What happens when you consider “the world”
…That view from the space shuttle where the Earth looks peaceful, beautiful, arcs of harmless white cloud?
… maps?
… endless stretches of ocean, of desert, bustling cities?
… Cars, trains, planes traversing the expanse of it all disseminating pollutants and choking as they go?
... Farmers tilling the land?
Do you remember that bit in “The Fifth Element” when Milla Jovovich see’s all those images of war, genocide, cold killings, atomic mushroom clouds, and cant see anything good in mankind?
She says “everything you create, you use to destroy”
Is this really true?
I hope that Bruce Willis’ dry “Yeah, we call it human nature” is nothing but a negative reflection on a narrow base of evidence or we might as well all go mad, right?
But as he points out later… “…there are things worth saving”
That’s what I want to ponder now… “What is worth saving?”
I don’t just mean your Mum or Dad (though I don’t underrate their import) What is worth saving for the benefit of mankind?
We, as members of an international community, are required by necessity to work together to build and preserve for future generations. There are always references to “building a better world” but what would it be like to re-make the world according to our own individual priorities or whims?
What would we chose to keep? Would be separate warring neighbours? Bring together dissparate peoples?
There are currently 890 Unesco World Heritage Sites around the world, declared as such because of either their natural or cultural Outstanding Universal Value. There are over 4,000 Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the UK. (over half of which have been declared to be of international significance).
It seems to me that these have things covered on the “landmarks of history and science” plane of things...
But what of you and me…
6 Pubs are closing a weeks in the UK, sweetshops where you can buy real aniseed balls and chocolate mice from big glass jars are the exception rather than the rule these days… bowing out to supermarkets and chain-stores stocking international chocolate giants like Mars, Cadburys…
But look how many empty stores there are now… standing empty… could we stuff them full of jars of cherry drops, resuscitate Woolworths?
How would you change the world to make it a better place?
This world of ours is in a state of constant flux. Andrew Marr (of “Britain from Above” fame) recently said in an interview that the primary experience of the latter half of the 20th Century was one of acceleration. Of mankind’s readjustment to a world where the world we live in now is less and less like that of our forbearers and is certainly little like the one our children and grandchildren will know…
How do we then negotiate the things we miss and the things that are yet to be when sometimes it simply feels like they happen or cease to happen all around us?
Remember It’s a small world after all!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIabgPX14R4
Friday, October 23, 2009
Internationalism it is...
So, after an initial research phase we are beginning to shape our new project. Because at this stage we are still throwing ideas around we have far more questions than set answers. On the one hand I could not resist the opportunity to give you a little glimpse into what is going on. On the other hand I recognise that the project is very much in its embryonic state, and therefore quite vulnerable. At the same time we would not like to 'give it away' just yet... In an attempt to reconcile these disparate desires I have produced the document you see below. It is deliberately and cheekily edited, but I hope it wets your appetite...
Pablo
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
What have we got to be scared of?
So we’re all international now then… in theory only a step away from almost anywhere in the world… or, if pushed, we can resort to running to our neighbours and asking for protection, safety, a new home.
How manageable will this be in the future… what happens when land-space starts to run out? When resources run out? Water? Oil? Gas?
The Leading Global “community” jumped from being a club of 8 to being a club of 20... Does this mean the global community has enlarged or has it just started making enough noise that it cant simply be ignored? Who should be in charge of this world where ever more nations are pulling in ever more directions… is it possible to hope that simply because more people are entering into a dialogue, that this dialogue will achieve something…
The Possibility of Hope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO4aH5ZSb_o&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCBOCp3WDcM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSO4dCOR6RM&feature=related
Appologies that this blog is a little moody… more upbeat next time! Promise!
AC
How manageable will this be in the future… what happens when land-space starts to run out? When resources run out? Water? Oil? Gas?
The Leading Global “community” jumped from being a club of 8 to being a club of 20... Does this mean the global community has enlarged or has it just started making enough noise that it cant simply be ignored? Who should be in charge of this world where ever more nations are pulling in ever more directions… is it possible to hope that simply because more people are entering into a dialogue, that this dialogue will achieve something…
The Possibility of Hope
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO4aH5ZSb_o&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCBOCp3WDcM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSO4dCOR6RM&feature=related
Appologies that this blog is a little moody… more upbeat next time! Promise!
