Category:

the mysteries of ravens

10/27/2015

the ravenstring collective

notes on the performance hugin and munin and of the mysteries of ravens

i re- read poe's poem the raven ...also read carl jung's views on ravens.
jung purports that raven symbolism represents the " shadow self" the dark side of the psyche and how the esoteric secrets of " selves" are then exposed to the light of consciousness.
( the shadow-self theme is evident in the stage set of hugin and munin in the form of a shadow box)
so,...ravens are both dark and light. they do not shun the void , the dark ...and they bring forth light from this darkness.
in various myths and concepts there are many contradictions regarding ravens.. they can talk , mimic other bird calls, keep secrets , cannot keep secrets, are scavengers, are not scavengers.

the norse god odin can also shape shift into a raven and is often called the raven king. he is both caring and overwelmed by his two ravens,( hugin means thought and munin means a conduit of memory.)the two ravens report to odin every evening of their differing views/ news of the day.

therefore odin's character is also conflicted and contradictory best exemplified by his recitative( i need a ballast to ballast me)
hence, the intrigue of this performance, a song cycle portraying the complications/contradictions of the norse myth.

nora hutchinson

43 Comments

me and the ravens--Sue Smith

9/8/2015

34 Comments

unsatisfied with their depictions, they revolted'
by Tor Lukasik-Foss

Me and the Ravens

   I love ravens. I love crows. I love their shiny black feathers, their croaking, cawing and gurgling voices.   I love their distinct silhouettes when flying or roosting in trees. I love how they hop around on the ground.   I love how they inspire story.

   The Corvid family is an interesting crew indeed.   They thrive in a vast array of climatic zones from the southwest American desert to the rainforests of Haida Gwaii to the Canadian Arctic where they remain even during the winter.   In fact, they live everywhere on the planet except the southern tip of South America and the polar icecaps. They are considered to be the most intelligent of birds. They are playful. They are resourceful. They memorize. They are tool-users. They are known to be attracted to and even collect shiny baubles.

   The corvids inspire story, song, myth. Edgar Allan Poe, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed and Aesop have all been inspired by the corvids   The ravens who live under the protective care of the RavenMaster at the Tower of London are said to be the guardians of the kingdom – “if the ravens leave the tower, the kingdom will fall”.

   Not long after I visited Bill Reid’s sculpture “Raven and the First Men”, which depicts a Haida creation myth, I learned that the Norse God, Odin, had a pair of ravens on whom he relied for the daily news.   The all-knowing, Norse father God would be nowhere without his birds.   The Haida creation story tells of the Raven bringing human life to the world.   From two separate and geographically discreet cultures, the corvids had come to life in my imagination as creatures of intelligence, knowledge, mystery and purpose.

   Over the years, it became evident that there was a mutually shared curiosity about ravens and crows amongst a group of my friends and performing compatriots.   This curiosity became a magical springboard to explore and develop the “Huginand Munin” performance piece and to name ourselves the Ravenstring Collective.

   I am inspired by our collective and by the corvids. The creative activation they compel is a deep well, both collectively and personally. I have been described, in my youth, as a “porcelain raven”. My friend Ben affectionately calls me his “raven beauty”.   In the company of my creative pals, developing character, text and music in the voice of the raven and donning the long and flowing black robes to play the part of Munin is an invigorating creative adventure.                 Sue Smith

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sound symposium

8/8/2015

49 Comments

Throwing our hat into the 2016 St. John's Nfld Sound Symposium. Wish us luck and hope to see you there.
The Ravenstring collective.

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Nora Hutchinson

5/6/2015

27 Comments

Here are some thoughts by Nora Hutchinson, one of the co-writers of Hugin and Munin and the reason we exist as a performance group.

Envelopes of memory and envelopes of thought are key themes in the Hugin and Munin project by the RavenString collective. In fact, there are many visual and lyrical themes. And, wonderful choreographed moments combined with improvisation. The musicians are great. The solos by the performers Odin, Hugin and Munin are beautiful and mesmerizing.

The work contains elegance, humour, a broad range of emotions but most of all a heart felt presentation. The music consists of hardanger-inspired fiddling, a reminiscence of madrigals, and in particular, a six harmonica drone in chromatic harmony. The musicians hold positions onstage, thus becoming performers as well. Sets and props are spare allowing for and focusing on the excellent performers.

bravo bravo!!!

27 Comments

The Cotton Factory

5/1/2015

32 Comments

Our 3 show tour starts this sunday at The Cotton Factory in Hamilton.
The performance will take place in the huge upstairs gallery amidst some of the most amazing sculptures and installations. Hope to see you there.
The RavenString Collective

32 Comments

April 27th, 2015

4/27/2015

7 Comments

Greetings one and all. Welcome to our shiny new website. We have been busy rehearsing for our upcoming 3 show run. I like to think of it as a tour. We have been doing a lot of fine polishing and are very excited about putting our baby out into the real world for your viewing and listening pleasure. It would be great to see you at one of our performances.
Jeff Bird and the RavenString Collective.