Our Cities Ourselves matches ten of the world’s leading architects with ten of the world’s most fascinating cities. It helps us imagine those cities in 2030, when 60 percent of the global population – or five billion people – will live in urban areas, mostly in the developing world.
www.ourcitiesourselves.org
22.6.10
Summer Solstice and Documenta
Still going strong Documenta (13)'s first artwork was inaugurated on June 21st, 2010 at 12 noon, an auspicious date as its also when I was born!
The work was Giuseppe Penone's Idee di Pietra (Ideas of Stone) in the Auepark of Kassel.
The Documenta started in 1955 and takes place every five years since 1972. I love this website as it really maintains a retro feel:
www.documenta.de
12.6.10
7.6.10
I'm With You - Performance Series
Saturday 12th June, 2010 from 3pm to 8pm.
‘I’m with you’ is a series of performance events, mostly taking place in houses and gardens but sometimes other types of places. The third installment of "I'm with you" on will open 3 gardens in and around Lower Clapton.
219 Glyn Road • 74 Mayola Road • 72 Powerscroft Road
Arrive at 219 Glyn Road for a map and schedule of events (free entry to entire event).
Durational performance, short acts, and installations.
WITH:
Ania Bas
David Cranmer
Alun Davies
Anastasia Dumarey (VA London)
Sharon Husbands w/Oriana Fox
Oliver Hymans
Vasileios- Pavlos Kountouriotis
Barbara Lambert
Johanna Linsley
Arkem Mark
Jan Mertens
Owen Parry
Herbert De Colle & Hannes Ribarits
Alexa Reid
Olivier Ruellet
Roberto Sánchez-Camus (with Yasmin Ghrawi)
Helena Walsh
The event will end with a group interactive performance at 72 Powerscroft Road at 19:00
- come and join in the act!
Check out the event on facebook: http://bit.ly/dAvTGq
Print Event Map: http://bit.ly/9pBvMA
You are invited to attend some or all and join in celebration after at the local
www.imwithyouclapton.wordpress.com
16.5.10
Sarah Cole and Coram Young Parents: Smother
Went to see this latest Artangel Interaction commission at a unique triangular-shaped empty house on Farringdon Street. The work was created by Sarah Cole in collaboration with young single mums at a drop-in centre. Cole populates the house with an eerie combination of installation, performance, sound and lighting that makes the space feel like a faded memory that refuses to be exorcised. The small cramped floors and large bright windows play with the internal/external of space, memory and storytelling. Its excellent to engage the stories of lives that are not often heard...
An Artangel Interaction Commission
13 May - 5 June 2010
Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings only; 5-8 pm
Starts from Clink Hostel, 78 Kings Cross Road, London, WC1X 9QG
Conceptualised and developed with a group of parents from age fourteen to mid-twenties and their children, Smother encapsulates the vastly different experiences of these young mothers and fathers as they pass through weekly drop-in sessions at Coram.
Smother has been developed over nine months through a series of workshops and discussions. Artist Sarah Cole worked with composer Jules Maxwell and the young parents to direct an experience that offers the audience a rare invitation into an honest and intimate personal space.
The Coram Young Parents drop-in is a weekly opportunity for young parents to share experiences and find support with a wide range of issues whilst their children can play in a stimulating environment.
Hans Rosling's new insights on poverty
Why you should listen to him:
Even the most worldly and well-traveled among us will have their perspectives shifted by Hans Rosling. A professor of global health at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, his current work focuses on dispelling common myths about the so-called developing world, which (he points out) is no longer worlds away from the west. In fact, most of the third world is on the same trajectory toward health and prosperity, and many countries are moving twice as fast as the west did.
http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_reveals_new_insights_on_poverty.html
Even the most worldly and well-traveled among us will have their perspectives shifted by Hans Rosling. A professor of global health at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, his current work focuses on dispelling common myths about the so-called developing world, which (he points out) is no longer worlds away from the west. In fact, most of the third world is on the same trajectory toward health and prosperity, and many countries are moving twice as fast as the west did.