AC
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Negotiating internationalism
Well it has been an interesting few months in the world of Accidental Collective. A time of taking stock and looking to the future.
In the last 3 years Accidental Collective have been committed to adding to the creative milieu that is ever increasing in Kent, and looking forward, we are excited about some of the things brewing in the near future… watch this space for more on that in the coming months.
Our place within the local environs of the county we call home is one we are proud to have achieved and one we continue to strive for. But what of the wider world? Are we committed to engaging with and adding to the creative and intellectual diaspora..? Interestingly, yes.
We have had some thoughts..
It is easy in the fast paced modern world to be aware of being simply one person in an ever growing, complex population.
Need an example?
How about the growth of Polish supermarkets popping up in every town and city in the land…
How about the Lisbon treaty, upon which the future of the European Union as a working effective supranational organisation hangs?
How about the threat posed by failed states like Somalia? Potential breeding grounds for international terrorism, extremism and outright lawlessness?
Be aware, Accidental Collective in no way intend to scare-monger on these points, oh no! However we draw attention to them as a point of order when considering the breadth and depth of problems out there when considering the world beyond Kent and look out into the world and its inevitably international scale.
Some internationalism is on our doorstep and is something we are reminded of by simply walking down our local high streets, others are things to be considered only when planning a cruise (hoping Somali pirates don’t try to hijack your liner)
Others, perhaps, we should have a grander awareness of but have maybe been denied. Either by governments who fear defeat if they open debate to national referendum or maybe only by our own indifference to the subject.
Now, such ‘lofty’ socio-political thoughts are relatively randomly singled out here, however… with such issues out there in the world, issues that need solving, where does that leave us, each of us, as individuals. How can we each go about tackling such issues as immigration, terrorism, international responsibility…?
What follows is by no means a definitive answer.
Maybe the place to start is with the individual. The tools we have, develop and grow through our daily lives are something we can take out into the wider world. These tools and signifiers help us identify ourselves and those around us.
“Human social life is unimaginable without some means of knowing who others are and some sense of who we are. Since we cannot rely on our sense of smell or our animal non-verbals (though these are not insignificant), one of the first things we try to do when we meet a stranger is attempt to locate them on our social maps, to identify them” (Social Identity - Richard Jenkins. Ch 1, Pge 5)
So we look for aspects of identity we recognise in that person… familial, local, regional, national, continental, human, political, social, cultural, linguistic, experimental, historic, genetic/physical, factual… anything upon which we can build a commonality.
With commonalities established we can move forward with our cosmopolitan existences. We can be comfortable with enough of those around us to exist with the elements of our own identity (even those that don’t exactly match up exactly to those of others) “hanging out”.
“Individuality and the sense of freedom that flows from it, is the natural basis of “Democracy”. In a democratic regime, relations between individuals are commonly regulated by social contact. (Atomised - Michel Houellebecq, pge 89)
This social contact is important. By contacting others and sharing the individual social/cultural elements of our identities those elements can take on a life of their own, cross pollinating from person to person when applicable or staying put when not.
How wonderfully utopian, I hear you cry. Imagining a world where the best of all will win out without there ever being friction, upset or even violence. On the contrary, friction, upset and violence is seemingly a natural path for human relations to take at some point or another… however… it is much more manageable and negotiable on a small scale than it is on a large scale. Managing two peoples differences is easier than managing those of two groups of one million people. It is harder to find those commonalities when one million people become a faceless mass (I cant even imagine what one million people would look like) and thus become un-negotiable on a singular, personal scale. So we find our commonalities and differences through hearsay, limited and distorted contact…
So what are we suggesting with this rambling spread taking us from our commitment to Kent out into the world of social negotiation, international peacekeeping, and identity theory?
We’re not sure… yet. But it seems that starting small. Starting within to the immediate without promises a way in…
Accidental Collective’s next new work is beginning, and here is an element of that beginning.
Thoughts on internationalism???
All welcome!
In the last 3 years Accidental Collective have been committed to adding to the creative milieu that is ever increasing in Kent, and looking forward, we are excited about some of the things brewing in the near future… watch this space for more on that in the coming months.
