On The Streets
Parades
and artists
In the Mazey Day parades, there are wonderful parade structures that have been imaginatively designed to fit each year’s festival theme. These carnival creations are created by children and staff from local schools working with local artists.
Below is a little info about some of the artists that regularly work with schools during Golowan, with images of parade pieces they have worked on in previous years.
The people who help put the colour into Golowan
Amanda Lorens is a freelance visual artist and art educator based in Penzance. She is a highly experienced workshop leader specialising in leading sculpture workshops, giant carnival image making, lantern making, animation filmmaking, as well as general mixed media art workshops with young people. Amanda works in primary and secondary schools with children of all ages and abilities, as well as galleries, colleges and for arts festivals all over the country.
Amanda is one of the Golowan founding artists, and she has worked in local primary and secondary schools for many years, making some of the magnificent giant processional images that are seen parading through the town on Mazey Day.
Parade image created by Amanda Lorens and local school children.
Chris Nixon has been involved in the Golowan Festival for more than 20 years, in various roles. He has a studio at Krowji in Redruth, making paintings and 3D work. Chris works as a community artist in education, outdoor celebration and theatre.
Parade image created by Chris Nixon working with local school children.
David Eddy has worked with both Mousehole and Newlyn schools on their Golowan images for 15 years. In that time he has created a wide variety of pieces, from large animals to curious machines, but some that stand out as his favourites include the Indian elephant, the statue of Athena, the fully rigged Newlyn sailing lugger and Merlin the magician.
As well as painting and making things, David is a primary school teacher. If you are interested in David’s work or if you’d like information about him working with your school, community group or business, he can be contacted at eddysnewlyn@aol.com
Parade image created by David Eddy and local school children.
Liz Tyrell first worked with Golowan in 1996, soon after she arrived in Cornwall, and she has been involved with the festival nearly every year since, making parade images, flags and banners. Liz started by volunteering and assisting others, before taking on her own projects and teaching others to make things. She now spends most of her year making things for parades and decorating the streets and she has worked for Lafrowda in St. Just and City of Lights in Truro.
The first giant puppet that Liz made for Golowan was Cinderella’s prince in 2004. She has been making parade images with Gulval School since 2007. Her creations have included Willy Wonka’s head, a knocker from the mines, Medusa, an octopus, a peacock, James and the Giant Peach, The Hungry Caterpillar and the green sea turtle as seen below.
Parade piece created by Liz Tyrell and local school children.
Artist Graham Jobbins first worked with Golowan in 1996, when he was commissioned to build a large willow processional sculpture and made a giant Green Man, with blinking and swivelling eyes. An established favourite, the Green Man came out again in 1997 crewed by a maverick gang of ale heads, while Graham and his wife carried his new make, a fireball/comet, made at the Nancherrow Youth Centre, St Just, where, inspired by Golowan, they started their own festival: Lafrowda Day.
On Mazey Day 1998, Graham constructed a 17 foot tall sea witch, with sharpened teeth, swivelling hips, sea urchin eyes and a net full of skulls, she made a few dogs bark and a few children cry. In 1999, Graham made a 25ft long, 15ft tall, black eclipse dragon with an enormous swishing tail.
Since then Graham has made many Golowan sculptures and he has worked for Mount’s Bay Academy as its lead artist. Graham’s creations have included two blue horses; a tin miner with his rock drill; a giant squid; a noble Greek warrior and a flaming fiery dragon.
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