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Paston book now in Millennium Library
One of the hand-made Pastons' Country books is now in the Millennium Library at the Forum in Norwich, and will stay there until the end of the month. It was delivered on January 9 by Annette, Lisa and Tim and installed in a large glass display case with the creative assistance of librarian Claire Agate. It can be found on the second floor of the library, near the reception desk. As well as the hand-made book, the case contains examples of the facsimile Paston books, information about the Paston Project, and books from the library itself about the Pastons.
Only one page of the book will be displayed at a time, but the pages will be turned regularly – so it's worth more than one visit!
A meeting will take place on January 25 to discuss further progress on the Paston Project, and this will be followed by an InPrint meeting to look at ideas for the coming year.
Here is the Book
Here on the edge of a drowned world
land of the True Cross
we walk on the moon, dark side,
among marbled pillars
touching unearthly colours
dusty passages
fingering forgotten legends
Treasure buried in the priory
where foreign knights battle secretly
against skeletons
and in the Kingdom of God
near Bromholm
the dead are raised
Iron stands like spears against the sun
while stone dissolves
As in the beginning
the word breathes on
until the void takes form
becomes a sacred, fertile field
Visions of Hildegard or Agnes in the rain
play dark tricks
as the world folds into paper,
holding on
Ruins bought and sold
breathe again
words emerge from the rock:
locks are broken
Burning kingfishers perch on fallen walls:
paths burst from the undergrowth
Here on the edge of the moon
Here is the book
Here are the letters thrown down and lifted up
Here the rushing wind
fire and water
laid like a cloth of gold and silver
under the patient stars
Poet's comment: This was written for the Paston Project in 2008 and draws on many aspects of the work, especially history and the surrounding countryside – and of course the book itself.
Cromer's Paston exhibition taken down
The mini-Paston exhibition hung at the North Norfolk District Council offices in Cromer for a couple of weeks was taken down on a cold and damp 17 November, with Paston Heritage Society chairperson Lucy Care and InPrint poet Tim Lenton in attendance. The exhibition consisted of about 24 framed prints hung in a corridor on the first floor outside the restaurant, and we were given to understand that it had been very well received.
Meanwhile a third hand-made Paston Country book has been sold.
Paston exhibition success in the sun
The "amazing weekend" forecast for the Paston exhibition turned out to be exactly that, with the sun shining brightly throughout, and medieval characters to be found enjoying the unexpected warmth of the sun in the graveyard, as well as fulfilling such functions as scrivener and paper-maker inside. In the normally cold church the atmosphere was temperate, even for the Latin Compline on the Saturday evening, when fog paid a fleeting visit outside.
The Private View on the Friday evening was a big success, with a fascinating film of the project being followed by a poetry reading, in which InPrint poets Caroline Gilfillan, Lisa D'Onofrio and Tim Lenton took part. The handmade, leather-bound book had centre stage, with InPrint's Annette Rolston turning the pages and explaining the background. Prints and poems from the book were on display. Small facsimiles of the book were very popular at £10 a time, and two copies of the big book, priced at £850 each, were ordered during the weekend.
On the Saturday Annette and Lisa offered a workshop, and bookbinder Judith Ellis from Aylsham demonstrated her skills. There were further poetry readings from the InPrint poets and from the other Paston poets – Dot Cobley, Kay Riggs, Rob Knee and Adrian Ward. Natural England organised a couple of visits to the Great Barn, which is rarely accessible. Visitors to the exhibition were augmented by a large party of ramblers who happened by and who found the whole project fascinating, especially Annette's description of the book's contents.
Sunday was dominated by the visit of medieval music interpreters Horses Brawl, who rehearsed during the afternoon and put on a concert of 18 songs in the evening, interspersed by readings from the Paston Letters. One of the pieces, sung by Jennie Cassidy, was from a manuscript found in the church in the 1920s and dating back to the time of the Pastons. It was believed to be the first time it had been heard since that time, and it was beautifully sung by Jennie.
InPrint were proud to be part of the project, which owed much of its sucess to Annette's determination to master the innovative non-toxic intaglio process and produce excellent prints. Lucy Care, from the Paston Heritage Society, had the vision for the whole thing and worked closely with Annette to bring it to fruition. Part of the exhibition will now go on show at Nottingham, and at the North Norfolk District Council offices in Cromer. The book itself will be on display in the Millennium Library in Norwich in December, and more exhibitions are lined up for the New Year. The Eastern Daily Press recognised the importance of the project by devoting two full page threes to it – one on the Friday and one on the Monday.
Paston exhibition ready – despite the mud
InPrint members overcame unexpected obstacles when they put together the Paston exhibition at St Margaret's Church on October 9. The weather was wonderful, the church was open, Ruth had made buns and tea, and Jack Earl was waiting to assist – but where was the van with the screens, driven by InPrint organiser Annette? InPrint poet Tim had given some small assistance to Simeon Care in delivering one or two items from the home of Paston Heritage Society supremo Lucy Care, and there was nothing left to do but wait...
Meanwhile some ten or twelve miles away, the missing van was stuck in the mud at Rackheath, and proving impossible to free. Eventually a local produced a chainsaw and cut down a tree, narrowly avoiding reducing the InPrint membership figures in the process, and after some more manouevering, the van was free – and ready to pick up the screens. By 2.30pm, after much anticipation, the van put in an appearance at Paston Church, and the screens and other materials were unloaded.
A certain amount of reorganisation was then necessary after it was found that the master diagram allowed for too little space down the central aisle, but some quick rethinking resulted in the screens being erected in the pews, and the prints – looking every bit as stunning as had been predicted – were carefully positioned. Meanwhile, Siri-Susanna Taylor was checking out her film settings for the following evening's Private View, a florist from North Walsham arrived to check the church for a wedding, and an elderly couple turned up from Nottingham to look at the building and its usual contents (for which Jack proved an expert guide).