http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_reveals_new_insights_on_poverty.html
2.5.10
Youth Visions Documentary Screening in Ghana, West Africa
Screened the documentary of the project Youth Visions we created two years ago, a collaboration between myself and Sebastian Fuller who was working with Youth Development Alliance in the Northeastern region of Ghana. We merged my arts practice with his public health work to create a new model of disseminating the HIV/AIDS prevention material. We worked with two different schools, one in a village and one in a city to create a mural and a performance. Participants also went on a radio programme hosted by DJ Kimo of URA Radio Bolgatanga, Part of the project was documenting the process with the students who helped film their work. It was delayed two years but finally thanks to the work of filmmaker Malina de Carlo the footage was edited and a story created from the piles of footage.
Returning to show the film was intense. A 10-day tour that included screenings in three different locations, including an outdoor projection on the side of the school in the village of Kongo, where dry thunder came overhead whilst the movie played to a host of villagers who arrived to see the event... (pic above)
Most of our students were in their last year of school when we ran the project so after two years many had moved to other cities, gone to university, gotten married and had kids and so forth.. But we did have a couple attend, one student Lucy bused into Accra for four hours to attend a screening. She wore the Youth Visions t-shirt we gave them on the last day, it was stark white and new, she had saved it for the two years awaiting our return as we had promised we would. This really filled me with happiness to be able to return and deliver an impressive film marking a great project. Our facilitators flew in from California and China to be there for this as well! Was intense all around...
Read more about the project here: link
See photos here: link
Movie will be screened at the Brunel University School of Arts Postgraduate Researching the Arts Conference on Wednesday May 19, 2010 throughout the day. link
1.4.10
South London meeting for Artists working in Social Care
St Christopher's Hopisce is hosting a forum to bring together a broad range of artists and musicians who work in health and social care across South London or who have an interest in developing work in the area.
Although there is a special interset in end-of-life care, working in care homes and demenita, anyone using, or interested in using, the arts with any client population is welcome.
At this introductory meeting, there will be an opporunity to present your work and discuss ideas and interests. There will also be time to discuss the need for an ongoing platform to share ideas and experiences in the future.
All are welcome to attend and share your work, thoughts and ideas:
14th April between 6 and 7.30pm
St Christopher's Hospice
51-59 Lawrie Park Road
London SE26 6DZ
tel 020 8768 4500
or email info@stchristophers.org.uk
http://www.stchristophers.org.uk
28.3.10
Violent Flash Mobs
Interesting article about youth gatherings turned into violent rushes through civic areas:
From NYTimes:
PHILADELPHIA — It started innocently enough seven years ago as an act of performance art where people linked through social-networking Web sites and text messaging suddenly gathered on the streets for impromptu pillow fights in New York, group disco routines in London, and even a huge snowball fight in Washington.
Young people filled South Street in Philadelphia on Saturday in what officials said was the latest flash mob to turn dangerous. Seth Kaufman was injured in the flash mob Saturday, which he called “a tsunami of kids.” But these so-called flash mobs have taken a more aggressive and raucous turn here as hundreds of teenagers have been converging downtown for a ritual that is part bullying, part running of the bulls: sprinting down the block, the teenagers sometimes pause to brawl with one another, assault pedestrians or vandalize property.
Keep reading
From NYTimes:
PHILADELPHIA — It started innocently enough seven years ago as an act of performance art where people linked through social-networking Web sites and text messaging suddenly gathered on the streets for impromptu pillow fights in New York, group disco routines in London, and even a huge snowball fight in Washington.
Young people filled South Street in Philadelphia on Saturday in what officials said was the latest flash mob to turn dangerous. Seth Kaufman was injured in the flash mob Saturday, which he called “a tsunami of kids.” But these so-called flash mobs have taken a more aggressive and raucous turn here as hundreds of teenagers have been converging downtown for a ritual that is part bullying, part running of the bulls: sprinting down the block, the teenagers sometimes pause to brawl with one another, assault pedestrians or vandalize property.
