Jabberwocky Appreciation Day
POSTED ON WEDNESDAY 19 SEPTEMBER
A lot of people are a bit scared of Jabberwockys; Lewis Carroll describes his original Jabberwocky as a terrifying creature, better off destroyed with a vorpal sword. We at Luxi, however, take the view that this is all unfair propaganda; Jabberwockys come in all shapes, sizes and varieties and they’re certainly not all vicious.
Our personal Jabberwocky mascot (pictured) is small, friendly and fierce and he faithfully guards our Jabbervan. A far cry from the terrifying monster in Through the Looking Glass! Our Jabber mascot is adorable but he’s just one example of what a Jabberwocky can be. So, as we’re so committed to dispelling the popular anti-Jabberwocky myths, when we found out that this year, both Jabberwocky Market and Jabberwocky Appreciation Day fall on 6 October, we knew we had to celebrate.
According to the Jabberwocky enthusiasts at the Dragons’ Nest, who started Jabberwocky Appreciation Day, the celebration day is ‘the time for Jabberwocks! For the funny of face and odd of speech. For the slow and heavy, the small and slight. All those who live on the fringe, driven into the wispy wilderness of even the most magically inclined. They remind us of all our oddities and our differences—what some would call our glorious imperfections.’ There are no limits to what a Jabberwocky can be and this is exactly how we feel about the openness of Jabberwocky Market; there are no limits to who our shows are for, about and available to.
This season at Jabberwocky Market, we have the exciting musical magic of Rendezvous in Bratislava, a cabaret created by a woman and the grandfather she’d never met. There’s Ground Control, intelligent astronomical entertainment for children. We have Black, a challenging exploration of racism in Britain today with live soundscapes and the affecting emotional honesty of Facebook Saved Our Baby. The range of shows is as varied and exciting as the different specimens of Jabberwockys and we want our audiences to be just as varied. Jabberwocky Appreciation Day is a celebration of the beautiful diversity of these magnificent creatures, but we want every day at Jabberwocky Market to be a celebration of diversity and a welcome space for an even more varied range of people than there are Jabberwockys.
Our Jabberwocky mascot, kindly made and donated by Lynda Winstanley.
And this is the Jabberer in person, you’ll be seeing more of her this season.