Imagine

21 February 2009

In conjunction with Imagine, Southbank Centre’s annual Children’s Literature Festival, Southbank Centre’s annual Children’s Literature Festival, a gamelan and sung poetry day was organized for the Clore Ballroom, at the heart of which was The Bibliomancer’s Dream, an enchanted library for children young and old, of flying poetry and divination.

Created by artist Alinah Azadeh with inspired design engineering by Willow Winston and Terrance Williams, the installation took the form of a set of twelve two metre high bookshelves arranged in a circle with writing desks attached

This was the perfect setting for the gamelan and a number of activities were staged involving adults and children, experienced gamelan players and those discovering gamelan for the first time.

In addition to public family taster sessions on the gamelan, expert vocalist Esther Wilds facilitated two vocal sessions exploring the communal songs of Java and Indonesian choral singing. The day culminated in a relaxing and informal klenengan; Gamelan musicians from across the UK came together to play compositions incorporating a number of Javanese poetic texts.