On Friday Morning I went to the Prosperity Council Report on the Arts. Some very good ideas, one being that we create an accelerator center for the arts. Our local Accelerator Centre in the R and T park is helping small businesses get started. One recently was an automated car counter for roads for example.

A barnraising committee is being formed to get money from the region and cities and businesses, etc.

I pointed out that we are in a recession and while I like the idea, taxpayers are always concerned about tax increases. What are they going to do to help politicians who are generally supportive since it only takes one election to sweep us all away (whatever level we are). Panel said they have to get public onside and also help us (Yup)

But in any case, that evening I went to the opening of Impact 09 and the play put the avant in avantguarde. Mayor Halloran was there too. The audience was mostly young people.

The first tweny minutes was very Warhol, twenty minutes (It felt like twenty minutes!) of watching hands washing a pan of dummy hands. Squeaking away. Then a lot of Waitng for Godot and Warhol moments for instance long videos of chinese waiting for a bus. I know they have lost me when I am examining the clothes the actors wear. They got a standing ovation, but it was not for me. (Turns out it was about Sars panic, now I kind of get it)

Anyway, my point is, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have avant garde stuff just cause I don’t get it. Weird stuff can help creativity. BUT, I would have a hard time justifying it with the public who were so against our tame art for a Roundabout.

That being said, right now we have lots on the edge, the Impact09, CAFKA contemporary art and Word on the Street, all on one week end. A vibrant arts weekend that needs supporting.

Listened and saw Margaret Atwood at KPL this morning for the opening of Word on the Street. I don’t think it was recorded, which is a shame. She gave a great reading and even sang one of the hymns! No monotone at all. 

It was the question period I loved. Brent Hansen of CTV was the interviewer and she ended up flumoxing him. He asked why science fiction often shows depressing futures. She gave a very informative answer about the beginnings of utopian writing in the 1850s, then talked about how the mood changed as basically, there is no utopia, everything has a bad side and what if you are a person in a utopia who doesn’t agree with or like it?  She flumoxed Brent when he said, “But what about great things like the moon landing?” And Margaret said, “How was the moon landing great? Have we gone back?” 

My favourite answer, though, and all of these were longer answers than I am paraphrasing, was to a question from the audience about technology. Margaret Atwood is in love with blogging and twitter (must become a follower!). She takes the author’s delight in the words “tweet, twitter and Mr. Tweet”

The questioner said she didn’t like technology and was surprised Margaret did.  Margaret Atwood then told us that anything we make is only an extension or part of ourselves, it’s made for us. So twitter is like the old telegraph before phones where the conversation had to be short. Texting and twitter like women around the well or remarks as we pass by. Blogs are like the conversational essays in papers before they became columnists, when newsprint make writing cheap. etc.

Of course, this leads me to wonder, why do we like concrete cities  — but people do traditonally hate the woods and want to band together.

I will explore youtube to see if someone posted anything on today. There is a great site, www.yearoftheflood.com that has a blog of Margaret Atwood’s book tour and also the readings and music around the book.

I’m baaaack! And will be adding lots of posts again.

For now, Monday is World Habitat Day. Info about Habitat for Humanity and World Habitat Day is here

http://worldhabitatdaynews.com

A day to think about affordable housing.