Our place within the local environs of the county we call home is one we are proud to have achieved and one we continue to strive for. But what of the wider world? Are we committed to engaging with and adding to the creative and intellectual diaspora..? Interestingly, yes.
We have had some thoughts..
It is easy in the fast paced modern world to be aware of being simply one person in an ever growing, complex population.
Need an example?
How about the growth of Polish supermarkets popping up in every town and city in the land…
How about the Lisbon treaty, upon which the future of the European Union as a working effective supranational organisation hangs?
How about the threat posed by failed states like Somalia? Potential breeding grounds for international terrorism, extremism and outright lawlessness?
Be aware, Accidental Collective in no way intend to scare-monger on these points, oh no! However we draw attention to them as a point of order when considering the breadth and depth of problems out there when considering the world beyond Kent and look out into the world and its inevitably international scale.
Some internationalism is on our doorstep and is something we are reminded of by simply walking down our local high streets, others are things to be considered only when planning a cruise (hoping Somali pirates don’t try to hijack your liner)
Others, perhaps, we should have a grander awareness of but have maybe been denied. Either by governments who fear defeat if they open debate to national referendum or maybe only by our own indifference to the subject.
Now, such ‘lofty’ socio-political thoughts are relatively randomly singled out here, however… with such issues out there in the world, issues that need solving, where does that leave us, each of us, as individuals. How can we each go about tackling such issues as immigration, terrorism, international responsibility…?
What follows is by no means a definitive answer.
Maybe the place to start is with the individual. The tools we have, develop and grow through our daily lives are something we can take out into the wider world. These tools and signifiers help us identify ourselves and those around us.
“Human social life is unimaginable without some means of knowing who others are and some sense of who we are. Since we cannot rely on our sense of smell or our animal non-verbals (though these are not insignificant), one of the first things we try to do when we meet a stranger is attempt to locate them on our social maps, to identify them” (Social Identity - Richard Jenkins. Ch 1, Pge 5)
So we look for aspects of identity we recognise in that person… familial, local, regional, national, continental, human, political, social, cultural, linguistic, experimental, historic, genetic/physical, factual… anything upon which we can build a commonality.
With commonalities established we can move forward with our cosmopolitan existences. We can be comfortable with enough of those around us to exist with the elements of our own identity (even those that don’t exactly match up exactly to those of others) “hanging out”.
“Individuality and the sense of freedom that flows from it, is the natural basis of “Democracy”. In a democratic regime, relations between individuals are commonly regulated by social contact. (Atomised - Michel Houellebecq, pge 89)
This social contact is important. By contacting others and sharing the individual social/cultural elements of our identities those elements can take on a life of their own, cross pollinating from person to person when applicable or staying put when not.
How wonderfully utopian, I hear you cry. Imagining a world where the best of all will win out without there ever being friction, upset or even violence. On the contrary, friction, upset and violence is seemingly a natural path for human relations to take at some point or another… however… it is much more manageable and negotiable on a small scale than it is on a large scale. Managing two peoples differences is easier than managing those of two groups of one million people. It is harder to find those commonalities when one million people become a faceless mass (I cant even imagine what one million people would look like) and thus become un-negotiable on a singular, personal scale. So we find our commonalities and differences through hearsay, limited and distorted contact…
So what are we suggesting with this rambling spread taking us from our commitment to Kent out into the world of social negotiation, international peacekeeping, and identity theory?
We’re not sure… yet. But it seems that starting small. Starting within to the immediate without promises a way in…
Accidental Collective’s next new work is beginning, and here is an element of that beginning.
Thoughts on internationalism???
All welcome!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday (Open Day...)
Today we opened our (so far) tightly sealed rehearsal doors and let two very generous outsiders in. I think we were all a little apprehensive; it’s always difficult when you make and nurture material to hold it out and see if it stands on its own two feet. So after coffee, cigarettes, a croissant and a warm up our visitors were upon us. Those in attendance were Rosie Klich, a lecturer at the University of Kent, Richard Turney, a close friend of ours and avid spectator of our work and Lindsay Sparkes, a drama student at the University of Kent studying directing.
