Tag Archives: A&S displays

Dance Display at Midwinter

By   1 August, 2017

From the Guild of the Silver Rondel, Lochac’s Dance Guild:

We opened the Coronation feast  on Saturday night with a performance by five members of the Guild of the Silver Rondel:

The musicians were Lord Sympkin of the Moor playing hammered dulcimer, Lady Elena y Delyn playing harp, and Lady Katherine of Glastonbury, also playing harp. The dancers were Master William de Cameron and Mistress Katherina Weyssin.

We performed an improvised Canary before Their Majesties and the populace to begin the feast. The dancers had four solos each. William de Cameron got spontaneous applause from the crowd for his fourth solo – seguiti battuti at double speed, then fioretti and a capriola.

The musicians played beautifully – lovely sound, excellent tempo, and a delightful variety through a long dance (about 8 minutes).

The performance was very well received and was a great deal of fun to be part of. It was a wonderful opportunity to show some of the skill that exists within our guild to a wider audience.

12th Night’s A&S competitions and open display

By   11 January, 2017

Three Kingdom A&S competitions were held at 12th Night Coronation in Politarchopolis last Saturday. The winners were:

Category: Heads, Hands and Feet

Entries: 12. 3 places were announced in this category due to the number of entrants.

Winner: THL Honore Corbaut

2nd place: Lady Anushka Medvedchikova

3rd place: Lady Euphemia de Niccolo Ziani

Category: Nautical

Entries: 2

Winner: THL Honore Corbaut

2nd place: Master Giles Leabrook

Category: Item to hold liquid

Entries: 1

THL Brían dorcha ua Conaill

Gallery of Entries

A 16th century Venetian veil by Lady Euphemia de Niccolo Ziani

Two items of headwear by Lady Mairi of Kilravock

Mary Rose hats by Baroness Honore Corbaut

A sailor’s diet research paper by Master Giles Leabrook

A 13th century fillet by Lady Gwen verch David

A turned wood goblet by THL Brían dorcha ua Conaill

Where’s Waldo naalbinded hat by Lady Jeneur le Geline

Two pairs of gloves, sewn and naalbinded, by Lady Jeneur le Geline

A 14th century wimple and veil set by Hrafnhilda

A pair of sandals, by Lord Matthijs Tjepke van der Horst

Silk thread and knitted gloves (unfinished) by Lady Anushka Medvedchikova

Open Display

An Open Display was also held, with the following items displayed for the populace to view:

Drinking vessels by Master Owen van Nordern

Rapier and musket holster set by Master Owen van Norden

Various knives and other cutlery by Master Owen van Norden

Two rolls of tablet weaving by Lady Kolfinna Burlufotr

Pottery vessels by Master Alex the Potter

A piece of embroidery by THL Miriam Bat Shimeon

How to take part in an A&S display in Lochac

By   5 January, 2017

An Arts & Sciences display is a chance for any member of the populace to show what they have made or researched. They are a fantastic way to let people know what you have been working on, as well as a great way to see what other people are doing in your group.

There are no categories, or documentation requirements. Items are not judged, instead they are admired by other attendees of the event. Displays can be a finished item, or a work in progress.

photo of a piece of weaving with a small handwritten card in front of it

A sample A&S display entry

Arts & Sciences displays are set up at various events around Lochac. The most notable is Kingdom events, where they can be found next to the competition entries display.

To participate in a display all you need to do is bring your item* along, and place it on the designated table at any time during the event. Although the time allocated for people to enter competitions is a good cue to place your item.

Some cards and pens should be provided so you can write the following information:

  1. Your name
  2. What the item is

Once the display is finished, either as the feast hall is being set up, or at the end of the event, you should collect your item.

*An item can be anything you could leave on or beside a table (or yourself if you want to sit/stand there the entire time…) This can include items you have made/cooked/brewed/painted/etc. but can also include a research paper you have written on a non-material aspect of medieval life, or a poem or piece of music you have composed.

Encouraging Arts and Sciences at Your Events – A Steward’s Guide

By   18 December, 2016

There is a strong A&S community in Lochac, and they will often look for ways to engage in A&S at events and meet with other artisans. This page is a guide to help you think about how to incorporate A&S into your event.

The primary thing you should consider when incorporating A&S into your event is to make sure it can be found. Try to locate displays in a place that everyone can admire them, make classes easy to find and hospitable to your teachers and students, and think about how performances and pageantry can add you the atmosphere of your event.

Finally, if you are serving food, then consider that “period food” is just a particular cuisine and we are a nation of people interested in interesting tasty food, so take the chance to showcase something interesting and tasty!

Collegia

Collegia can be either classes or workshops. They are an important way to share knowledge and skills to newer members of the Society, as well as allow everyone to be inspired. Think about moving beyond the common hour-long lecture with notes, perhaps there is someone in your group who is willing to mentor a group of people through making a particular item, perhaps someone would like to host a round-table discussion on a particular skill…

If you want to include collegia you should consider whether you have the facilities to host classes and workshops – a warm, dry space is a must for most sedentary lecture-style classes, whilst some crafts may require a certain light quality, or warmth, or to be outdoors.

Finally, appoint a specific collegia co-ordinator who is responsible for the class timetable, setting up the teaching spaces, finding teachers and making sure everything is running smoothly.

A&S Displays

A&S displays are a fantastic way to showcase what is currently happening in your local group. They are a low pressure way for artisans to bring along something they have recently completed, or a work in progress, to display for others to see, thus contributing to their renown. It also means that people interested in similar areas can find each other.

You can set up an open display, or create a specific theme. Open displays are preferred, as the artisans of Lochac work on items for various reasons, and usually those reasons don’t align with specific themes. However, if you are creating a theme, then think about something that will have a broad appeal, such as a food item.

They are easy to include in any event, as all that is required is a table or two with a tablecloth upon it.

Advertise ahead of time that an “open display” will be set up, and invite anyone to bring along items. Provide cardboard and marker pens so that people can write down their name and what the item is.

Ensure the table(s) are in a well-lit part of the hall, and that the display extends throughout any feast that is served, so that people can browse entries between removes. Also, be sure to announce the display during court, so people know what it is and where to find it.

Competitions

In many ways competitions are a specialised version of the A&S display. Where topics are set by the A&S officer (or Kingdom Minister in the case of a Kingdom Event).

If your event has a competition associated with it, then you should make sure that space is provided on the timetable for entries to be submitted and judging to occur. Judging can take an hour or two, depending on the number and complexity of entries.

The competition administration should be organised by your local A&S officer, so check in with them that they know this, and what help they might need. Also, they will need a chance to announce the winner in court (if you have one), so check that your Herald has this included in the business of court.

General Activities

Does your group enjoy dancing? How about singing or music? Performance is a great way to bring the Arts into your event. Think about whether you have the space and at what points in your event such items would enhance everyone’s fun. Between first and second remove is good for dancing, whilst singing might accompany a procession, or occur whilst people are eating.

Maybe you want to include a subtletie (or series of subtleties) to be presented to high table, and you know someone willing to create it. Make sure that such effort is displayed to the entire room to celebrate the creator.

SCAdians often also enjoy games, and there are a variety of period games suitable for events. Consider period board games, or outdoor games that can be run during the day time.

Ultimately A&S emcompasses a variety of activities, and there are so many ways that it can add to your event and create the enjoyment and atmosphere that ensures your event will be a success.