Photo by Darren Boxer
So, it's March 1st, St.David's Day ... and the first day of Fusion Inspire. The very first thing I MUST do is go to the bank in my local village and set up an account specifically for the grant. Job Done!
Then down to Carmarthen to pick up a beautiful note book that I have had my eye on! My entire life has been littered with notebooks that live scattered around my life as willing vessels for my thoughts/potential lyrics. Especially by my bed.
I don't know if the wee hours of the morning are my most productive as a writer because that's when I feel most cut off from the hub bub of the world, or that I have fallen into this pattern simply and purely because there has been no other time to write ... but always on the chest of drawers next to my bed, you will find a brightly coloured note book, a few biro pens (black, not keen on blue, not sure why) and these days, a pair of reading glasses!
But this new note book is the most special of all my notebooks. It will be the first one I share with the world! It's huge! Made of recycled cotton from India and I found it in a little art shop on the high street. I am going to record, write and waffle away in that big cotton book all year, and then will display it for people to flip though during or after the productions.
So, as soon as I got home from Carmarthen, I ran literally full speed up to my bedroom. Bit like when you're a teenager and you want to scoot upstairs as fast as possible before anyone notices you. I held the pen and lay on my bed ... but I was almost too nervous to write in the book!
I have drawn a succession of spider diagrams ... it's difficult for me to put onto paper my ideas as a visual representation because I am not a linear thinker ... I think in 'wholes' ... strategically, in networks, links.I am decribed as 'seeing the wood for the trees' but actually I see the whole forest, what is above it, below it, around it, within it, without it ... all at once ... in one whole vision, with open endings to link to other forests or embrace different trees ...
I realised as I scribbled on my special pages, that much of my work comes from the premise that the parts are equally beautiful but when they come together as a whole, they are something more than the sum of those parts. I have decided that this will be the premise behind Fusion Inspire and through the performances, installations and film work; I will create something that works in its parts but fuses together as something more once whole.
This will be easier to do at The National Botanic Garden of Wales because the venue has many performance spaces and I am so grateful for their kindness in supporting me, but it will not be so easy in St.Davids at the Cwrt House. I will need to think about additional spaces where the Cwrt House is the central base. And contact the Town Council about outside performance to link those spaces.
At St.Cadocs I will show just the whole as an end piece.
Cheeky Aside: written to myself in my new book on Day One ...
My word, I have to tell you, this feels very naughty indeed! Every piece I work on is usually negotiated between funders, committees and community participants ... I feel like I'm going to get told off in a minute for considering my own creative thoughts! It's rather lovely though! A bit like ... when someone offers you a chocolate covered doughnut ring! You think, Oh no, better not ... but then you take just one mouthful ... and the rest is history!
Once I had gotten over the pure naughtiness of allowing myself to be ... I realised that I had 2 choices. I could create a piece using the strengths and skills I currently possess and buy in support for areas where I need help, or I could push my own creative boundaries and use the year ahead to become all or more of what I can be, and buy in specialist knowledge/tailored tuition to address my weaknesses ... guess which I decided on!
So straight away I booked in Cubase training, a friend on face book gave me the contact. This chap comes to your home to deliver personalised training in music technology.
I booked and have been on an afternoon of Poetry Workshops with Mab Jones, a brilliant, clever, funny edgy young (award winning) spoken word poet from Cardiff. I'm going to tell you all about it in my next blog because it was a mind blowing experience!
Put a meeting in the diary with Sharron from Ostrich Film Company about individually tailored editing training. I saw a beautiful film she had put on Vimeo of my friend musician, Heather Summers improvising with Maggie at her barn. A really arty black and white film and the editing is so gorgeously simple yet effective.
Movement with Miranda Betts, an inspirational dancer from New Quay. I'm not going to dance in my production, but I had a meeting with Arts Care Gofal Celf and they have very kindly agreed to link LegaC into Fusion Inspire for film work and end performance. LegaC are a new contemporary dance troop in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, and Miranda will be tutoring them over the Summer break, so I thought it would be good for me to be part of one of her workshops so that I can feel how she delivers.
I also need to arrange lots of meetings ...
With my supervisers
With the venues to scope & contract
I met a great actor when I was recently facilitating song writing with young people at Mess up the Mess Theatre Company for their Hidden produciton. Simon Morgan Thomas, a brilliantly diverse and innovative actor/musican from Cardiff, who it transpires also edits films ... He's been so supportive in terms of giving me links to technical support around projection. I would LOVE to do something 360 degree in terms of projection but this will be too expensive, so Simon's contact will help me come up with somehthing else.
My friend, a wonderful edgy out there beatifully crafted spoken word poet from North Wales, Sophie McKeand, suggested a stack of TV's. How quirky and totally cool would that be. But I think I'll have difficulty in transporting them. I trust the solution is waiting for me to receive it.
Anyway, I digress ... Simon and I had a meeting and he has agreed to come and film for a few pieces that I have in mind because I have drafted up some of the songs and music already! I can't help myself!
I wasn't allowed to start the project until March 1st ... and so all my thoughts and feelings about the work have been waiting patiently behind the dyke, but now the giant wall has been removed, the waters crash with an urgency, so too my lyrics and ideas are running faster than my hands can write or type! It is the most beautifully wonderful feeling .. like a release. I can't stop smiling!
Other meetings on the horizon are with Jeff Beer the Sound Engineer & an outstanding session guitarist, Rachel Hargrave, a beautiful drummer with the most magical of auras whom I would like to work with in relation to the piece composed from sign language. Amanda Painting from Morfa Isaf Farm, who is an exceptional pianist ... and Heather Summers a multi gifted musican but I would like her to come and teach me about sampling, she has some pretty amazing gizmo's ...
I also need to arrange meetings with sign language organisations.
2 prinary schools have agreed that their children can take part in the filmscapes
I have also devised a spider diagram of clever ways to engage 400 plus people through the consultation. The reasoning for doing this is that if people feel personally attached to the production, they are more likely to come at the end to the performances. It gives the production personalised meaning.
So, at the end of week one, here I sit at 3.30am wide awake after a day of writing up blogs ... tomorrow I am off to New Quay to share International Women's Day with a group of like minded kindreds. We will watch the full moon rise. I am going to film it for Fusion Inspire.
Photo by Darren Boxer
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