We had decided yesterday to show them a cross section of Postscript as it stands at the moment, including pieces of material we were happy and confident with and others that were much rougher. We ran through the lamp choreography (which has clearly become the beginning or one of the beginnings, in our minds), the lovers, the telephone, the dance and lastly, the writers. In the name of clarity and the joy of being concise I shall summarise the feedback we received and the discussions we had with Rosie and Richard.
On a very positive note they loved our use of darkness and said this is a unique aspect of the work. The solos and duos which happen in a single light were thought to be very emotive and captivating for an audience and Rosie said this is what she really likes about our work. Concerns and questions which were raised included the issue of sight lines, we will be performing on a thrust stage and as much of the action is very small we need to be aware of what the audience can and can’t see. I think the most important piece of constructive criticism we received is that we can afford to slow down and take our time with all of the material. Overly concerned with creating pace we were, without realising, rushing the actions, the words and the lights instead of enjoying what we are doing and allowing the audience the time to enjoy it to. We entered into quite a lengthy discussion about the shape of the show, the beginning, the ending and the overall effect we wanted to create. All incredibly useful stuff really. So a big THANK YOU to our viewers today, Rosie, Richard and Lindsay.
It was of great benefit and we entered the afternoon with energy and optimism and a drive to make things better. The realisation we could afford to slow things down and play more made a huge difference. This afternoon we tried to run pieces of material together to see how and whether they fit together. Surprisingly (?) it went well; the show is starting to take shape which feels really good. It is still a case of trial and error though, putting things together, taking them apart, tightening and polishing. This is where we will continue tomorrow. And who knows, by the end of tomorrow, we may well have the show, in an order, that works and that feels right.
On a super positive note our lunch was interrupted today with some incredibly good news, it has been confirmed that we will be performing at The Quarterhouse in Folkestone on Saturday 6th June!!!!!!
I shall leave things there for today.
Laura
We had decided yesterday to show them a cross section of Postscript as it stands at the moment, including pieces of material we were happy and confident with and others that were much rougher. We ran through the lamp choreography (which has clearly become the beginning or one of the beginnings, in our minds), the lovers, the telephone, the dance and lastly, the writers. In the name of clarity and the joy of being concise I shall summarise the feedback we received and the discussions we had with Rosie and Richard.
On a very positive note they loved our use of darkness and said this is a unique aspect of the work. The solos and duos which happen in a single light were thought to be very emotive and captivating for an audience and Rosie said this is what she really likes about our work. Concerns and questions which were raised included the issue of sight lines, we will be performing on a thrust stage and as much of the action is very small we need to be aware of what the audience can and can’t see. I think the most important piece of constructive criticism we received is that we can afford to slow down and take our time with all of the material. Overly concerned with creating pace we were, without realising, rushing the actions, the words and the lights instead of enjoying what we are doing and allowing the audience the time to enjoy it to. We entered into quite a lengthy discussion about the shape of the show, the beginning, the ending and the overall effect we wanted to create. All incredibly useful stuff really. So a big THANK YOU to our viewers today, Rosie, Richard and Lindsay.
It was of great benefit and we entered the afternoon with energy and optimism and a drive to make things better. The realisation we could afford to slow things down and play more made a huge difference. This afternoon we tried to run pieces of material together to see how and whether they fit together. Surprisingly (?) it went well; the show is starting to take shape which feels really good. It is still a case of trial and error though, putting things together, taking them apart, tightening and polishing. This is where we will continue tomorrow. And who knows, by the end of tomorrow, we may well have the show, in an order, that works and that feels right.
On a super positive note our lunch was interrupted today with some incredibly good news, it has been confirmed that we will be performing at The Quarterhouse in Folkestone on Saturday 6th June!!!!!!
I shall leave things there for today.
Laura
Monday, April 20, 2009
Crunch Day at the Beginning of Crunch Week. Crunchy.
Today didn’t feel like a Monday.
