Crafty–Kingdom Arts and Sciences Competitions 2018

May 2, 2018 1 Comment

Finally…Here’s my Calontir Kingdom Arts and Sciences event post for you. The Bardic Bedlam event slowed my writing. You’ll see my timing is later than my usual delay, but I wanted to do more than post photos.

The Shire of Lost Moor hosted the event at a site we hadn’t seen before. It had space by the ton and a maze of smaller rooms. A site useful for different SCA event types.

This event has two huge Kingdom Arts and Science competitions on the same day. Tri-levels and Championship. Both are judged by Kingdom Criteria. At every turn you see excellent, talented artisans and their abundant skills displayed. And judges circling around entries, three for each one.

HL Roxelana with her husband and her display.

The first and most dramatic thing you see on arriving is this unique reliquary by Honorable Lady Roxelana Bramante. Roxelana is recently from the Kingdom of Northshield, but now is from the Shire-March of the Grimfells. Having seen a reliquary like this when I lived in Germany I was blown away by her faithful recreations.

Silk wrapped reliquary items.

For her entry, Roxelana handmade a delicate flower, bird and grape cluster. She used wire and vellum wrapped with colored, fine silk thread, each one taking at least 30 hours. These will be included in the reliquary box with her previously made wood carvings, medallions, and other silk reliquary flowers.

Kainan’s with his Viking girls clothing.

Next, I see young Kainen Brynjólfsson’s Viking girls clothing. He made the clothes for his friend Emma. Kainen, with his brilliant red hair, is talking with his model friend Emma, who’s looking at his photo album documentation. That’s Kainen’s mom is hiding behind the mannequin.

B. Marguerite des Baux
enjoying Kainan’s photo album

Ly Rima’s amazing jingle cups.

Also fascinating are Lady Rima al-Wadi’s German pottery jingle cups. Rima brightly smiling tells us the medieval drinker wanting a refill shook the cup jangling the rings against the vessel. If I owned one of these I would be afraid clanking the rings against the thin pottery might break it.

Along with the competitions a vigil was held for HL Alianora Jehannette des Amandiers. That’s a welcoming private ceremony, followed by food for all waiting to visit with her before she becomes a Peer.

A spirited party within an artisan appraisal event.

Next, I head to the balcony to see the display floor’s entries from above. This gives you a powerful view of the 66 entries and 50+ judges, many who also entered something themselves. A coordination mind-bending feat.

HL Cristina’s embroidery and display.

Spotting HL Cristina la Ambeler, Lonely Tower’s Arts and Sciences Champion, I go to see her embroidery entry up close. I want to see the tiny stitches I’ve heard talked about by many. She insanely uses single strand silk sewing thread in her detailed embroidery.

Just look at the tiny embroidery stitches. Do you see the white thread outlining each knot?

Tola with M. Regula Alicia la Placida

Here you see a smiling HL Tola Rufusdottir with her Championship entries. Tola recently moved to our Barony and we are glad she made that choice. For her three separate entries, she made an enormous leather bucket, card-weaving looms with weaving and china-smooth wood weaving tools.

Baroness of the Lonely Tower
Aleit de la Thomme

Nest I join Aleit, the Baroness of Lonely Tower and attend her as retinue. I accompany her around the displays while she chats with entrants and reads their documentation. There is very little service I can provide her at an indoor event without a feast, but my presence adds to medieval ambiance. Besides “looking better” together we talked about the “weather

HL Ingibio with her braiding.

Here you see HL Volu-Ingibiorg from the Barony of Mag Mor. She’s being judged on her braided hairstyle from a Renaissance painting. If you enlarge my photo you can glimpse her inspiring source picture.

Ly Nadya Helming’s adorable
embroidered baby shoes.

Still ambling with Baroness Aleit, we find the cutest little shoes. They are Lady Nadya Helming‘s Chinese baby shoes. These adorable handmade, embroidered “booties” are the most precious thing entered.

Her Excellency closely looked over Emma Underfoot’s entry. Emma is a young member of our neighboring Barony of Mag Mor. You remember she’s Kainan’s friend. Emma handmade Viking clothes for her doll family along with a tent.

Emma’s Viking Display

Calontir’s Monarchs, heirs, and attendants.

After several rounds of judging, there is court. Their Majesties Ashir and Ashland sit in Calontir’s new thrones with their recently confirmed heirs, Count Caius Rectus Xerxis and Countess Bele Anna de Ruge by their side.

Four youth entrants each receive a “hope chest”.

After giving mugs t
o three first-event visitors, Their Majesties call before them four youth. They each received a small chest representing hope for their future, a hope chest.

HL Roxelana Bramante, won the Judges’ Choice award for the reliquary entry I so admire. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who was enthralled, the judges were too.

Then HL Paul Adler, Calontir’s Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences was called into court. And the audience held their breath. We couldn’t wait to hear the next Kingdom Arts and Sciences Champion named.

Ly Elaisse returns to her seat
after being announced
as the A & S Champion

And..the winner.. was..
Lady Elaisse de Garrigues

who won for her musical compositions and vocal performance.

There was more A & S business. And you listen as you sit working on a craft.

M. Aidan swearing fealty to the Crowns of Calontir.

Mistress Aidan Cocrinn became the next Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences.

M. Aidan as the Kingdom A & S Minister made her own announcements. M. Elynor of Glastonbury, after a lengthy tenure wished to step down as Falcon Signet. M. Aidan asked for letters of intent from anyone interested in taking the job.