Soul to Soul & Trashing Post Modernism

In the last 24 hours I have been in the company of Rozena Maart Head of Gender Studies Kwazulu Natal University S. A. Soul to soul talking about Black Consciousness (yes you do not hear that very often round these parts !) black afro-centric artists being copied and then blocked, the hidden afrikan herstories and histories of Afrikaans people and white europeans in general, non european forms of philosphical reasoning . Plus completely trashing post modernism and its champions e.g. Paul Gilroy etc and exposing its apologisms - it was awesome !!! The new is totally upon me, revelations abound in my millieu as to who really helps and who actually hinders...Wonderful ! Now having said all of that, circumstances do change and a fire is catching with a good head wind towards fulfilling the dream. Mostly in a totally beautfiful way. So lots of smiling by me inside and out.

Catch 22 Hobson's Choice -to Achieve Beauty Not What You Expect

Great so you have an important meeting about the project that is to create beauty , with a gate keeper and begin chatting like a mynah bird, not not realising that the person you are talking to - is not with you . Why because the document you thought you had sent to them - you actually did not - because you had spent so much time sending various documents (by email of course) to so many people - it was clearly an oversight . Hilarious really ! However further discussions took place that were constructive . An even more satisfactory meeting took place for the first time between the staging deviser ace and the digital designer ace on the team . A meeting of great minds - powerful , wonderful to see. To the point. (previous drawings of stage design were poured over ) whereby we all have seen the centre piece, in terms of our core creative digital stage prop. A thing so great and wonderous , as to inspire real awe as far as I am concerned. With its abilities to work real magic ! No the knot in the pit of my stomach, all revolves around key decisions (time is pressing now ), as to where to go for money and exactly how much - e.g. request less (to get a quick positive decison hopefully and get more needed later ?) or more (with a longer turn around- take the risk to ask for exactly what you need with maybe a negative decision ?) It is all rather like gambling (I do not gamble except in my arts of course ) really only much worse. All the funding options look feasible till on further examination,there is some big decisions (the criteria and the steer being given to by funders for you to follow) then makes it all look far less attractive, in terms of what the actually project needs- Catch 22, six of one half a dozen of the other . One good thing recently amongst all this funding angst, is I have come up with more important details about one of the characters for the piece. In addition I have written a type of treatment to progress matters technically. I am very happy (I so enjoy my writing ) about this, as there was some things missing... Also it looks we have have film video etc.production facilities/resources to use over the summer . As of today it looks like we have recruited a recommended film maker /photographer to work with us . A meeting with the local univerisity is planned to discuss more formalised partnership arrangements. With a view to knowledge transfer, innovative artists in the community and access to their resources. the Project Advisory board have their information, to set up more formally for a meeting . So we keep moving foward ....

'Diunt Get Frit' - Wax In Sync With The Moon...

How to say this ,its been gloomy (but the moon is waxing) with everyone down about arts cuts. But I have with my collaborators namely Simon and Sean so far been busy bees , we are waxing marvellously along . Getting so much work done at last at last ! Development really perking up so to recap , deadline for sharing work in progress august 2012, theatre meetings for support and joy of joys (my inner geek rejoices ) getting to devise and work out a pilot creative digital platform for performance Whoopeep doo - in a digital media centre !!! Not to mention an agreement to move forward with a big arts centre to comission original contemporary acoustic and electronic music , musicians, workshops, choir to learn the music and a debut performance of the music work , plus other performance dates . There has been great help and advice and more importantly hope, now available in high places. So vital with the recent arts cuts laying waste to artists dreams and hopes - bitter anger and rage, with hardened cyncism toward goverment and funding bodies raging. I will gird my loins, but also diunt get frit (leicester slang for dont be afraid) with regard to grant funding shennigans. However it is different this time- more powerful champions, complete with their own not inconsiderable juicy resources, that the project requires YAY !. Transparency is the key, see how diverse the arts can be in these 'middle lands 'are or will be . This project clearly will be a litmus test , for clear criteria , real fairness and so forth . But most of all this project is will/ be the most groundbreaking amazing fantastic thing ever in these parts..I love it that not quite everyone has realised this yet...but they will. The fun is back now (I was dancing- working recently to work out the size of my performance platform to be built as part of the staging) we have moved so much further forward with everything !