I began my day stupidly early this morning in the office. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Rick walked in. “What are you doing here?” A tale of two Obsessives unable to stop working on this project…
Today was a day. It was a tough, important day. And I am shattered, personally. I am going to try writing this stream of consciousness style, to avoid staying up ‘till one o’clock restructuring it like a blog martyr…
Today was the beginning of ‘No More New Material Week’. It marks the beginning of a week the focus of which is revisiting and honing the material made last week. We also have to find a structure, i.e. build the show. It is therefore quite scary. Enough playing. Let’s make a show. Eek. It’s like, if this were a relationship, last week the show and us were dating, this week we are meeting each other’s parents and moving in with each other. Next week we’ll be married with a mortgage! Perhaps tired Daisy blogging is a tad dubious…
In terms of said structure, we have a plan. Rick, in his role as Director, has suggested that we begin to run one piece of material into another piece when it seems to make sense, or seems logical/feels right, or when linking strands (conceptual or practical) become apparent… (Perhaps this seems an obvious idea, but it doesn’t always feel that straight forward when faced with the very real act of putting a piece together…). This seems an excellent idea to attempt to avoid the pitfall of staring at bits of paper on the floor and going cross-eyed trying to structure a show.
However, today we revisited all the material we generated last week. This took longer than anticipated. In fact, it took all day. Some of the material was recalled pretty spot on and some of it will need a lot more work – inevitably. But, it proved a.) that there is a show in there somewhere and b.) that we can still remember it. Hurrah! Rick has filmed it (mistakes and all) and is reviewing it tonight to diagnose potential issues…
Tomorrow morning we have some people coming in to offer an ‘outside eye’ – which is something we try to incorporate into our practice. Devising can become very insular and it is a worry that we may become to ‘inward-looking’ and lose sight of the material. It is however, always a terrifying prospect. Letting someone into your rehearsals is an incredibly difficult thing; it’s very exposing (and therefore ultimately very good for you too…). They will hopefully feedback and we will get a sense of how people other than us perceive the work. Laura will tell you all about it tomorrow, I’m sure.
I’m afraid my head is filled with practical things. Invites to go out. Press release to complete. Junk shop tables and chairs to source and transport magically to North Finchley…?!
I may leave this here, if you don’t mind? I’m sure I’ll think of a million things I should have reflected on when I’m lying in bed…
I began my day stupidly early this morning in the office. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Rick walked in. “What are you doing here?” A tale of two Obsessives unable to stop working on this project…
Today was a day. It was a tough, important day. And I am shattered, personally. I am going to try writing this stream of consciousness style, to avoid staying up ‘till one o’clock restructuring it like a blog martyr…
Today was the beginning of ‘No More New Material Week’. It marks the beginning of a week the focus of which is revisiting and honing the material made last week. We also have to find a structure, i.e. build the show. It is therefore quite scary. Enough playing. Let’s make a show. Eek. It’s like, if this were a relationship, last week the show and us were dating, this week we are meeting each other’s parents and moving in with each other. Next week we’ll be married with a mortgage! Perhaps tired Daisy blogging is a tad dubious…
In terms of said structure, we have a plan. Rick, in his role as Director, has suggested that we begin to run one piece of material into another piece when it seems to make sense, or seems logical/feels right, or when linking strands (conceptual or practical) become apparent… (Perhaps this seems an obvious idea, but it doesn’t always feel that straight forward when faced with the very real act of putting a piece together…). This seems an excellent idea to attempt to avoid the pitfall of staring at bits of paper on the floor and going cross-eyed trying to structure a show.
However, today we revisited all the material we generated last week. This took longer than anticipated. In fact, it took all day. Some of the material was recalled pretty spot on and some of it will need a lot more work – inevitably. But, it proved a.) that there is a show in there somewhere and b.) that we can still remember it. Hurrah! Rick has filmed it (mistakes and all) and is reviewing it tonight to diagnose potential issues…
Tomorrow morning we have some people coming in to offer an ‘outside eye’ – which is something we try to incorporate into our practice. Devising can become very insular and it is a worry that we may become to ‘inward-looking’ and lose sight of the material. It is however, always a terrifying prospect. Letting someone into your rehearsals is an incredibly difficult thing; it’s very exposing (and therefore ultimately very good for you too…). They will hopefully feedback and we will get a sense of how people other than us perceive the work. Laura will tell you all about it tomorrow, I’m sure.
I’m afraid my head is filled with practical things. Invites to go out. Press release to complete. Junk shop tables and chairs to source and transport magically to North Finchley…?!
