hamilton, Ali Nation, Clara Potter-Sweet, Hannah Sullivan
Photos by Cecile Pujol
The Spinning Straw Jack (Harvet Festival 2023)
Inspired by the tradtional folk character of the Straw Jack and the participatory style folk performances of the Hobby Horse, we designed our own Straw Jack custom which included a spinning jack that gets very sleepy and needs to be woken up in various ways. The Straw Jack costume was set alight in a terrific bonfire after the performance.
Straw Jack: Guy Lochhead, Whistling worm: Kerry Smith, The Farmer: Alex Goodman, Woodpecker: Hannah Sullivan.