Jessica Rost

Shrine to the Liminal is a dedication to our ‘encounters’, our relationships and our connections with other species and with each other, in a time we are forever passing from.

It is an immersive space of sounds and raw light which attempts to slow people down, allowing them to just ‘be’ in the space.

 

 

The sound is created from recordings made at twilight and at dawn – liminal times of day when the natural becomes more prominent. The sounds are on differing length loops so that the experience is always changing and never repeats.

The project is on-going and aims to manifest in several iterations at outdoor events and as exhibition pieces this year.

You can see a film of the project installed in a pop-up space in Leeds here.

As part of this project people have been invited to contribute writing for the Companion Eulogies – a small publication of collated writings which accompany the shrines.

 

The eulogies are attempts to capture in words the moments of ‘otherness’, moments of connection, moments which reach across the ‘abyss’ and are gone forever. If you are interested in having a copy or would like to write something for the next edition please email for more information: Jessica@jessicarost.co.uk

Becoming Batty is a new live performance piece created by Jessica Rost.

It will be performed on Sunday 8th March, 2pm, The Tetley, Leeds as part of Print, Perform Present.

You can watch a film of the piece being performed at Common Ground, Blackburn, here.

 

Developed from a poem written by the artist, Becoming Batty performance tries to define the distances we maintain between each other, between other creatures and other things. But also the illusion of separation which makes us think we are exceptional.

Batty is about an inability to empathize, or the importance of empathy and the imagination, in our becomings with others; other creatures and other things. The artist performs on stilts to a sound track of spoken word – distancing herself from the audience.

If we can imagine beyond our own singular experiences, we can realise our inter-connections, our shared biology, our shared histories, see with clear eyes and truly listen.

Batty represents all the ‘others’; the outcasts, misfits, mis-understoods, the unvoiced and the unheard ones.

The piece is available to book for events and gatherings. Please email: jessica@jessicarost.co.uk if you are interested.

At the beginning of this year I was commissioned to create a 30ft high Mean Spirit which was to be set alight at the Annual Flamboyance -an outdoor event produced by fellow collaborator Nick Garnett of the Annual Daydream Harvest.

The ‘Meany’ was to be articulated with a turning head mechanism, operated from 20ft below, and arms that could be puppeteered as well.

Once the moving parts and welding work was done at the workshop in Milton Keynes, the frame was taken to the John Madejsky Academy in Reading where students helped to put flesh on the giant using willow and other combustible material.

An amazing volunteer team from Rising Sun Arts Centre worked with me on the production; helping finish the make and loading the giant with fire rope and gerbs!!

They became the crew: pyro-technicians and puppeteers  on the project and it was a real privilege to work with them.

The event itself was part of a sequence of annual events called Flamboyance. This edition was: ‘Flamboyance- turning the world upsidown’. It was completely anarchic -as is to be expected from Annual Daydream Harvest associate artistic director and long term co-collaborator Nick Garnett!

Whilst the young people were parading the streets of Whitley, in the most extraordinary contraptions and costumes – with amazing musical accompaniment from Tim Hill and others- the Meany team were preparing the finale in Rabsons rec…

The music changed and the vibe became menacing… “Go home” boomed the Mean Spirit. “Stop having fun!” he boomed again with his arms flaying around. The young people threw love and happiness at him but he was still mean.”Banish him,” they began to chant, “banish him!”

Red smoke bombs were deployed, the fireworks were ignited, the fire rope was lit and the big Meany succumbed to his fate…

By the time the fire brigade arrived he was nothing more than an ashen metal frame again!!

 

 

Soon after being part of the declaration of the Extinction Rebellion (XR) in Parliament Square last October, I was commissioned by Handmade Parade, an incredible company based in Hebden Bridge, to create a giant puppet for Lamplighter Festival in Todmorden.

Their theme was circus and at the time I remember feeling very torn -It was the week of the bridges and I was ready to sit in the road with the rebels for as long as it took!

There wasn’t a big budget and I wanted to do the commission, (Handmade Parade is a real pleasure to work with -they are like family) but it had to be ‘un-circus’, it had to be a polar bear and I wanted to share the puppet with the company afterwards.

(You can read more about my time making Eva in Hebden Bridge here.)

 

It was agreed and in my mind I knew then that Eva the bear would become part of the rebellion, it was just a matter of when and where.

After that I got very busy with other projects. It’s pretty precarious trying to earn a living as an artist at the best of times- work has to be taken as and when it comes in. Every time I went to my workshop I looked at Eva the Ice bear filling the space, so ready to rise up and roar for the cause! “Please take me out”, she seemed to be telling me.