I may leave this here, if you don’t mind? I’m sure I’ll think of a million things I should have reflected on when I’m lying in bed…
Daisy x
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Ah.... Sunday
Since the beginning of our current research and development period we had agreed that today would be a turning point. Throughout this week we have been generating material. The emphasis so far has been on interrogating this material, and exploring ways in which it could be shaped. From now on, for the remaining week, we will concentrate on polishing the various ‘sections’, experimenting with the possible order, running, running, and re-running the various pieces that will make up a whole. So today, as I said, was a turning point: the last day we had allowed ourselves to generate any material; our last chance to just ‘try things out’ for the sake of it.
Surprisingly there was not the flourish of activity that might have been expected. Rather, we found it slightly difficult to identify any ideas we had not already explored. This, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. We have clearly been working hard. Gestures: tick! Interruptions: tick! Fragmented stories: tick! Lamp choreography: tick! Solo and duo actions at the table: tick! Etc, etc: tick! There were, nevertheless, a few things we still had to test: walkie-talkies, dictaphones, and frantic poses. So we fought the typically sedate Sunday mood and got to work.
Originally I had thought that the walkie-talkies might serve as a divide to breach the stage-auditorium divide, but after much consideration we decided that any such obvious attempt would appear as a cheap trick and register highly on the naffometer. Did the walkie-talkies still have a place in the piece then? Well, last night Amber (my housemate) was watching the classic 1972 “Super Fly”, which got me thinking that amongst the various stories that had already find their way into the piece we did not have any allusion to cop/detective plots. The walkie-talkies, with their characteristic beeps and tinny sound proved to be ideal to achieve this. ‘Alpha Romeo 379, come in. Alpha Romeo 379, are you in position?’
The use of dictaphones was one of the elements which we had experimented with during Postscript Mk1. Then, it served as a vehicle to deliver a series of first lines taken from a number of novels. How could they be used now? During this last week we have been exploring how narratives might be fragmented and collide against each other. Could the dictaphones become another means to express this? We tried, all at once; a cacophony. Too much perhaps? Rather than being used in a section all of their own, could the dictaphones instead become a through line, a recurring theme (such as the object-based actions, or our established vocabulary of gestures)? Only running the various pieces we have generated, side by side, in various permutations, will tell.
Surprisingly there was not the flourish of activity that might have been expected. Rather, we found it slightly difficult to identify any ideas we had not already explored. This, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. We have clearly been working hard. Gestures: tick! Interruptions: tick! Fragmented stories: tick! Lamp choreography: tick! Solo and duo actions at the table: tick! Etc, etc: tick! There were, nevertheless, a few things we still had to test: walkie-talkies, dictaphones, and frantic poses. So we fought the typically sedate Sunday mood and got to work.
Originally I had thought that the walkie-talkies might serve as a divide to breach the stage-auditorium divide, but after much consideration we decided that any such obvious attempt would appear as a cheap trick and register highly on the naffometer. Did the walkie-talkies still have a place in the piece then? Well, last night Amber (my housemate) was watching the classic 1972 “Super Fly”, which got me thinking that amongst the various stories that had already find their way into the piece we did not have any allusion to cop/detective plots. The walkie-talkies, with their characteristic beeps and tinny sound proved to be ideal to achieve this. ‘Alpha Romeo 379, come in. Alpha Romeo 379, are you in position?’
The use of dictaphones was one of the elements which we had experimented with during Postscript Mk1. Then, it served as a vehicle to deliver a series of first lines taken from a number of novels. How could they be used now? During this last week we have been exploring how narratives might be fragmented and collide against each other. Could the dictaphones become another means to express this? We tried, all at once; a cacophony. Too much perhaps? Rather than being used in a section all of their own, could the dictaphones instead become a through line, a recurring theme (such as the object-based actions, or our established vocabulary of gestures)? Only running the various pieces we have generated, side by side, in various permutations, will tell.
This coming week, it is now clear, will be crucial. If I may use the visual arts as an analogy perhaps… So far we have made preliminary sketches, played around with colours and tones, layered textures and materials… Soon we will face the white canvas. What stays? What is thrown out? What goes where?
Pablo
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