Inspired by cherished author Alan Garner, Legion Projects and House of Goblin invite participants to explore the landscapes, iconography and mythical underpinnings of Garner’s imaginative universe through a ceramics workshop, talk and exhibition held during NeoAncients festival.

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Garner was part of a cohort of authors who transformed children’s literature through stories that were infused by folklore and rooted in place. His output includes classic children’s books such as The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (1960), The Moon of Gomrath (1963), and The Owl Service (1967).

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During NeoAncients, festival-goers are invited to take part in an Owl Service–inspired plate decorating workshop at House of Goblin. In The Owl Service, a young Alison discovers a dinner service stored in the attic of an old Welsh Manor house. Through tracing and interpreting the patterns on the plates, she awakens a dormant, cyclical story rooted in the Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd. Inspired by this moment, the workshop invites participants to step into Alison’s role — using decoration, repetition and mark-making as a way of engaging with myth, and treating plates not simply as decorative objects but as narrative surfaces to take home. 

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During NeoAncients, House of Goblin will host an exhibition by artists The Broom Cupboard, House of Goblin, Tom Sewell, Fern Thomas and Sean Vicary, which will include ceramics, drawing, sculpture and film works inspired by Alan Garner’s work.

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A talk by The Broom Cupboard (Matthew Robert Hughes and Blue Firth) exploring Garner’s wider influence will also take place during the festival.

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Taking place over Beltane weekend — a seasonal festival which marks the start of summer and is associated with the figure of Blodeuwedd — we will embrace myth as a living and evolving process, which can be continually reawakened and reshaped through collective imaginative engagements.

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For more information on the programme see House of Goblin's website. 

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House of Goblin is open Thurs, 6-8pm, Fri 11-9pm, Sat & Sun 11-5pm
15 Union Street, Stroud GL5 2HE

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