the oc.ca.sion.al blogger

This video is lovely.
I could watch it again.
Hang on ....
.... I might just do that!

Super cool kids!

This is the most creative, beautiful, inspiring video I've ever seen.

Drink up every last second.

So, after an epic 22 hour rescue mission at the end of a 10-week struggle, the Chilean miners are free.

It is impossible to describe how inspiring it has been to see this momentous event in history - a true feat of engineering and a testament to the spirit of a country and its people.

Three words come to mind:

Love * Hope * Faith

Ah!

Breathe!

It's that time of year again - the incredible Imaginate Festival - which for those of you who haven't had the pleasure, is a week of theatre festivities for children and young people (and the occasional adult!) across Edinburgh.

Today was an inspiring collection of shows, talks and networking.

I began by seeing an absolutely gorgeous gem of a piece - Rawums (:) - by florschütz & döhnert (Germany) at the North Edinburgh Arts Centre. Aimed at 2-5 years olds, this piece explores gravity in a very simple, humorous way which completely captivated the eager children who were all utterly enthralled. What's more, I later discovered that the music in the piece was controlled by the pressure of the actors' feet on triggers underneath the floor mat, meaning that the musical score is completely unique to every performance. A real adventure!

Next, I whizzed across Edinburgh to the Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh to see a real treat in storytelling from the fantastic Catherine Wheels Theatre Company (Scotland). A play for children over the age of 4, 'Martha' is a celebration of friendship in a quirky story about a grumpy woman and a mischievous goose. The school and family groups all loved it, and one wee boy even did a special jazzy dance out of the theatre. Very entertaining!

Then, I was treated to a 90-minute event in which the six artists who are currently resident with either Imaginate or Starcatchers (Imaginate's project for 0-4's), shared some of their work with us.

Here's a quick summary: 

Greg (Musician in Residence) - Greg is currently creating a piece called 'Ditto', exploring sounds and the spaces between, for and with Upper Primary children and live musicians.

Hazel (Starcatchers Artist at The Byre, St. Andrews) - Hazel is currently developing a piece based around all things circular, big, small and knitted!

Sacha (Starcatchers Artist for AttFife) - Sacha is exploring Interactive performance, working with a new mum, her baby boy and their family.

Rob (Writer in Residence) - Rob is developing work with a group of young people, investigating the idea of the dark as a safe space.

Katy (Starcatchers Artist at Tramway, Glasgow) and Matt (Starcatchers Artist at Platform, Glasgow) - Katy and Matt are collaborating on a project with Hetty the Hoover called 'this sucks!', exploring ideas of scale and suction.

WOW!!! All very different. All very inspiring!

And to round the day off, a lovely networking event where we met other Festival delegates, Imaginate staff and many of the performing companies.

If today is anything to go by, then I'm in for a treat tomorrow ...

I have just watched BBC Scotland’s documentary ‘Why Didn’t Scots Vote Tory?’ presented by Sally Magnusson. She began by using Scotland’s magnificent landscape of endless green hills as a metaphor for the political wilderness that the Conservatives continue to find themselves in, in Scotland. It made for interesting viewing.

So, why didn’t the Scottish people vote Conservative? Well, that’s a big question, and the answer probably has a lot to do with our long memories following the days of Heath and Thatcher. The Conservatives didn’t do us much good then with, apart from other things, the reduction and/or closure of many of Scotland’s heavy industries such as the Shipyards in the 1970’s. However, many will say that that was a long time ago, time to forgive and forget, and welcome in a new, progressive Conservative party, but that hasn’t happened yet, nor does it look likely that the Conservatives will get anything more than a cold shoulder from Scotland.

My own political journey has been varied. I was born here in Glasgow in 1980, but then moved to North West England, in the Tatton constituency, when I was a baby. I remember Neil Hamilton being our MP for most of my years there, until he lost out to war-correspondent Martin Bell who stood as an Independent Candidate in the 1997 Election. At this time, the Tatton seat was considered the fourth safest Conservative seat in the country. I’m sure people never expected Hamilton to lose, and yet such was the feeling that he had to be voted out following his cash-for-questions scandal, that the Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates stood down in order to increase Bell’s chances of winning. And he did. I remember my brother helping on Martin Bell’s campaign, and I remember Bell coming to my secondary school, and I got to ask him a question – I don’t remember what it was, just that I was nervous, and I was impressed by him.

