Please note this is NOT a ZOOM Lecture but an in person lecture at our museum – tickets include a complimentary glass of Devil’s Botany Absinthe
Bar open at 6:30pm and lecture starts at 7pm
Winter Folk Customs, with Ben Edge – LIVE
Join Ben Edge for this talk as he takes you into the heart of British Folklore and shares his own journey as an artist and gives insights into his creative practice and process. The talk will include Ben’s footage from the folk traditions themselves, such as the Burryman, the Straw Bear and the Obby Oss of Padstow that have become the Muse and inspiration for his meticulous paintings depicting the ritual landscape of Britain today. There will also be a Q&A at the end so you will have the chance to ask Ben questions directly.
For nearly a decade Ben Edge has been documenting the seasonal folk Customs of Britain, travelling by bus, train and foot to the far corners of these Isles, to capture our often overlooked, unknown and unsung but thriving Folk culture of contemporary Britain. After a colourful childhood where eccentric family members would tell him remarkable stories about their lives and experiences, Ben developed a passion for storytelling and was particularly inspired by stories of the Green man, tales of Old London, and family legends that he refers to as ‘Family Lore’. However it wasn’t until what Edge describes as a ‘Druidic epiphany’ in which he accidentally stumbled on a Spring Equinox ceremony being performed by the Druid Order on Tower Hill, That Bens eyes were opened to the rich tapestry of seasonal folk Customs taking all across the British isles today, that lead to a life changing journey in which nearly ten years on has led to Ben becoming one of the leading voices, artists and documenters working around the subject of British Folklore today. Through paint, Film, Photography, sculpture and song Ben has assembled an incredible obsessive archive of work, with each medium functioning a different way to capture various elements that make up Britains thriving folk culture today. This will also be the first exhibition in which some of Bens up until now unseen photographs will be exhibited alongside his paintings and objects he has collected along his travels.
Ben Edge
Ben Edge is an artist, songwriter and folklorist, who for nearly a decade has been obsessively painting and documenting the seasonal folk customs of the British Isles. In 2021 his ‘Frontline Folklore’ series was exhibited alongside the ‘Museum of British Folklore’ collection at the Crypt gallery of the St Pancras New Church, in an exhibition titled ‘Ritual Britain’ that attracted over 10,000 visitors with extensive media coverage and viral exposure across social media. Ben is currently working on his latest series ‘Children of Albion’ focusing on contemporary folklore practices of Britain.
We are unable to give refunds for in person events with less than seven days notice in any circumstances
Devil’s Botany is London’s first absinthe distillery, founded by Directors of The Last Tuesday Society’s Absinthe Parlour & Cocktail Bar.