I knew I couldn’t do it alone -logistically she needed a van and at least one other person and I didn’t have a van! I had recently lost my whole company, everything, I was starting out again as Rost Productions a completely new thing… I was also re evaluating my life, my work, everything, (as many of us are), asking myself how I can scale down, make my practice more sustainable, reduce my carbon foot print etc.

As it happens I know first hand how frustrating and often ineffectual politics can be. I was brought up by politicians; my father was a member of Parliament from 1970-1990’s. A long standing Member of the Energy Select Committee, he was banging on about renewables, combined heat and power, global warming etc. 30 or 40 years ago! I watched his frustration and his life’s work falling on deaf ears, years wasted by a system of government that wasn’t listening to the experts -except when it suited them for political gains. It is a system that promotes the game players and not those with any integrity or those who are telling the truth. I’ve been half involved in many protests over the years myself but knowing how futile these battles are against the self interests of the system I found it difficult to take myself off the fence.

The theory and the real power of non-violent protest had never been explained to me before…how a relatively small group of people peaceably braking the law had in the past really changed things: the suffragettes braking windows, the civil rights and gay rights movements, Ghandi and others -their actions had changed things and the new cognitive culture that they helped to create had become the new norm.  XR felt totally different and for the first time I thought this is actually possible!

“…where despair ends and tactics begin”!

By February this year I had begun to get more involved with my local XR affinity group in Milton Keynes and agreed to host some arty making sessions at my workshop. I was so overwhelmed by the support and the motivation of people who got involved.

We made a massive skeleton -Shelly the Skelly -who was designed to be carried on the train and through the underground. Shelly was able to pop-up big -5m or so- anywhere we could carry her to. It was a useful challenge and a tester for the kind of future work I hope to create.

 

I became linked up with an XR Skelly group coordinated by the brilliant Kat and I felt like at last I was able to give something to this important cause. But it was also an amazing way to meet so many like minded people, some of whom happened to live really near me -who’d have thought! This is one of the most brilliant things that the XR movement has done -brought people together. The members of my local XR team carried the parts of Shelly down to London on the train and then we defiantly paraded her around Parliament Square.

The rebellion was well underway when I left London again, bringing Shelly the Skelly back home. I only had a day turnaround before setting off to do an event in Reading for the week…and there was Eva in the workshop as usual; “If not now then when? I was made for this rebellion, please take me to London”, she whispered.

Returning from Reading after midnight on Easter Saturday from an exhausting gig, having stilt walked for 3 hours and set fire to a 30ft effigy of a Mean Spirit, I was ready for action and so was Eva the Ice bear!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With fellow artist and amazing rebel, Emma, who’d return with me from Reading, we headed up to my workshop on Easter Sunday and loaded Eva and Emma’s giant Earth costume into a van. We didn’t really have a plan -at least not one that didn’t keep changing! So I just set the controls (sat nav.) to the heart of the sun!  (Parliament Square) and we were off.

By the time we got near we had been in contact with an XR driver who was able to meet us and take the van off our hands.

Rebels met us, helped us to rig, put on costumes and with quite a bit of difficulty we managed to steer around the troublesome police officers who began to target Eva as we turned the corner towards the square…

Eva spent two amazing days rebelling in London, marching from road block to road block, from Parliament to Marble Arch. She listened to some really inspiring speakers, gained tonnes of admirers and met some incredible people. What a beautiful, hopeful vibe we rebels created -if this is the future bring it on!

Eva’s looking forward to returning to the cause soon… maybe with Hugh, the cycle-powered Mammoth, who’ll be made of plastic nets?  I’m in the midst of creating him now so keep all your onion bags for me please!

You can follow Eva the ice bear on twitter where she now has her own account! And you can find out more about the Extinction Rebellion online.

 

During the summer of 2018 I delivered some ‘high octane’ fueled creative engagement work for Vodafone UK, as they prepared to launch their Gigafast 1000 super fast broadband in various places around the UK, including in Milton Keynes.

The work began last July at IF: Milton Keynes International Festival 2018, where sponsors of the festival, Vodafone, were launching their new fibre broadband.

I provided 6 days  of activity, bringing in collaborators to deliver cardboard rocket building, space costumes, movement  and to create an ‘out of this world’ soundscape with the young participants.

