Blowout for the Blaze
Stephen Coles

As a practitioner I have a keen interest in the application of iron and
ritual/performance, within a contemporary context. I have always been
attracted by the juxtaposition of using a permanent, enduring, solid
material such as iron in an ephemeral manner, performance is one such medium
in which this phenomenon can happen and be explored further. Likewise I am
also interested in looking into the mechanics of ritual and seeing how these
can be reinterpreted through performance and contemporary materials and
methods to provide a more current and relevant experience.

‘Blowout for the Blaze’ is a tongue in cheek response to the Jani festival.
After researching the event I found it rather disconcerting that there is
this unhealthy relationship that exists between the revellers and the
bonfire. Certainly some sort of token offering may be made to the fire by
more considered elements of the congregation but are these token offerings
enough to warrant true appreciation of the fires function? I say no and as
such seek to redress the balance by offering large quantities of ale and
cheese to the fire during this performance and furthermore to invite the
fire by igniting oil. Hopefully this will go someway to redressing the
balance for the fire’s sake.