So, having grown up in a very conservative constituency, I have spent long enough being under their influence, to know that I don’t like it. Certainly, the results of this 2010 Election don’t reflect the votes of people in Scotland, where only 1 out of 59 seats is Conservative.                           

I wouldn't claim to speak for the people of Scotland, but I can tell you why I didn’t and never will vote Conservative. For a start, there are a number of policies that I just don’t agree with. For example:

·      I don’t believe in giving tax-breaks to couples simply because they are married or in a civil partnership. This ignores unmarried couples, single parents and single people. Why get a tax-break just because you fulfil the Conservative’s narrow view of what constitutes commitment?

·      Also, more alarmingly, the Conservatives have spoken about withdrawing from the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and, further, abolishing the Human Rights Act. This is not progress – it’s insanity.

This is a policy that I am particularly concerned about as Glasgow is the only city in Scotland which currently supports Asylum Seekers whilst they are making their claim. Scotland has been leading the way in the UK’s Asylum policy for a long time now, opposing the detention of children in places like Dungavel and Yarl’s Wood, supporting unaccompanied minors as they try to rebuild their lives in a new country, and opposing Dawn Raids. I don’t believe that the Conservatives plan to do anything to change this practice. In fact, it is only in the SNP’s key policies that I see anything mentioned about Dawn Raid’s – a practice which quite literally rips communities apart.

Glasgow, as with any city, is not black and white. There are shades … and shades of shades. The city is layer upon layer of voices, paths, views; history. There is a continual, almost imperceptible, movement that drives the city forward. And in amongst this hubbub are the people. Scotland is a country that has a very strong sense of its own history, and this creates a palpable sense of community. I can tell you from my own experience that Glasgow’s sense of community is vibrant and rich. I love it - it's why I came back here for university in 1998, and it's why I'm still here 12 years later. There can be no question that the people of Scotland know what they want, and what they don’t want, which in this case is a return to a Conservative rule.

For me, the bottom line is that the Conservatives just don’t feel relevant to me as a person living in Scotland. In ‘Why Didn’t Scots Vote Tory?’, Magnusson speaks to one market stall holder who, when asked about his vote, said “If I vote Conservative here, what difference will it make?” Indeed, the apparent rebranding of the Conservative party as an inclusive party, and the idea that David Cameron is ‘one of us’, is laughable. He doesn’t have the first clue.

I have been enthralled by the UK election.
I stayed up late.
Very late.
Late enough to see Scotland's sensible choices.
Not late enough to see the blue as it spread across England on the BBC map. Like ink on cotton, it'll never be the same again.

I am dismayed that nearly 300 constituencies saw fit to elect a man and a party who want to abolish the Human Rights Act. This is not progress. This is insanity.

And where are the 2% of the British public who are voting for the BNP?
Let them crawl back under their rocks.

If David Cameron looked like the felt puppet in this workshop photo, he'd be a lot less offensive.

Hmmm, so I tried blogspot ... then tumblr ... nothing quite working for me so decided to give posterous a wee whirl and see how it goes. Liking it so far. I've been so distracted that my popcorn has gone cold.

Above is an image from an excellent Masterclass that I went on in January, organised by the invaluable Imaginate and facilitated by David Harradine of Fevered Sleep. This involved a group of us working over three days in Birnam, sometimes in the Arts Institute in the relative warmth and sometimes in fields or up hills surrounded by mounds of snow and icicles.

Magical* ... and cold.

I wanted to draw your attention to this important petition that I recently signed:

"Save BA Community Arts at Strathclyde"
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savebaca/

I really think this is an important cause, and I'd like to encourage you to add your signature, too. It's free and takes just a few seconds of your time.

Thanks!