"Do the dead gossip? " Participatory reading group and conversation

This reading group and discussion takes this question, posed by Holly Pester in her essay ‘A Charm of Powerful Trouble’, as its starting point to explore different notions of sound and the dead, particularly how ‘conversations’ could be made with the dead outside of the formalities of language.

Paloma Proudfoot will begin by introducing her own work and how the ideas explored in the shared reading relates to her current practice. We will go on to discuss Pester’s text, as well as excerpts from Anne Carson’s ‘The gender of sound’ and Francis McKee’s ‘Even the dead rise up’, discussing histories of spiritual mediums, ancient ritual communications of grief, and how the decomposition of bodies might be seen as a conversation with the natural world. As Pester says ‘De-composition of the main body is re-composition of new narratives, fungus and worms. A body never stops.’

To conclude the group, we will play recordings of ritual laments and music relating to these ideas, participants are encouraged (but not obliged) to contribute to the playlist which will be shared ahead of time.

Please get in touch with us at rameprojectscornwall@gmail.com if there is any way in which we can support your participation in the event, or if there is any information that would be helpful for us as event organisers to know - for example, allergies, access requirements, etc.