Notes from a Brainstorming Session
Impressions, images & sounds of the bog and surrounding area:
One day, when I was a child, I went fishing and a dragonfly landed on my nose.
Bubbles trapped under the ice, shining like milky rainbows.
It’s rising, is it mist or steam from a train or …?
Clear water drops …
Falling …Splashing into the pond …Trickling …
Magic dust, magical music. Flowers and trees.
Clean and flowing, green and static,
Waters mingle in the mire,
Spirits of the marsh revealing,
Seen in Jack O’ Lantern’s fire.
Fairies in the wood? What else lives there? A variety of mythical creatures?
Who lived there in the past? How did they live?
Edible plants growing in or near the bog, were any used for medical purposes?
Fairies in a tree.
Jack O’ Lantern’s light, tricking weary travellers into losing their way in the marsh.
Ideas for the production:
– A main route into Wimborne and an assembly point for cattle on Market Days
– Medal – 1919 – link to outside world beyond Wimborne; costumed soldier of the period; sound – newspaper article describing experience of medal holder.
– War connections (WW1/WW2/Afghan medal/ ordnance in House/Pub – canteen for troops/locations are reminiscent of WW1 battlefields and trenches
– Mystery of Jack O’ Lantern – sounds coming out of underground, things brought up from underground
– A modern character, e.g. dog walker, to act as guide.
– Objects found related to sound of snatches of dialogue from the past, e.g. smuggled goods stashed /animal harnesses / abandoned cartwheel
– A whisper LED lantern. A small fan blowing air up through a clear plastic bottle. Strips of fabric blown upwards illuminated from below by small LEDs.
Common themes
– A thoroughfare.
– A place of journeying and passing by.
– A resting place for animals and drovers before reaching the market.
– A place frequented by Gypsies.
– A wise woman/man’s abode.
– A meeting place for travellers, for exchanging news and telling tales.
– A place where waters meet, the clean and flowing from the hill, the green and stagnant in the mire.
– Concept of Ying and Yang.
Locations
Bog:
– Digging in the bog – line of people showing objects, e.g. Afghan medal, brought up out of the bog
– Hand coming out of the bog
– Ghostly soldier, First World War, impact of shelling / trenches, noise, sounds
– Treasure box discovered in the bog, containing images of past / icons
– A person, standing and singing some way into the bog with arm held up high with a bright lamp
Wood:
– Lanterns in trees
– Wind chimes/ mobiles hanging in the trees
– Candlelight throughout the wood and mist
Railway Line:
– Sound of steam train in the distance; women of Wimborne travelling to the cordite factory in WW1 – sound of their voices and yellow cloths hanging from side of path
Pond:
– Lady of the Lake – Granny Bloomer
Common Field:
– Sounds of cattle lowing, horses’ hooves
House:
– BytheWay House and World War Two (home-made ordnance bombs). Worth research and contacting owner to see if house could be used in any way and/or if they would be interested in sponsoring?