The
English Folk Dance and Song Society are delighted to present
an exhibition of work from serial-archivist Doc
Rowe.
For over
forty years, Doc Rowe has been consistently recording and
filming cultural tradition and vernacular arts, folklore,
song and dance of Britain and Ireland. Continual
documentation of annual events, using a wide variety of
media, has resulted in a unique archive of images, film,
video and audio recordings on past and contemporary popular
culture and vernacular art. With its particular emphasis on
seasonal custom, the collection has won international
recognition.
Starting
in 1963, with a Mayday visit to Padstow in Cornwall, a
passionate interest in people's art and celebration has led
Doc on annual visits to events such as the Abbots Bromley
Horn Dance in Staffordshire; the Haxey Hood Game in
Lincolnshire; the Burry Man of South Queensferry in West
Lothian ...
This
exhibition is seen foremost as a celebration of the
diversity, vitality and richness of the organic, living
vernacular and participatory arts found in the contemporary
folk culture of these islands - generally unknown,
overlooked and, all too often, trivially treated. This
exhibition also features models created by Doc and his
partner, Jill Pidd.
"One
of the most important English collectors since Sharp"
(Living Traditions Magazine), this is a fascinating
and illuminating view of the world of British
folklore.
Friday 30 January to Saturday 25 April, Tuesday
to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Admission Free.
Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regent's Park Road, Camden,
London NW1 7AY
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