I had the honour of contributing a composition for a high wire walk performance in Carmarthen, Wales, on August 12th 2023, for the wonderful performer Ellis Grover. I worked with samples of his late father’s voice & harmonica, blues musician Pat Grover, and created a bed around it for the closing moments of Ellis’ performance.
Here are Ellis’ words:
“Well it’s taken a few days to process this immensely special moment shared by me and my fellow Carmartheners last weekend, and I still can’t really fathom the interwoven wonder that became too apparent as I sat on the rocks looking over at the Velodrome with a massive Highwire in the middle, and thinking, gosh, that’s for me. As a teenager hanging out in this very place with my friends, I would never have imagined it would come to this.
To have you all come together to share this moment felt like an incredibly unique thing for a person to experience. That’s family, old friends, new friends, my father’s friends, teachers, bus drivers, the lot! I can map my whole life from birth to adulthood all within the eyes of the people watching me in this moment, as I return as a wire walker. How heart racingly grateful I am. Thankyou all so so much for coming out, and saying hi, it means the world.
Alot of people have asked me for the poem read at the beginning of the walk so here it is –
It’s unimaginable, isn’t it really?
The vastness of time that paved the way for this place.
This town we call home was not ours once,
but the hometown of thousands upon thousands of distant faces.
Faces of people who stood here where we stand,
Watching a wire walker walk,
When the circus came to town.
Perhaps a coincidence,
That I came to find balance here,
On this railing that circled this history.
How these things happen remains a mystery.
But from the rocks to the rooftops,
And the railings in between,
I owe it to this place,
From foundation to dream.
Long live the creative energy of this town,
Overlooked by Merlin’s Hill.
Forever more, forever more,
May the magic be here still.
It’s unimaginable, isn’t it really?
That in years upon years from now,
there will be thousands upon thousands more people.
Some our grandchildren’s grandchildren,
and some who have come from afar.
Will they wonder what moments have passed,
Will they create moments they hope will last,
Will they see today in their own history books,
Or will forward be the only direction in which they look.
—
A special thankyou to Jenny Fox for providing the opportunity for this to happen, Ezra Trigg, Duncan Cunningham, Alisha Sunshine, Algy O’Connell, Oana Time, Jessica Jane Peterson and Charlie Pothecary for helping me get this done, and to the incredible Simon Dobson and my rock, Meg Ella, for providing the soundtrack.
Photographs by Jake Rowles
Cheers Carmarthen, until next time xx”
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