Well they flow together quite well, a string of pearls in theme , for lifes works.
Contemplating Buddha is receiving great community radio airplay support and keeping me busy with lots of emailing to reach and and make contact with the wonderful folk supporting my work, to offer them the whole album. Thank you Australia, and the kind folk in The UK and USA who are sharing my work, biggest hug for you when we one day meet. A new song has been written ‘Standing there’ (according to a friend a contemporary indie pop rock tune), a guitar based work that I may aim to release a single, something small and manageable and inexpensive relatively speaking (couple of hundred bux). If I can manage it I will concurrently work at the Giza Plateau Ep, but that is proving challenging because it is concept work, and still not sure what each track is asking off me , lush arrangements or minimalism. The tracks are written essentially but parts need re recording and additional parts creating and arranging. It’s still in the imaginal soup. I guess it depends how big in scope Mandate of Heaven ends up being, as to what time is available for each work. They both will live. LA MAMA ‘s brief for the Explorations series was 45 minutes to an hour, so I was basing off that. It will be a totally experimental work for me, certainly not your average theater. Interactive, technical, requiring lots of logistical considerations across multiple levels. Nothing short of a total challenge, which I seem to thrive on. Arists after all are maestros of making something from nothing. It requires a large financial outlay too. I need a new computer and professional video editing software. Why? Don’t ask me, I just receive the ideas and nurture them in my womb space, as they ask to be birthed into being. It used to frighten me getting given such huge themes and archetypal work, feeling compelled to speak to many things, but with time I guess those shoes are easier to wear, cause I can take them off any time.
Mandate of Heaven sadly will not go ahead at La Mama I felt quite sad at first but it also releases some of the pressure. I had been hanging by a thread since October not knowing what way it was going. I will now commit to do it to coincide with the events of RONA16 and The Earth Laws Alliance Rights of Nature Tribunal being held in October where the Earth Laws Arts Alliance has a call out for artists Australia wide to offer works on theme. Mine is most definitely on theme.
AELA Rights of Nature Tribunal – 22nd October 2016, Brisbane
The above links outline the themes for involvement in the greater rights of Nature process which is open to any and all interested artists. But it is all self generated, self funded or cooperative. That is we get our own venues and host ourselves. Details also exist on the first link to outline what is occurring in the Citizens Tribunal, major environmental case hearings against various regional governments and corporations.
The Earth laws website highlights “AELA’s intention is to blend the creative re-interpretation of environmental governance with cultural responses to the rights of the natural world to flourish”
So Mandate of Heaven already ponders many of the themes for involvement, I just have to present it to make it work and get to work with others to make it happen. So this is my call out to other artists and creatives, do you want to offer something, check out the links and contact me or RONA16 at creative@earthlaws.org.au . My involvement is not official yet it has been discussed but website details of all artists projects are all forthcoming. It is going to be an awesome smorgasbord of multi modal arts, creative conversations and getting down to business.
RONAS THEMES – FOR ALL ARTISTS CREATIVES
All RONA16 events and responses will respond and relate to the following inter-connected themes, in the full spectrum from meta to micro nuances:
Reveal, reflect and critique the current flawed paradigm of western law which Imagine and create the paradigm we’re proposing – Earth laws and rights of nature Privileges humans over other forms of life Humans are one part of nature – interconnected, interdependent with the Earth Community Has created governance systems that do not reflect how the natural world works Human governance systems should be embedded in deep knowledge of local Earth communities Is built on the idea that humans ‘own’ nature – nature is property, objectified, commodified (bought and sold), caged, fenced, destroyed Non-human agency is vital, the non-human world belongs to no-one; vibrant biodiversity is critical to life on earth Gives ‘rights’ to humans and human created fictions – corporations, ships. While plants, animals, ecosystems have no rights, are invisible and ‘dead’ in the eyes of the law Recognising that all life and life supporting systems on Earth have “a right to exist, thrive and evolve” Privileges western legal, scientific and evidentiary frameworks of knowledge Respects indigenous knowledge, human ‘lived’ experience, emotional and spiritual connections, as well as scientific and rational ways of knowing Legalises the destruction of vital ecosystems and life support systems Holds all life sacred and balances reasonable human needs with the rights of the natural world to exist and evolve; would never prize human wants over the destruction of ecosystems
Here is a song in theme, now 17 years old, a performance I recorded to coincide with the Brisbane G2o summit and uploaded on 13 Nov 2014. It is a guitar based work, just me and voice (though I forgot how it started – the riff lol). One day I will flesh it out. I always hoped to do it with a band but it may just have to be my band in a box electro orchestra.
G2O – from the Sonic Sanctaury Cave
Message to the military man and the minions of mammon
Signing out for now Cath in the Cave <3 <3 <3