ANIMATIONS
ALL SHALL BE WELL
“All Shall Be Well” is based on two very wise phrases from Medieval times: “All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well” from Julian of Norwich (14th Century) and “This too shall pass” ascribed to the Sufi Poets of Persia (12th Century). I created it for anyone suffering, grieving, in pain, or worried about the future. It’s not about trying to pretend that the awful thing is not happening, but about knowing that, one way or another, it will pass.
AWARDS FOR THE RIVER AND FISH MUSIC VIDEO!
I’m very pleased to share that the River and Fish music video has been given a number of awards by international film festivals, ranging from “Official Selection” to “Special Mention”. Here are some of those “laurels”…
RIVER AND FISH
The song “River and Fish” was inspired by a 10th Century Old English riddle of the same name. It has become a love song from the fish to a river; and a celebration of the persistence, continuity and rolling nature of rivers. The video was a huge undertaking, incorporating 2 metres of hand embroidered riverbank background and around 30 stop motion animation vignettes! I hope you find it peaceful and soothing, and enjoy the little stories and touches of humour that are hiding within!
BRAMBLES
“Brambles” is a modern take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy story. In this version, sensitive Rosa builds her own defences of thorns and brambles to protect herself from the outside world. The “prince” character of the old tale now comes in the form of a kind and understanding ordinary man who works alongside her and helps her to dismantle the defences she had nurtured. This touching little stop motion animation illustrates the song in a story book/silent movie style.
WHERE THE WILD BEES GO
“Where the wild bees go” was inspired by the folk tradition of “telling the bees”, where it was considered crucial to tell the family’s beehive about anything happening within the family (for example births, marriages, deaths). It was written during lockdown, watching a big fat bumble bee going about his business and wishing I could fly off, just like he could. The song is entirely acapella: I used layered vocals to create the buzz of a beehive, and then added three harmony lines for the lyrics.
WHAT WASN’T THERE
“What wasn’t there” is all about our human obsession with what we don’t have, leading us to overlook and devalue what we do have. This video was created from photos provided by my followers on Facebook when I asked them to sum up the concept of something not being there in picture form – a difficult task!
THREE IMPOSSIBLE TASKS
For “Three Impossible Tasks”, I created a new fairy tale song, based on the standard structure, symbolism and challenges used in all good stories, glued together with scraps and faded memories of the tales I half remember from childhood.
A song all about overcoming challenges, it’s perfect for Halloween or any other time of the year! I can’t tell you how much fun I had creating the voices of the witch, moon, bird and spider!
SEA FEVER
This is my attempt at turning John Masefield’s wonderful poem, Sea Fever, into a song. It’s published on my second album “All at Sea”, and this video is a simple animation of the album cover.
THE LIAR AND THE TAILOR
This song is based on the fairytale of The Emperor’s New Clothes and the Ancient Greek myth of Cassandra (who, when she rejected Apollo’s advances, was cursed to be able to foresee the future, but to never be believed). Lying has been a political hot topic for a number of years, but perhaps never more so than now…