Fenwomen
Even Norwich is a brand-new group organised to establish a new permanent venue in Norwich for experimental music, moving image, performance and literature. They are a voluntary organisation and have scheduled events throughout May specialising in a rich programme of events that are beyond what you see everyday taking place in the depths of The Undercroft.
Entering the dark basement opposite the market felt like I was being ushered into a secret society, unaware of the mysterioud delights that awaited.
Fenwomen is an evening of readings, sound and film responding to the work of author Mary Chamberlain entitled Fenwomen: A Portrait Of Women in an English Village.
Brooding synths with lashings of orchestral texture emanated through the room as the guests arrived. The host of the evening, Rose Higham Stainton, informed attendees that it is a piece especially composed by Norwich based choir, Embers. It had an enticing ambient tone that perfectly set the mood for the evening.
Lithuanian artist Geistė Marija Kinčinaitytė opened the night with an astounding short film montage of distorted scenes of nature, paired with prose on belonging, alienation, and the unknown. The images were crisp and striking captivating the audience with its’ the ethereal scenes.
Essayist and critic Phillipa Snow followed with something much grittier in tone, narrating an oddly endearing account of a young serial-killer luring her victims. She described it as an odd-ball horror story inspired by the source text.
Whereas Hannah Levene’s piece was on the complete other end of the spectrum taking inspiration from the Dikes of the Fens with the antics of a community of young lesbians. One of which was named “Car-hartt” shortened to “Car”, poking tongue in cheek fun at the clothing brand often associated with Lesbians. It was a joyous reclamation of Queer stereotypes that touched on the heart-warming nature of chosen families.
Rose Higham Stainton closed her curated evening with a haunting tale of a Fen-workers severed left undecayed and worshipped like a relic by locals. She displayed a vibrant imagination sucking in the audience into a world of foreboding mystique. The vivid imagery touched on themes of persistence in the face of trauma, and the debilitating weight of misogyny.
The night was a success in igniting imagination in a beautiful space of community. Revellers stuck around for a natter and a beer, sharing interpretations and appreciations of craft.
You can find more information about Even on their website https://even-norwich.co/. They have two more events in May on the 24th and 26th of May. If you appreciate art that’s on the more left-field side of things, these events are guaranteed to tantalise your intrigue.