By about 5.30 everything that could be done had been done, and everyone prepared to leave. Everyone did leave, in fact, apart from the occupants of the van, which – you guessed it – found some more mud to get stuck in. All efforts proved in vain, and the van ploughed deeper and deeper in. But Annette and Teri Lockton, one of the Paston artists, managed to get a lift to Mundesley, where they obtained a tow out from a local garage. It was that sort of day.
Final decisions made on book and exhibition
With the Paston hand-made book nearing completion, four members of InPrint met with Lucy Care, of the Paston Heritage Society, at Annette Rolston’s studio in the Bally Art Factory, Norwich. A variety of prints, plates and pages were available for viewing, and decisions were made on the running order of the book, publicity for the exhibition and practical matters including finance and setting up subsequent exhibitions.
As well as organising the whole project Lucy is also an artist, and has contributed images and a poem to the book. Annette, on whom the burden of printing has largely fallen, also has images in the book, as has InPrint member Joan Murray. Poems from InPrint members Caroline Gilfillan, Lisa D’Onofrio and Tim Lenton are also included.
The main exhibition, at which the book will be on display, is on October 11 and 12 in St Margaret’s Church, Paston. It will be followed by exhibitions at Cromer and Nottingham, and the book will eventually be on display at the Millennium Library in the Forum in Norwich.
The pictures here were taken at the Bally meeting on 14 August and include a few of the prints that will eventually become pages in the book, though not necessarily in their final form.
Week of work on Paston book
26 July 2008
A full week as far as work on the Paston book is concerned. On Tuesday Annette and Tim met in Norwich to discuss how the various pages might look. On Wednesday the final, full workshop, led by Annette and Caroline, brought in views from other poets and artists, as well as doing some key printing. And on Thursday Annette, Caroline, Tim and Lucy made the final decisions on what will be included - though not the order of the pages. It all seemed to fit together rather well. On Saturday, Lucy and Tim printed off acetates - the font chosen was only available on Tim's computer in Norwich. Further work on the plates will be done under Annette's direction next week.
Work on Paston book nearing completion
The printing and writing workshop on Wednesday 23 July will be a key moment in the Paston Project. Final decisions will be being made on the composition of the hand-made book – which images will be used, which poems, and how it will all fit together. Annette Rolston and Caroline Gilfillan will be leading the workshop, with some assistance from Mike Fenton and Tim Lenton as far as the book is concerned.
Excitement is rising as InPrint members – notably Annette, who has worked her socks off – overcome technical problems in the new process with the help of experienced workshop members. Any of the high quality material produced over the past months that doesn't make it into the book will in all likelihood find a spot in the Paston Heritage Society exhibition scheduled for autumn.
Meanwhile Mike Fenton is putting together a website dedicated to the Paston Heritage Society, which should go live ini the near future. It will contain much of the work produced by InPrint and others during the Paston project.
Next Paston workshop
The Paston workshop this Sunday (June 29) will be led by Caroline Gilfillan and Annette Rolston, and will probably follow a similar pattern to the last one. Caroline says: "We'll all work together for a short time, and then the artists will work with Annette, and the writers with me – though I must stress that you can move between writing and visual arts and vice versa. I know that several of you are interested in both, and that's fine.
"In the writing section of the workshop, we'll spend some time on new material – we have two new writers joining us – and devote some time to sharing and workshopping poems you've already written. Some of these will have been circulated already, but please bring copies of up to three poems – eight copies of each should be more than enough. Getting feedback on your work and having it heard can be such an exciting, instructive experience, so do bring work with you. Plus, hearing the work written by others is always interesting and inspirational.
"This part of the workshop might also help you decide which poems you might want to put into the book, too – if you need to choose. I'll prepare some activities both around writing in a specific form (probably the sonnet) and writing in free verse. As before, we'll use specific extracts from the Paston Letters as source material."
Here is an example of a ghazal written by Caroline at a previous workshop:
St Margaret’s Church, PastonThe wind sighs through the pale horse chestnut flowers
And ivy spills like water over elderflowers.A spider’s web is glued from pew to pew,
Its maker crouching in the carved wood flower.Outside I gather speedwell, borage and cranesbill
untended beside the dipping heads of gilt rose flowers.Beneath the stinging locks of nettles, a tombstone warms my hand.
And Margaret gives thanks for every leaf and flower.
And here is a verse from Tim Lenton, also based on the Letters and written at a workshop:
PartridgeI fear that Partridge may attack
He really has no business here
My husband must come home and drive him backA thousand angry men are drawing near
And he is miles away in London town
While I am pregnant, lost in fearI'll write and tell him to come down
He must bring crossbow, spear and shield
And I will wear my broadcloth gownHe'll slaughter Partridge in the field
The thousand men are bound to yield
The photograph at the top of of this section is of St Margaret's Church, Paston, from the path to the cliffs. It shows how unusual it is in being situated in a hollow, whereas most Norfolk churches are at high points. The picture was taken by Tim Lenton, who added this verse to it:
Balanced like light on fields of barley
Margaret the sleeper
slips into the background
becomes part of the picture
seen from the sea
More pictures from Paston
A selection of photographs taken at the two most recent workshops at The Barn, Dayspring. At the first, on May 11, Annette Rolston was leading with Rupert Mallin; at the second, on May 31, she was in charge of the artists while Caroline Gilfillan was with the writers. Some high quality work is being produced, and the prospects for the planned book and exhibition are excellent. However, a great deal remains to be done.
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