Keep reading
22.3.10
National Review of Live Art
Finally attended the performance love-fest that's the National Review of Live Art, and it was really worth it. This was officially the last event after 30 years, though it's returning in a changed format for next year. The event manages to bring together a diverse array of artists working across performance / live art fields under one umbrella. But it true magic lies in the ability to create a level playing field where established and emerging artists can meet and mingle and just be together. Helps its in such a cool city like Glasgow, that's the real deal right there...
One person complained to me about the constant queueing for performances, but actually for me these moments were a great opportunity to chat to strangers, meet new people and spend some time together in one of those odd social moments when otherwise we would usually commit ourselves to getting to the other side of the queue with as little distraction as possible.
Highlights for me:
The gothic ritual sermon by Julia Bardsley called Aftermaths: a tear in the meat of vision, where a zombie-like pentecostal-inspired preacher rants about profits... or was it prophets...
John Byrne's presentation was excellent, especially his Border Interpretive Centre, bringing awareness of the border as object in Northern Ireland.
Frenchmottershead, who I am interviewing as one of the artists I am surverying in my PhD were very receptive as well. They were commissioned to create a one off of their piece Were you Here the Last Time, where at a designated time and space a photo is taken. I positioned my self towards the front with some friends and felt pretty ecstatic with the countdown from 30 (for each year). It created a wonderful shared moment in time, something I truly appreciate.
A low point for me was being scolded and locked out after arriving 1 minute late to La Pocha Nostra presentation, but this was incredibly remedied by sharing drinks with them at the bar!
There's ofcourse so much more, a good place to read up on the work is the NRLA blog, look for the poetic words of Mark Caffrey reviewing the work and interviewing the artists...
(photo above is an unrelated graffiti on the streets of Glasgow but I loved it)
20.2.10
Throw your Art in the Bin
Michael Landy transforms the SLG into 'Art Bin', a container for the disposal of works of art. As people discard their art works the enormous 600m³ bin becomes, in Michael Landy’s words, “a monument to creative failure”.
Until 14 March 2010 works can be brought to the South London Gallery to be disposed of in 'Art Bin' from Tuesday to Sunday, 12-6pm. Alternatively, artists and collectors can visit www.art-bin.co.uk to apply to dispose of works, multiple applications are welcome.
www.art-bin.co.uk
On view at South London Gallery
So I'll be bringing a triptych down to donate, if he accepts it as 'proper' trash I'll post it up....
18.2.10
National Identity Renunciation Bureau
http://www.identityrenunciation.org/
We are born and socialized into our national identities. We learn to belong to a community defined by claims to a common culture, language, ethnicity, history, place, and religion.
This sense of identity is not ethically neutral. If we take pride in our nation and its members, we must also bear responsibility for their moral failures.
The National Identity Renunciation Bureau certifies indi-viduals who wish to renounce their national identity and free themselves from that responsibility. The Renunciation Bureau issues identity cards to such individuals after they undergo a rigorous application process.
This renunciation does not address the renunciant’s legal relationship to their nation or state. However, it has seri-ous consequences. The renunciant must forgo all special concern for their nation's past, present and future, and all feelings of national pride, attachment and belonging.
Only those who understand the gravity of this symbolic act are encouraged to apply.
We are born and socialized into our national identities. We learn to belong to a community defined by claims to a common culture, language, ethnicity, history, place, and religion.
This sense of identity is not ethically neutral. If we take pride in our nation and its members, we must also bear responsibility for their moral failures.
The National Identity Renunciation Bureau certifies indi-viduals who wish to renounce their national identity and free themselves from that responsibility. The Renunciation Bureau issues identity cards to such individuals after they undergo a rigorous application process.
This renunciation does not address the renunciant’s legal relationship to their nation or state. However, it has seri-ous consequences. The renunciant must forgo all special concern for their nation's past, present and future, and all feelings of national pride, attachment and belonging.
Only those who understand the gravity of this symbolic act are encouraged to apply.
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