Into the Wyld Production and Research Blog

Into the Wyld has been a project that has been in development for a number of years in various guises and forms but today to me feels utterly inevitable. Like Gawain this project feels like my own form of challenge only set in many years in the past that only recently has made itself clear to me.

I intend to use this blog to keep track of my wanderings both mental and physical as I alongside my friends in art bring our project Into the Wyld to life this year. I hope these blogs serve as a stepping on point for others who discover these connections or who just want to see where this project takes me. Thank you for reading.

- Patric

Camelot

The research I undertook in the development of that project took me down a great many rabbit holes one of which took me to Arthuriana and specifically Wirral’s connection to the poem Sir Gawain and the Green knight.

The poem itself is a 14th century Middle English text with a firm foot in the North West. Written by a today unknown author the poem takes place in the mythologic world of King Arthur and the Knights of the round table.

If you were a child growing up in the North West (I in Liverpool) during the 1980’s and 90’s you’ll likely already have a strong local connection Arthuriana. Gawain, Lancelot, and Arthur are probably all characters you met on a family day out to the Arthuriana themed amusement park known as Camelot.

For a child like me the feeling of sitting down in the heat of the midday sun to watch these heroes in the throws of battle before me is still a really powerful memory and one that sits in that region of the brain only held for the nostalgia of childhood.

The young blood-lusting Patric sat watching in the theme park stands of Camelot cheering for Lancelot as he knocks the Black Knight off his horse claiming the final victory and the hand of the fair maiden watching over the battle would never have known the deeply rooted and little known history this region of the world had in the stories of King Arthur.

Video from Looping Lee Theme parks, Roller coasters and more

Footage from the old and extremely popular jousting show that used to be performed daily at the defunct park Camelot.