Postcode for Satnav users: EX5 2HY
In July 2015 FSA was delighted to presented a romantic comedy performed by the Cygnet Theatre. A comedy set against the backdrop of beautiful Farringdon Church. It was written by Marivaux, generally regarded as the greatest French dramatist of the eighteenth century, most famous for the high level of comic banter – or 'marivaudage' – found in his plays. It is a tale of multiple misunderstanding by this master of complex, witty comedies.In the tightly structured, erotically-charged fable a young princess, conscious that her claim to the throne is less than honourable, disguises herself as a man in order to dupe her enemies and persuade the rightful ruler to return. Set in the country house garden, a philosopher and his sister, both of whom have renounced love for the higher plane of philosophy, are the guardians of the rightful prince, whom they keep in secrecy. The reigning princess and her friend arrive in disguise (as young men), and a series of plots, counterplots and misunderstandings ensue. After a series of intriguing meetings there is a final resolution which is very satisfying for all.
FSA 10th Anniversary Exhibition ’The Bank of Cultural Memories’
....Featuring a unique display of new work by embroidery artist Rachel Rousham
’It takes a village…’ Hilary Clinton
September 6th - 21st 2014 marked a special occasion for the Farringdon Society of Arts. Ten years of creative industry in our small village of less than 300 people. Hundreds of events ranging from art, music, theatre to walks and talks. Each year began with a blank canvass and each year was filled with a legacy of cultural memories. Hence the title of this exhibition: ‘A Bank of Cultural memories’. At a time when we now know the banks were spending our inheritance, here in the
village of Farringdon we were storing a different bank of treasures: ones that created moments of togetherness and a sense of belonging and an appreciation of beauty, line and form, all tucked away in the forgotten landscape of this tiny hamlet.
Every September our village hall becomes transformed into the Springs Gallery and a two week long exhibition takes place…As part of the Devon Artists Network this was the fifth time that we have held the exhibition in collaboration with the Devon Open Studios artist trail, a wonderful opportunity for people who love art to enjoy touring around Devon and visiting artists in their studios or, as in Farringdon, to discover fantastic finds in unusual places.
In 2014, to celebrate and mark our 10th anniversary we invited people to enter our vault of treasured memorabilia displayed in the form of posters, paintings and photographs in this peaceful setting and enjoy reflections of our past in the present.
We featured a young artist who graduated from Goldsmiths in Fine Art in 2012. After a year working full time for the fashion
designer Tom Ford, Rachel has finally found time to work on a collection of her own. The FSA is thrilled to be sponsoring this talented artist.
Michael Buckland, ex FSA artist-in-residence, produced a painting of the exhibition itself:
A Note from Rachel Rousham:
My work is situated between the liminal zone of art and design. Creating a 3D surface through embroidery is what brings an image alive. Light reflecting off the threads can create a depth and a texture unparalleled to other mediums. I recycle symbols and decorative design from the past to create a different meaning in today's context. My inspiration comes from museum artefacts, vintage embroidery, nature and the everyday to create a contemporary synthesis of patterns and imagery.
Rachel Rousham graduated from Goldsmiths College in Art Practice, her fine art back ground channels a unique visual understanding into her practice. Rachel currently works from her studio in London. Rachel will be at London Fashion Week during the 1st week of the exhibition. However you can catch her at the gallery from the 17th onwards.
Thursday September 11th, 1.15-4,15, a surgery was held with local constituency MP Hugo Swire.......
Meanwhile Barnaby Edwards is working on a portrait of Janet during the exhibition: see his progress at http://www.barnaby-edwards.com/
Exhibition and Tea photos......
The Genesis of the FSA
'There is nothing more worthwhile than the simple life simply led'. These were the words uttered by the poet Seamus Heaney which challenged me to look at ways in which I could make a contribution to Farringdon. Many hundreds of diverse arts events later the FSA continues to flourish in its own way....'the Little Society' in an age of Big Society. In 2000 I moved to the village of Farringdon in East Devon. It has a church, a village hall, ancient hedgerows and natural spring water. There is no pub, no school, no shop. How was I to settle into this new life and make a contribution? The answer came to me later that year when I attended a special dinner in London to celebrate the inauguration of Seamus Heaney as the new president of the Irish Literary Society. The first sentence of his address that evening was: ‘There is nothing more worthwhile than the simple life, simply led’.
I returned to Farringdon, inspired! I attended a village hall meeting the following week. The hall was in desperate need of repair, in debt and the committee talked that evening about selling the only facility in the village. I suggested that we should put on some events. The question was asked, ‘who is going to do that’? Well, I volunteered. This in turn led me to connect with others in the village and form a committee which met together in my dining room once a month for two years to produce a series of ‘events’. It was the little society before the concept of ‘Big Society’. The FSA has made friends all around the globe, click here for Yvonne Lieblein's article from New York.