Always on
This project successfully funded on 23rd May 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Lullabies for the Land at One Harp World Toronto
Stamford, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom
Aim
To raise the funds to stay in the official congress venue for One Harp World in Toronto for ten days this July, to perform, share and learn!
Hello
I’m Eleanor Turner, known as Ellie, and my crowdfunder project is about taking a really meaningful piece of art, in the form of a book of songs, to present it in Canada at what is, essentially, a massive harp party! See below a pic of Shelley Fairplay, Deborah Henson-Conant, me and Jakez François, thinking we are the harp world’s answer to Charlie’s Angels, at the Hong Kong 2011 World Harp Congress.
Now on to the current business and a more serious tone.
Two years ago, I collaborated with the Scottish-Palestinian visual artist Dima Nowarah to create a book of lullabies from around the planet; much of it was music that had not previously been seen in western notation. Creating the book with Dima gave us both a focus for feelings of grief and intense futility against the evils of the world and in particular the genocide and intended cultural erasure of the Palestinian people. We decided to create a book that would be a meaningful piece of art, an act of resistance, a useful resource for western musicians and an opportunity to open conversations with people. I learned a huge amount about the indigenous cultures of Palestine, Cherokee Nation, Kurdistan and Ghana, and I have a LOT more to learn. Below a pic of Dima and I at the Glasgow launch with Lullabies for the Land books and Palestinian embroidery.
Video 1
Here is a short video in which my son, Iñaky, pretends he doesn’t really know me and asks me the questions that we guessed YOU may wish to ask, about why I’m trying to do all of this in the first place and why I’m hand printing 100 tote bags! We had a bit of a giggle putting this together so I do hope you like it!
4 minute Q and A vid
This year, the event I am performing at in Toronto, One Harp World, will give me the opportunity to learn about the indigenous Inuit and First Nations of Canada, as well as sharing the Lullabies for the Land project with a much wider audience. I hope to inspire people with my performance and to sell books, digital albums and merchandise. All monies from sales of the book continue to go to the two charities that the book initially set out to benefit, and for whom it has raised over £2000 so far, those being the Ghassan Abu Sittah Children’s Fund and the Middle East Children’s Alliance.
Video 2
I’ve made a 7 minute video in which I explain in depth about this project, from my beginnings as a harpist to who I am now as a harpist but also just as a human! The aim of this video is to give you an overview of myself as an artist, a glimpse of how I have combined high profile international competitions and appearances with parenting, and what I hope to learn from the World Harp Congress (aka One Harp World) this year.
7 minute background of my journey
I really wanted to make this crowdfunder artistic and fun, continuing my theme of art as resistance, so each one of the tea towels and tote bags is hand printed by me using Indian fabric ink on lovely organic cotton, made in Britain. I even made my own stamps out of foam and cardboard! I am deeply invested in this project and I wanted that to come across with my rewards being unique, personal and with time and thought having gone into each one.
Video 3
Here is my final video and it came about as a result of my dear friend Charlotte suggesting that people might not realise that the tea towels and tote bags were hand printed…and by me! Well, I was hugely flattered that she thought they looked professional! Even pressing them at the end (with a hot dry iron) to seal the ink takes a good ten minutes and the actual creation and printing of each design takes two hours. I love listening to audiobooks and podcasts while I do it, sometimes something fairly intellectual to expand my knowledge, sometimes the series of Greek stories by Jennifer Saint (so far I’m all the way through Ariadne and Elektra) and sometimes something a bit ‘trashy’ like Val McDermid’s brilliant crime thrillers!
Tote bag printing video and chat about past congresses
Closing Statement
I hope that you’ve enjoyed learning a bit more about me, my life and my work and that you feel this is a project well worth supporting. I have been so grateful for everyone who has supported me in the years gone by and do not take that support for granted for one minute. I would be so grateful if you’re in a position to select a reward or make a little donation, but even if you just got something from the videos and are a little intrigued about the project’s music and meaning, then I’m happy! Thanks so much,
Ellie
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made