In June various Waywords and Meanings contributors converged in Dublin and London to celebrate the wild and wonderful world of Finnegans Wake.
Some of the highlights included project director Derek Pyle’s talk at the James Joyce Centre in Dublin; an evening of performances at Usurp Art in London; a weeklong installation of Waywords and Meanings audio at the Institute of English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London; and a panel discussion at the XXV International James Joyce Symposium in London.
Photos, audio, and video from the evening at Usurp can be found on their website. The evening featured performances by Amy Neilson and Bob Kesh; Simon Ross; Krzysztof Bartnicki; Ollie Evans and Eleanor Massie; Conspirators of Pleasure; and Neil Campbell with Sticky Foster. Derek Pyle was master of ceremonies. The evening ended with a raucous group improv that included the performers as well as audience members.
Following the Usurp performance, Pyle, Bartnicki, and Evans were joined by Daniel Bristow for a panel discussion at the James Joyce International Symposium. Other highlights from the Symposium included the premiere of First We Feel, Then We Fall, an interactive film based on the Wake. Created by Jakub Wróblewski and Katarzyna Bazarnik, the project is like a Polish polar-cousin to Waywords and Meansigns.
Thanks to the James Joyce Centre, Usurp Art and the International James Joyce Symposium for hosting us. It was a real pleasure to meet, perform, collaborate, and hang with so many of you — let’s do it again soon!