4/4 Hold This Moment

Feeling, Water, Unperceived waves, ‘the source of all that exists’

During the summer of last year my partner and I visited the western extremity of England to have a conversation in film and music. We took a loose plan to converse in unusual locations, grabbing moments in a polytunnel, with chickens, in a river and in a cave before arriving at a Yurt where we spent the last 4 days living by sunlight and fire. Dave brought his new camera and I some new mics that I plugged into a Zoom. These videos will be posted here every Friday for the next month.

We filmed ‘Hold this moment’ (see video below) in a river close to where my uncle lives. His mother (my Nana) used to have her holidays here and would often tell me of his quiet retreat away from the world where they would walk along the river. One of her last requests before she died was that we visit her father’s house in St Ives, Cornwall. It is the reason why we planned this trip and as I felt her with us, this particular film conversation is the most powerful for me. We wrote the song in 2006 on a small island off the coast of Scotland. She was 91 and visiting Iona had been a life-long dream of hers. Nana was unable to take the day trip with me to St. Columba’s bay so I began putting pebbles in my pockets that I could take back to show her. It was not long before I had too many for the walk home and on my return we wrote the chorus together. Those pebbles on the beach became a symbol of the wisdom she often shared with me.

There was never any real plan to these films which meant the editing process was long and drawn out as the footage found its place organically. At the same time I was researching ancient Greek and African mythologies and enjoyed noting the synchronicity of events; each of the films was taking on a primordial element that I was learning about. Hold this Moment had a strong presence of water which the ancient Greeks associated with ‘feeling’ and the Africans to unperceived waves from which all matter came. This was a good fit as I could feel my Nana with me strongly as I sang, she was the source of inspiration for the song and the reason we went on this trip.

Assigned the theme of fire, Child in the Sun relates to perception and the second stage in the formation of matter. Originally written for my friends first baby, the song has grown into being about the creation of All things as my understanding of ancient mythology deepens.   Performed in a cave, Golden Eagle is assigned air which, to the ancient Greeks was associated with thought.  The song explores psychosis, where mental energy is trapped in the walls of the mind.  During the 3rd stage in the creation of matter the Egyptians described sound vibrating through 7 chambers.

Filmed in both Polytunnel and yurt, Alone on the Moon shines a light on my dear friends Izabela and Greg’s life of self-sufficiency and working in harmony with nature.  They are pioneers in this modern age and it is apt that this video showcases their hard work in relation to the earth, the final stage in the completion of mass and achievement in the physical realm. Standing Alone on the Moon is both perfect and terrifying.  The earth looks peaceful and harmonious and I am aware of infinite space and time. My place in the universe becomes meaningless.  How I live my life does not matter any more and I am left with one choice; to follow my heart and those actions that bring me joy.  Originally conceived for all my nearest and dearest who feared the disappointment that my chasing a dream of being an artist may bring, this song is now a conversation between my heart, which I left on the Moon and my head caught up in all things Earth.