THE PROJECT

Ritual is the first project of the Hidden Spire Collective, a new creative membership at the Old Fire Station.

Ritual was inspired by the need to celebrate transitions in life, particularly after Covid lockdowns, when so many people missed out on sharing experiences of celebrations and memorials which we previously took for granted.

Ritual was also a chance for our artists to explore moments in life that are not traditionally celebrated, but which we felt needed a moment to mark them, sometimes in the presence of others.

17 members of the collective took part. Most attended workshops at the Old Fire Station from April - June 23 facilitated by Rowan Padmore (writing), Donna Han (making) and Philippa James (photography). Some took part by writing in response to prompts that were sent to them at home.

Designing our own rituals and making objects to be used in them was a cathartic process.

Having a public exhibition of photographs that represent the ritual in some way - a moment or an atmosphere - was also an important part of the journey of recognition.

Equal weighting of process and public sharing is an integral element of the Hidden Spire Collective.

Lizzy McBain, Hidden Spire Collective Creative Lead

Thinking about everyday rituals

A Daily Ritual

wake up a torrent of worries, ideas and frustrations cascade through my mind check the time, but not on a smartphone crawl out of bed. take tablets. look for fluids. no caffeine this early. water. from the tap in the kitchen. people wander around, a bit lost. make it to the early morning meeting. plan what activities i'm going to today. art. music. dynamic psychotherapy. try and get out of the building with a nurse. the objective is to make it to the newsagent to buy a sugar free energy drink. eventually, manage that. coffee. vape. sit with the PC in the dining room, which is huge and bright. check messages. see how current friends are doing on whatsapp. read charles bukowski and terry pratchett.

in the afternoon, try to write. write from life. things i see around me. people who are lost, feinding for nicotine, fresh air, takeaways. in the evening, get changed for dinner. nice frocks, skirts, blouses. sit around afterwards. play uplifting trance on the headphones. i'd be lost without my music. things get better, slowly. it takes time. sleep at 11. rinse and repeat. it's only temporary. and not like how you'd ever imagine a psychiatric unit to be.

Will

My First Day At School

Every year, thousands of boys and girls enter secondary school. It is a rite of passage in many ways.

1973

All girls. All uniformed. Lost and confused. Where do I go? What is happening? I can't keep up. Why so many different teachers? Best thing: break time, but it's not long enough. Older bigger girls Why do I have to put on a beret? The others on the bus will tease me. Sudden self consciousness. Tiredness.

2022

School gates.

Headmasters office. Science experiments. The school building. Which way? Where's that place? Where do I go? Wait for me? Latin homework ? Older bigger boys. Different food. Tiredness.

Maria

Rite of passage noun

Ceremonies that mark important transitional periods in a person's life, such as birth, puberty, marriage, having children, and death.

Rites of passage usually involve ritual activities and teachings designed to strip individuals of their original roles and prepare them for new ones.

Creating Our New Rituals

What object will you include in your ritual and why?

Perhaps on a shrine – every evening – cut a small heart plaster out and place on the figurine to heal every possible hurt/pain the figurine may have been through – light the candle.

Once the figurine is full of little love heart plasters, it is time to unlock the heart padlock from around his/her neck to allow new, fresh love in again, and remove (possibly burn) the old plasters, keeping the others in the tin for future emergencies/traumas/dilemmas.

Amar

Wish Tree

Every evening, maybe after dinner, make a folded leaf out of crepe paper and wire it to a branch.

Whilst folding, focus on two things. Remember something good that has happened today. Then something you are looking forward to. Make a leaf every night for 59 nights. On the 60th night your tree is full as you enter spring. Day 60. Invite friends to join you and each light a candle and share food.

A bare branched wish tree. Placed on the table or windowsill on the first day of January. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5

Upon lighting all the candles, say together:

“These candles are to acknowledge that where there is darkness, there is also light. That out of the darkness and stillness of winter, grows new life, new possibilities and understanding of the world around us, and the world within us.”

Then each raise a glass and a toast:

“To surviving winter, and to the impending spring, thank f**k for that!”

Grief Stone

The grief stone is a way of expressing to someone who has experienced loss that you’re there for them.

For this ritual, you need a candle, a stone from a place that means something to you, yarn, fabric and threads (preferably in colours that remind you of the person who has died). It can be carried out alone or in groups, with each person taking it in turns to speak.

Find a quiet space and light the candle. Wrap the stone in the fabric, yarn and thread. As you wrap, share aloud a memory of the person passed, or something you’d like to say to the person who is grieving. As you rotate the fabric around the stone, your hand will make a cyclical motion, reflecting the cycles of life, love, loss, and change. Once you’ve encased the stone, blow out the candle to close the ceremony.

Gift the stone to the person who is grieving. Before handing the stone over to them, rotate it three times in your hands. Pass to the person you are gifting it to, who will repeat this motion. They will keep the stone as a reminder they are not alone.

Once time has passed, the person who was gifted the stone might want to pass on their condolences to someone else experiencing loss. They can carry out the ceremony using the same stone. Each time the grief stone is passed on, it will change in shape, colour, texture and weight, carrying with it layers of memory, love, connection and strength.

Sarah