Personal Progression Project- Inside a Fairy Ring
Research & Process-
According to English folklore tales, fairy rings can be either a blessing or a curse. Science tells us that fairy rings or patterns of mushrooms that grow in circular formations are naturally-occurring phenomena that usually appear year after year on lawns, in fields, and forests. Entering this project, I gained the first spark of an idea back in our first trip to the LCC library from ‘A Book of Fairies; and Anthology of Paintings, Proes, and Poems’ (one of the first books I checked out) where I saw the proper tale of fair rings. I have always had an interest in mythology and folklore throughout my life, and I believe it shows in my work often so I found it appropriate to use this idea for myself in the Personal Progression Project. Developing this project came to the task of relating it to the ‘issue’ of choice, I chose self-hatred and destruction. This idea derived from the Dutch folklore of fairy rings where it is believed inside them is where ‘the devil keeps his milk to churn’, with this, I was reminded of the phrase ‘Idle hands are the devil’s work” a somewhat popular phrase in southern North America that I have heard most of my life. These two thoughts came together in my head and sparked the idea of being stuck inside a fairy ring due to your own self-destruction or hatred. Being inside this ring, the devil puts one in a trance to leave your body idle and your mind in a state of malice. Diving deeper into the mythic lore, Llewellyn and Rhys, a Welsh legend, come to find that time runs differently inside a fairy ring, where the two protagonists believed they were dancing for minutes where in reality, weeks passed. In relating to self-hatred and destruction, I found this to be a connection to how depression is. As you dive deeper into a depressive state, you lose track of time, similar to how Llewellyn and Ryhs did inside the fairy ring. To further the detail in my video and sound, I have often seen in depictions of fairies (seen in ‘A Book of Fairies; and Anthology of Paintings, Proes, and Poems) that a lyre is a commonly used instrument from fairies, so I went on Amazon and found the cheapest one I could buy to use in my video to use for the atmosphere I wish to set throughout my concept.
In researching sound, I have been pulling from artists that fall under the ambient genre. (below is a link to a playlist of tracks I used as inspiration/reference points) creating an atmosphere was a very important aspect for me to incorporate thus far and lots of these tracks achieve that sound. A few artists, in particular, I found to be very influential were Kelly Moran, A Portal to Jump Through, and tracks from the album Mono No Aware. In a recent text, A Portal to Jump Through said that she experimented with the alchemy of sound which I found to be a very interesting perspective of sound direction, so I tried to take this into account when creating my sound thus far. Kelly Moran specializes in altering her instruments in ways that distort the sound, for example; placing a fork on the strings on her piano creates a timber sound that is hypnotic and is a prime example of utilizing the alchemy of sound. She graduated with a degree in Performing Arts and Technology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and an MFA from the University of California, Irvine. A specific album that inspired me during this is a collection of ambient songs from Mono No Aware. Mono No Aware is an ambient collection from various artists and sound artists that I found to be very influential. It’s experimental styles, and creation of environments became very influential to me. The title ‘Mono No Aware’ translates to ‘the pathos of things’ highlighting the human emotion used to create these tracks; a well of examples for me to draw inspiration to my concept.
In creating my four sound pieces, I titled each one in a way that assists the concept. The first track, misuse, I thought about how I was not using the lyre to its full extent: it was not tuned, one of the strings broke, I did not know how to play it. With my concept, I thought it assisted the view of self-hatred, misusing yourself, misusing an instrument. For the second piece, mortar without a pestle, came from the thought of the inability to use the tool correctly if part of it is missing, paralleling to the concept. Ascetic, by definition, is the practice of self-discipline and abstinence from indulgence. Using this as the title, I wanted it to be seen in an abusive way, locking yourself away from things that you should/can indulge in for your mental health. In the final track, being a spell, the idea of being a spell lends itself to interpretation, a good or bad spell, a curse, or a blessing, it is a choice to be made. Each piece I titled as a different perspective of what being self-destructive or hating yourself might be like. Rather it be the absence of something, abuse, or the potential for something to be either harmful or helpful.
Featured in the video, there is a quilt that I assisted my brother in creating. Using this, I wanted it to be an object of self-reflection. In the video, it is hung on a clothesline within the fairy ring, swaying in the wind. In the center of the quilt, we used a reflective film to create the ‘mirror’. Throughout the video, the body is placed around it, just letting it move and flow with them. In the final few shots, the quit is folded it up and taken with them, leaving the question of if the body in the ring, will beneficially use this self-reflection or not, but either way they, it is with them. Another object seen in the video is the sickle looking blade. Traditionally, it is called an athame, a ceremonial knife used in witchcraft for important ceremonies. Seeing that my setting is ritual-like, I thought it was appropriate. The blade was featured to show the potential of personal damage, a physical object of destruction. Both of these objects featured, are physical forms of what I interpret self-hatred does within the body. Though it may not be as beautiful, it can be soft and flowing, but it can also be sharp and fatal.
Detailing the visuals, I wanted to stick to mostly white objects to highlight the ‘absence of’ within the ring. Before shooting the video, I was hoping to find a simple, minimalistic, clothesline I could use to hang the quilt on, but this was harder to find than I expected. In solution, I bought some simple wooden dowels, nailed them together, and to painted them white. In the process, one of them snapped in half and cut my knee open (I am fine), to fix this I just created a simple splint to hold it up temporarily which, in the video, you might see it leaning because of that (I think it added an interesting viewpoint so I did not change it). Along with this, the ‘mushrooms’ I created for the fairy ring are card-stock wrapped in a sheer ribbon and glued to small twigs I painted white. An abstract version of mushrooms that I think is visually satisfying.
My two iterations of the ‘fairy ring’. I thought the first one looked like trash just laying in the grass so I scrapped it and replaced it with version two of the card stock and ribbon.
Abstract mushroom details
The lyre I used for the sound and as a prop
Athame
Handmade quilt made my brother and I (Sam Slipkovich)
Location (Edwin Warner Park Nashville, Tennessee)
References-
-Sikes W,1880, British Goblins Welsh Folk-Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions, Dodo Press, Gloucestershire United Kingdom
-Moran K, 2018, Ultraviolet, Album, Warp Records
-O’Brien C, 2013, A Book of Fairies; and Anthology of Painting, Lorenz Books, United States
-Kouligas B, Various Artist, 2017, Mono No Aware, Album, PAN, Various Locations
-Kursby A, 2017, The Myth and Lore of the Fairy Ring, Garden College, January 2020, https://gardencollage.com/inspire/wild-earth/myth-lore-fairy-ring/
Playlist of Reference / Inspiration: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7fcIbgK2xGS6EasvrC8BGX?si=b78uUC9_QTGo3b8Y2ZX3DA
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