PULp
South Hill Park, Bracknell

Paul Burwell and I were very interested in ancient beliefs where daily life and spiritual ritual intertwined such as in the traditional Navajo way, described as ‘life itself, the land and well-being.’ In the Navajo way, each being, all living things, is infused with its own spirit, or ‘inner form’ which gives it life and purpose within an interconnected universe. This interrelatedness of all creation is recognised through daily systems of ceremonies with lucent songs:

….That is the story of those themselves who returned from there
…His call and my call would identify as they were placed
Her garment is pollen as she was placed
Her voice is pollen as she was placed
Pollen made her invisible as she was placed
It is the very pollen of dawn white corn along
My front that now instincts me as I go about
It is precisely the pollen of evening twilight
…….

By means of pollen, my body.
By this song I walk.
By means of pollen, my face.
By this song I walk.
By means of pollen, my voice.
By this song I walk.

I became interested in bee collectivism and ceremony around which many ancient rituals were based, such as in Egypt, the Opening the Mouth ceremony and Book of Am-Tuat (the Otherworld) which compares the voices of souls to the hum of bees. Scientific research into insect song was often unable to unravel phenomena such as how a sudden complete silence is precipitated.

“To the pulse of Paul Burwell’s drumming, Anne Bean seemed to try to regain a physical absorption in nature. She inundated herself with words from scientific and North American sacred texts, and literally in a stream of honey. The piece built up to a breathtaking moment when a fan blew clouds of gold and turquoise paper all over the room as a simile of pollen”
Art Monthly

“A cloud of colour exploded – we all gasped – sticking to Anne’s bee-body”
Performance Magazine

These two performance artists use music, voice and elaborate theatre effects to produce a visually stunning image. Anne Bean and Paul Burwell’s performances are always original. They weave a magical creation which breaks down barriers of perception and transcends the humdrum of everyday.
Bracknell Times