Sweet Fanny Adams in Hyperspace Eden

BASED ON AN AERIAL VIEW OF VITA’S SISSINGHURST FROM THE TOWERCORY On the chamomile lawn, a unicorn kneels at my feet and we trot through the tall grass, where I see lions yawning. And suddenly I’m on the roof of the tower. A view from the very top like a bird’s onto the green and red rooms, with their ceilings blown away, full of ladies, dancing and men, bowing and tall white bell flowers burning with a red flame. And a white knight looks up at me and waves and I lean over so far I fall. I fly. And I fly. Swooping like the grey owl over my great and green estate - Until he catches me, and we embrace.

(*BASED ON MARIANNE NORTH’S GALLERY AT KEW) MINA (HOLDING HER KEY) They build a place for my flower paintings like they say. My gallery is like a railway terminus among the trees. A railway station with no tracks. No rolling stock. No passengers. I pack the whole world up inside and, alongside, finally, with my own hands, I build my Tea House for Tired Visitors. A small house with deep roots and open windows balanced on a rock in the centre of a large pool, fed by mountain streams full of golden carp. There’s a little bridge. A little house made of paper, with sliding panels all around, two sides opening to the frosty air and sky. A gardener’s wife, or some other being capable of boiling the kettle for tea or coffee and biscuits at a fair price, works there, making tea for tired visitors. 

“O, Princess,
Fear no grasslands with no bounds, as a thousand steeds were there at your disposal;
Fear no mountains covered with snow, as a hundred tamed yaks were your friends,
Fear no rivers with surging waves, as a hundred leather rafts were ready to ferry you over.”

Princess Wencheng was the wife of King Songstan Gambo. She was married to the King in order to bring about the union of two kingdoms.

Several teachers and teaching assistants came to the workshops to learn new techniques to pass on to their charges.

 

 Lily visits Cory [3:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

LILY VISITS CORY AT HER TEMPLE SOUND OF A CAR APPROACHING. HEADLIGHTS SWING ACROSS THROUGH THE TREES. SCREECH OF TYRES ON GRAVEL LILY ENTERS. CORY RISES, DISGUISED IN HER BOATER CORYBeautiful signorina - let me carry your net and hat. LILYSuddenly, I meet a beautiful, dusky native, who carries my net and hat. He might be my soul mate. What are the chances? Read more »

Robert is a director of Fifty Nine Productions and has worked with Leo on all their major projects. He worked as dramaturg on the original production of Sweet Fanny Adams in Eden, in the Scottish Plant Collectors Garden, Pitlochry in 2003 (Stellar Quines).

Read Robert’s writings on the Internet and digital technology at RobertSharp.co.uk

 

 Mina, Lily and the Snake [3:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

LILY ENTERS LILYWhat’s the matter? MINA STAYS ROOTED. LILY(SHOUTS) What’s the matter? Move! LILY PICKS UP MINA’S GUN AND SHOOTS THE SNAKE. Show some backbone, woman. MINA MOVES MINAIs it time to go? LILYOf course! Come ON. This way. Come ON. SHOWMANMina - dearest child - what are you doing? It’s time to see the Freak Show. MINATime to go. Time to go. No walls. Open to the sky. Paper walls. And tea. Or biscuits. Or both. SHE LEAVES HER PICTURES AND PICKS UP THE GUN AND WRAPS HER KEY AROUND IT /What a killing race the British are. SHOUTS AND WAVES HER GUN AT STUNNED SHOWMAN Papa! This is me! THE TEMPLE DISINTEGRATES. MINA HAS HER GLIMPSE OF EDEN BEFORE GOING INTO THE GARDEN  

Leo is the founding Director of Fifty Nine Productions. Since the company was created in 2001 he has acted as Creative Director on all their major projects. He worked as dramaturg and video designer on the original production of Sweet Fanny Adams in Eden, in the Scottish Plant Collectors Garden, Pitlochry in 2003 (Stellar Quines).

The company’s film work includes: 59 Rodney Street (National Trust); An Introduction to the Royal Botanic Gardens (Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh); Follow A Shadow (Simon Warner, Impressions Gallery); A Guide To Yorkshire Rivers (Simon Warner/The Culture Company); Roam Wasn’t Made In A Day (Grid Iron/NTS); The Unrecognized (Adalah/Oxfam).

Video Design for Theatre includes: Waves, and Attempts On Her Life (National Theatre); Satygraha (Improbable/ENO); Death In Venice (ENO); Seven Deadly Sins (Royal Ballet); Alex (Improbable); Black Watch (NTS); Roam and Fierce (Grid Iron); Escapology (Suspect Culture); Borderland (7:84); Arthur, Story of a King (Wee Stories Theatre Company).

Visit the Fifty Nine website to read about Leo’s latest projects…