 

Working mainly with my colleague Nick Garnett to create the rocket, we facilitated activity for over 100 children. The spacey installation went on show at MK Central Library for one month after the festival for people to see and explore!

Vodafone were so happy with the results and the interest that the installation created, that they asked for the rocket to be reconstructed at their HQ in Newbury, where it was on display and admired for a further month.

 

In October last year, I was asked to provide more ‘high octane imagination’ activity -this time in Peterborough. Nick and I spent a week there, under the shadow of the great cathedral, creating the Gigafast 1000, mark 2.

It was very inspiring to be making a rocket just outside Peterborough Cathedral whist inside, Tim Peake’s landing capsule was on display!

 

 

I’m hoping that we’ll get the chance to create the Gigafast 1000, mark 3 soon… so watch this space!!

 

 

Exhibition of new sculpture for group show at Milton Keynes Festival Fringe:

In August 1993 three recent Fine Art graduates; Claire Summerson, Emma Talbot and Jessica Rost, all from Birmingham School of Art, put on their first group exhibition at The City Discovery Centre in Milton Keynes, where one of the artists, Clare, had a studio.

Point of Contact was an exhibition of new work: paintings, sculpture and installation displayed in and around the Cruck Barn at Bradwell Abbey. Following the exhibition both Claire and Jessica became active members of The Silbury group of Artists in Milton Keynes throughout the late 90’s.

Emma Talbot gained a place at the RCA. She now exhibits her work internationally and has recently been appointed Tutor in Painting at the RCA.

Clare Summerson relocated to Cornwall and is Co-founder of the Day-Light group putting on spectacular outdoor participatory and commissioned work. She is based at Krowji Redruth, where she continues to make site-specific mixed media work.

Jessica Rost remained in Milton Keynes organising international artist exchanges and residencies at Westbury Farm. She went on to found Festive Road and to set up the MK Festival Fringe. She now works nationally as a freelance producer and director of street theatre and sculpture.

2nd Point of Contact will see these three artists come together once again to exhibit in a group show at Milton Keynes Museum.

The exhibition will be open everyday from 12th until 19th July.

‘Peddlers Pack: so many things you never saw before’ is a perambulating outdoor show created by Jessica Rost Productions as part of Pedalling Culture, commissioned by Arts & Heritage Alliance Milton Keynes.

The show was presented in 2018, as part of ‘New Work Works’ for  Bedlam Fair, Bath and was also performed at MK Festival Fringe, Winter Droving and LakesAlive! It involves five very individual characters, with some extraordinary offers, and incorporates specially created soundscapes by Stuart Moore. Although these peddlers are very much of present day and place, they have a definite other worldliness about them.         

These five engaging hucksters will be hawking the fringes and byways this summer: conducting their commerce, and making connections, interactions and unforgettable transactions – the like of which you could not ever have imagined possible. Come and find them before they find you!

Traditionally peddlers were people who travelled about the countryside selling wares or services. They were often immigrants, outcasts or people on the margins of society. They would offer novelty items, handmade produce or mending and repair services to people who were not able to travel into villages and towns easily.

You’ll find them travelling about the byways, carrying their wares on bicycles and barrows …now seeking bookings for next year.

Meanwhile have a look at the promo film here.

 

  

 

A new highly interactive outdoor perambulating show -a collaboration between Jessica Rost and Nick Garnett – ‘The Annual Steam Hammer Rally and Picnic’ is a participatory adventure celebrating the resourcefulness and ‘can do’ spirit of the long distance vintage racing car rally drivers.

The show features three pedal powered cars with specially created in-car sound tracks by Stuart Moore. The cars were built by Jessica Rost and Nick Garnett from discarded household objects, bicycle parts and other reclaimed materials; each car having a girl and boy crew but with an interesting twist and plenty of shenanigans to go with! 

The show depicts an epic yearly Rally which sees the intrepid members of the thoroughly forward thinking Steam Hammer Racing Club put their foot to the floor, with expedience and cunning, as they race against each other around a seemingly impossible circuit.

Expect to see them racing by, although they may need to stop and make major mechanical repairs and speed enhancing alterations. Indeed, they may well need your help too: these aristocrats don’t like to get their hands into the oily side of motoring. They will also undoubtedly wish to take tea and partake in the odd picnic with the natives, (part of the Annual Rally tradition).

 

The show was performed at the ‘acceleration’ themed Spare Parts,  festivals in 2018: Sandbach Festival of Transport on 22nd April, trAction Festival Crewe on 7th July and Fleetwood Festival of Transport on 15th July.