Folklore Tapes visit the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic for research and music
Museum of Witchcraft and Magic

By: Judith Hewitt
Added: 06 June 2016

At the end of May,  David Chatton Barker, Sam Mcloughlin and Ian Humberstone undertook a research/artistic residency at the Museum.  Working under the name Folklore Tapes - an open ended research project, music, spoken word and visual art collective - David, Sam and Ian seek to ‘bring the nation’s folk record to life, [and] to rekindle interest in the treasure trove of traditional culture by finding new forms for its expression.’

Since performing a work about the folklorist Theo Brown at the Women In Print: Witchcraft and the Popular Press 1920-1999 event in April last year, the Museum has been keen to work with them and now that time has arrived.  After exploring the object stores, museum displays, library and archives, the chaps produced art works, field recordings and musical responses to spaces within the Museum in what will be a coherent meditation on the richness and variety of the Museum and on magical practice in the area.  Below are a few teaser images, interspersed with examples of their previous work. 

The project will manifest in live performances, films, a magazine, and a release full to the brim with sympathetic, intense and thought provoking responses to this wonderful collection...