THE new Ruthin International Arts Festival will host a range of free, outdoor, community performances, workshops and events from June 28 – July 28.

It will see both established and emerging international and UK artists and poets in attendance, including Anne Bean and Ansuman Biswas; Yue Minjun; W.N. Herbert; Sean O’Brien; Richard DeDominici; Tomasz Szrama; and Adam E. Holton.

It comprises a Seven Day Live Programme (28 June - 4 July) of art, film, poetry, exhibition, and performance-based work, followed by weekly film screenings and panels, open mic performance nights, and workshops, until July 28.

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Hosted at various locations such as Ruthin Castle, the festival explores and conceptualises seven themes across seven days: liveness, intervention, serendipity, togetherness, diaspora, vision, and good night.

This is followed afterwards by a four-week series of weekly screenings, film panels, and workshops.

Seven Day Live Programme: 28 June - 4 July 2024 (Full detailed programme available on the Ruthin International Arts Festival website)

Day One: Liveness (Friday 28th June)

Ongoing: Richard DeDominici - Site-specific Welsh Karaoke; Sula and Simon (Ursula Troce and Simon Bradley), Tower of Time: time here, and elsewhere; Adam E. Holton - public typist, flash fiction writing; and Pop-up performance installation by Suitcase Project.

Moving Image Exhibition (@ Ruthin Castle) opens

Opening performances (@ Ruthin Castle): Abidish Hussain - site-responsive performance; The Family Secret - spoken words, sounds and puppetry; Vida Vojic - ritualistic drumming and spoken words

Li Li Ren + W.H.Y. - experimental live a/v performance

W.H.Y. - electronic music set

Day Two: Intervention (Saturday 29th June)

Moving Image Exhibition (@ Ruthin Castle)

Ongoing (all day @ Ruthin Castle): Adam E. Holton

Pop-up performances: Tomasz Szrama - public performance intervention; Shuyi Gao - site-responsive durational performance; Zhu Tian - community dance project

Film Screening (@ Manorhaus): Lives in small towns (1 Chinese film + 1 Wales-based film, forming a dialogue).

Day Three: Serendipity (Sunday 30th June)

Moving Image Exhibition (@ Ruthin Castle)

Ongoing (all day): Adam E. Holton; Sula and Simon (Ursula Troce and Simon Bradley).

Throughout the day at different locations:

Mengting Zhuo + Li Song - self-amplified sonic performance

Joan Low - movement performance

Anne Bean and Ansuman Biswas - sonic and experimental performance

Transformative Landscape - site-responsive movement/sound

Blanc Sceol (Stephen Shiell & Hannah White) - music + Andrej Bako - electronic music

Yang Lian, W.N. Herbert, Sean O’Brien, Meier, Yu Er and more - Poetry reading

Open Mic - Poetry, Sound and everything

Day Four: Togetherness (Monday 1st July)

Moving Image Exhibition (@ Ruthin Castle)

Panel Talks on: Witchcraft, Environment and Rituals + Contemporary Poetry; Interactive sonic jam with local community by Y Cylch Somatic; Chen Shuyu: Walking Through Love (participatory community project)

(Ruthin Castle): Outdoor Cinema

Day Five: Diaspora (Tuesday 2nd July)

Moving Image Exhibition (@ Ruthin Castle)

Interactive sonic jam by Y Cylch Somatic, cont.

(Ruthin Castle): Outdoor Cinema, cont.

Day Six: Vision (Wednesday 3rd July)

Moving Image Exhibition (@ Ruthin Castle)

Walking and Storytelling Workshops, Poetry and Film Workshop by Glyn Edwards (for the local community)

(Ruthin Castle): Outdoor Cinema, cont.

Day Seven: Good Night (Thursday 4th July)

Moving Image Exhibition (@ Ruthin Castle)

Andrej Bako - Sound Walk

Performance presentations from previous workshops

(Ruthin Castle): Outdoor Cinema, cont.

After the Opening Week, the Ruthin International Arts Festival will continue with weekly film screenings, film panels, and local workshops, 6 - 28 July.

Film Programme (28 June - 28 July)

Pickpocket 小五, Jia Zhangke, 1997

Shang Hai Dreams 青红, Wang Xiaoshuai, 2005

East Palace, West Palace 东宫西宫, Zhang Yuan, 1996

Crazy Stone 疯狂的石头, Ning Hao, 2006

Once upon a bridge in Vietnam, François Bibonne, 2024

Tricky Disco, Sebastian Weise, 2022

Holding Shards, Holly Slingsby, 2024

Seine, Dan Horrigan, 2024

Pouring Water on Troubled Oil, Nariman Massoumi, 2023

Further films will be added in advance of the festival.