A Multimedia Exploration of the Story of Vulcan, Blending Film, Poetry, Sound, Music, Art and Science
A Multimedia Exploration of the Story of Vulcan, Blending Film, Poetry, Sound, Music, Art and Science
Welcome to Cradle of Fire, a multimedia collaborative exploration, inspired by Vulcan. Our mythical muse’s story is the catalyst for diverse themes in our initiative. Explore these throughout the site and feel free to Contact Us with your ideas.
At the heart of our project, which is in the development phase, and seeking more partners and contributors, is a short film, due to launch in Oct 2024. It will weave poetry, sound and multi-media art to tell the story of the Roman god Vulcan, craftsman/blacksmith and the deity of fire, forges and volcanoes. Geology, engineering and earth-sciences are also embedded in this re-imagining of the steel and mining industries. We are currently working with museums, heritage and cultural organisations in Yorkshire and Cleveland and look forward to others joining us.
Cradle of Fire was born on 27 May 2024 thanks to an Arts Council England grant.
Read more about the project, our team and partners, and revisit as we evolve. You might also like to follow our social media updates.
Ann Beedham’s father Jack started work in the Sheffield steel plants in 1936, aged 14, and is featured in a Sheffield Star book ‘100 Years of Stainless Steel‘, edited by...
18 September 2024
I have been working on my film while staying in Madeira. This break, away from home and my regular work commitments, is allowing me the space and time to visualise...
11 September 2024
As we developed our branding and online presence, ‘Cradle’ was our nickname, which was also adopted by our brilliant web team, Chameleon Studio (link below). They created our site structure....
30 August 2024
Given Mt Etna’s recent and potentially ongoing eruptions, my lava poem is a timely reminder of the power of natural geological forces. lava birthed in the mouth of the mountain...
9 August 2024
It was a brilliant research visit to the Land of Iron Museum last week for myself and Mike. Everyone was welcoming and keen to share their museum stories and personal...
29 July 2024
Having written the first three poems, I realised one of the challenges as a writer is conveying the complex story of Vulcan using minimal text that will be appropriate for...
28 July 2024
On my recent visit to Sheffield for Cradle of Fire meeting with art mentor Mike Stubbs and a potential new collaborator Jake Harries, I visited a new exhibition ‘Show your...
24 July 2024
Ironstone, a component used in steel making, was mined locally from the mid 19th century. This lump of rock appears small but is weighty. In fact, three generations of mineworkers...
22 July 2024
For this post, I’m grateful to have had access to a copy of a small booklet written by Sylvia Pybus entitled Vulcan: From Mount Olympus to Sheffield, published in 1997...
18 July 2024
We are immensely grateful for the support offered by our partners.
We’d love to hear from you as we develop the Cradle of Fire project. Please use the contact page to get in touch.
Cradle of Fire is a research and development project, supported by public funds from Arts Council England. We are also grateful for support from our partners and creative collaborators. Read more on the dedicated About pages.
Check our progress to date and future plans via the timeline