LoveReading Says
Such a gorgeously evocative and fascinating book, not only does it showcase the author’s art, it also celebrates the wonders and customs of British folklore throughout the year. Author and artist Ben Edge visits 36 different folk locations and gatherings across the land, inviting us to join him as he paints from his heart and explains the different customs and festivities. He wonderfully heralds and summarises our folklore as a: “breath of fresh air… it’s greatest appeal to me is that folk customs often arose from the ways in which peasants used their ritual practices, superstitions, storytelling and creativity to take back control of their lives and destinies from the oppressive regimes of the ruling classes. British folklore doesn’t filter down from the top, from palaces or stately homes; it’s not tied up with the empire or slave trade; it sincerely connects us to a time in which we honoured our ancestors, celebrated the seasons, welcomed in the harvest and lived in harmony with the land”. Oh how this last sentence spoke to me, and I loved the variety of the chapters in this book, from the Pearly Kings and Queens Harvest Festival in the City of London, right through to Wassailing, The Dorset Ooser, and The Mudstone Monolith, each sings with vibrancy. As well as the paintings, there are plenty of dynamic photos to accompany his thoughts, and this highlights the vitality and wonder of the past, and how our folklore still survives and is even thriving today. This gorgeous book joins our collection of LoveReading Star Books and I’ve also chosen it as a Liz Pick of the Month. Highly recommended by our team, Folklore Rising is a stimulating and wonderfully colourful journey, full of heart and deeply velvety depths. Loved it!
Liz Robinson
Find This Book In
| Primary Genre |
Travel
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Folklore Rising Synopsis
Ben Edge is a rising star of both the art world and the current folk renaissance. This first trade book of Edge's art, featuring over 200 artworks, is a unique insight into his creative process as well as the first mainstream book to explore the amazing and wildly popular folk customs of the British ritual year.
Ben Edge has travelled the length and breadth of Britain recording the weird and wonderful folk customs alive in communities all over the country. In this book, the first trade edition of his art, he shares over 200 paintings and photographs, along with real-life stories, anecdotes and legends. He talks about how connecting with our incredible living folklore helped him recover from depression, and also introduces his idea of folklore activism, suggesting that suggesting that the current massive resurgence of interest in contemporary folk culture represents ordinary people’s desire to find new ways of envisioning community and caring for and connecting to nature. Readers will be enchanted and inspired by the images and description of:
• Mass events that are attended by thousands such as the solstices at Stonehenge, the Padstow ‘Obby ‘Oss parade, the Burry Man’s Day and the Straw Bear of Whittlesea.
• Practices to celebrate the turning wheel of the year, from wassailing to May Day fertility rites to fire festivals to Mumming Plays.
• The progressive all-female Morris dancing side Boss Morris.
• The Green Man – how this has become an icon of modern spirituality and eco-consciousness and a personal symbol of mental health recovery to Ben.
• Standing stones and the mythology surrounding them.
Overall the book explores the psyche of British folklore, showing how this has fed into his art and what this means in the context of contemporary life. It's a book about reconnection with nature, each other and the past through art and folklore.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781786788740 |
| Publication date: |
8th October 2024 |
| Author: |
Ben Edge |
| Publisher: |
Watkins an imprint of Watkins Media Limited |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
300 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Travel
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Ben Edge Press Reviews
'In his deeply squirrely, edgy, almost mystic paintings, Ben Edge tries to ask where we all come from and why we tell ourselves the stories we tell ourselves.' -- Jerry Saltz
'It's time to rediscover the real and this book tells you where to find it. Indispensable.' --Jarvis Cocker
