Faversham Abbey Virtually Illuminated (FAVi)

Faversham’s royal history celebrated in a season of medieval-themed arts activities

Following the Magna Carta 800th year celebrations, the medieval theme is revisited in Faversham from September as Creek Creative Studios stages Faversham Abbey Virtually Illuminated (FAVi), an outdoor art-meets-heritage Reveal Event of light, sound and music. The event is part of a season of medieval-themed activities – all of which will bring to life a significant lost monument from an important period of Faversham’s royal history: Faversham Abbey.

FAVi, supported by North Kent grass roots arts organisation Ideas Test, kicks off with a season of medieval crafts workshops, including lantern making, stone carving and tapestry making (3 Sept – 17 Oct). An exhibition at Creek Creative (6 Oct – 1 Nov) will give a flavour of life in Faversham during the almost 400-year lifespan of the Abbey. And on Saturday 24 October, a lantern procession (7-8pm) from the Guildhall will lead to FAVi’s Live Reveal Event (8-9pm), a dramatic spectacle in light, sound and music marking the exact location and impressive scale of Faversham Abbey. Faversham Abbey was founded by King Stephen and Queen Matilda in 1148 and demolished during the dissolution of the monasteries ordered by King Henry VIII from 1538 onwards. The FAVi idea was conceived by Anne MacLaren and Simon Giles, Founding Directors of Creek Creative Studios, Faversham’s highly-rated community arts facility (and home to more than 45 artists and artisans). Their inspiration for FAVi was a talk given by Dr. Brian Philp MBE at the Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in July 2008, when he described his 1965 archaeological dig on the Abbey site. Anne explains: ‘We became fascinated by the idea that the foundations of this important Abbey housing the tomb of a former King and Queen – which rivalled neighbouring Rochester Cathedral in scale – lay beneath our home town. ‘How amazing it would be if we could reveal it in some way, drawing the town’s attention to its amazing medieval past.’ Ideas Test awarded the funding needed to realise Anne and Simon’s ambition and to and in the spirit of helping to encourage more people to try their hand at creative activities. Anne and Simon hope many will be inspired to take part in their medieval craft workshops during September and October, and get actively involved in the build up to the FAVi lantern procession and Live Reveal Event on the 24th October.

Workshop times and dates:

• Tapestry Thursdays, 2-6pm – 3/10/24 Sept & 1 Oct
• Pottery Fridays, 10am-12pm – 11/18/25 Sept & 2/9 Oct
• Stone carving Fridays, 2-6pm – 4/11/18/25 Sept & 2 Oct
• Lantern making Saturdays, 10am-2pm – 19/26 Sept & 3/10/17 Oct

For further information and to book tickets for the Reveal Event, drop in to Creek

Creative at 1 Abbey Street, Faversham ME13 7BE: open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm & Sat-

Sun 10am-4pm or call 01795 535515 (or email info@creek-creative.org). Keep up to

date with FAVi by liking it on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/favi2015 and

following it on twitter @creek_creative.

 

 

Ideas Test was founded in 2012 and is one of 21 Arts Council England funded

Creative People and Places projects working in areas of England where

engagement in the arts is in the bottom 20% in the country. It is an action research

programme that supports new and radically different approaches to engagement

with the arts. The long term vision for Ideas Test is to find new routes into creativity

 

 

and the arts, embedded with and led by local people, building capacity in the arts

community and creating demand for excellent arts activity. Ideas Test works with

professional and amateur groups and individuals inside and outside the arts.