This is All Huge/h Learning
Standing on the shoulders of giants is firstly a loss in translation phrase, but secondly more relevantly, a warm and empowering feeling. One of the many legends of applied practises I have had the unbelievable pleasure to learn from is Sandy Akerman. Sandy is a master of Forum Theatre, a long-suffering lecturer on ‘that degree what I did’ and a disciple of Augusto Boal. She has many devising games up her sleeve, one of which is called ‘fortunately/unfortunately’. This game is typically for 3-10 players and is a way of opening the imagination, getting you to think on your feet, normally quite funny and a way into storytelling. As I reflect on Squeeze Box 24, and an extraordinary 2 weeks which flew past (sometimes for the right reason and sometimes well…we take the good with the not so good!), I am going to try and play the game – I wonder what will happen
I MUST ALWAYS FUNCTION!!!
I MUST ALWAYS FUNCTION!!! asks urgent and fundamental questions of why we demand evermore from people just to ‘cope’ in a society which rejects them and spits out anyone who shows signs of ‘weakness’. It is a timely reminder that social media and avatar-like virtual worlds are, slowly but surely, dismantling our very sense of us, of being human and being able to say, “this is too much”.
Just Round the Corner
This September, I rolled* out of bed and walked less than 2 minutes to work. Through the working morning of Paignton dawn, I walked round 3 corners and into a magical creative space. This definitely needs celebrating! In the centre of a grockle holiday-maker heaven, there is a plane of glass dividing the business-as-usual from radical arts, creative community and workshop. It is up to Filament/WideOpen to find a link to ensure these two worlds communicate, but there is also another world in this mix. Maybe the most important to the organisations mentioned, the people, the locals, the community of Torbay. We live, sleep, play and work in our UNESCO Geo-park** – the rock around us speaks to us, it is our culture – I am part of this community, we are here all year round, not just cheap summer deals for a break away from where ever city folk want to escape from.
Donald Rodney Visceral Canker – A Must Go
‘the empty wheelchair courses through its various trajectories on a sad and lonely journey of life, a journey to nowhere. Its movements repeat, like an ever recurring memory, a memory of another life and another journey' (in Chambers, 1998: 54)
Bouncing Off the Walls – A YES from ACE
We did it, we did it! I cannot describe just how ecstatic Jen and I were when reading the ACE outcome letter – elevated even more when we phoned Squeeze Box artists to let them know this fantastic news. The sense of relief was quickly washed over by utter excitement. The simple fact that we can dream again rather than wade through engagement numbers, quality assurance, buzz words in character culls, etc, is one of the best feelings in the world. Maybe to help paint the image of why my smile did not leave my face all evening, let me take you through the agonising moments of receiving the email saying a decision was made, to me having to log on to Grantium to get the actual outcome. We were going to break for tea and I just happened to look back at my desktop to see the email pop up and we both.... froze.... looked at each other. back to the screen... Jen’s excitement, my panic, our trepidation, my disappointment, Jen’s exhilaration, our terror.... back to the screen. All thoughts of hunger had truly left us! In the intervening time from finding out there was outcome to finding out what the result was, I was muttering: “at least we will know that we haven’t got the funding”, “we can start planning another application in earnest now”, “I will feel happier knowing for sure that we didn’t get the funding rather than hoping – it’s hope that kills you” … that is how utterly convinced I was that we weren’t going to be awarded the grant! We had to open it there and then and screams and squeals of delight followed by happy tears, hugs, thanks and some very high-pitched phone calls……………
All in a Week
All In about seven days, and I believe in this order, I am predicting:
• A Labour landslide and the official end to austerity
• A ‘Yes’ from ACE to support the next development of Squeeze Box
• Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Jordan Pickford and co will lift the European Cup!
I started to play a game or some kind of karma request to the gods of election outcome, if I had to have two of these come true which two would it be!
A To-Do-List……. of Sorts
I am quickly discovering that I’m not very good at to-do lists – I say quickly, it’s probably more like glacier rock speed! I have had five or so years of ‘professional’ work life and three years of degree to discover this…and for the great homo sapiens male brain that is sitting in my skull, admitting that I’m not very good at something doesn’t come at great pace. Furthermore, I was even allocated a mentor/professional sorter when I was studying, at great expense of the Further Education establishments. However, with the most exciting adventures coming up and inspiring activities being set, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to remember what I’m supposed to be doing, what order I need to do something in, or indeed, why I need to do the thing in the first place.