Confidence and Commitment

Hi all!

Here are some pictures from our last 3 sessions. It is very exciting that we are coming closer to our performance dates. I am actually feeling a bit nervous about it all - but the process is very rewarding. I can't help but feel that all the time we took in exploration and working in groups and getting to know one another, has helped to make these final sessions run smoothly in terms of collaborating and bringing the pieces together. I know for myself, it's challenging to let go of control and to trust in the process and to follow and shape the emerging images. It's almost like our community group has reached a point where we are confident in our abilities without sacrificing the emotional intent of the peice that is developing. I feel like the work that we have created so far is very touching and is filled with deep commitment and caring. It has been such a joy to work with you all.

Nicole

Excitement building as the project grows

There was a hiatus in posting here through the week of March break, when we did not gather at the Conservatory for our usual evening of collaboration. From some of the emails being exchanged after last week's regrouping to work on the project, it's obvious that it was an exhilarating evening. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend. One of the many hats I'm wearing these days had dominated my life -- the great big storyteller hat that is completely preoccupied now by the 30th Toronto Festival of Storytelling that begins Friday March 28 and continues through to Sunday April 6 all over the city and where I'll be telling environmental stories in a set called "Tales of the Blue Planet."

In that mid-project lull over March break it seems as if people came back to the next gathering inspired by the anticipation of spring despite the continuation of wintry weather. The feeling of powerful connection with the earth and all its elements has proven to work as both an individual and collective creative force, with everybody's art, music, and drama interacting in truly fruitful ways. One participant, inspired by the positive energy of the collaboration last week, afterward sent out messages to others with the idea of naming our performance "Eco Loco: The voice of Gaya Emerging" and quoting the poet Rumi: "Let the beauty we love, be what we do. There are a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground. "

I recognize that the people participating in this project are self-selected through their existing concern about and care for the health of the planet where we share our lives, and that no doubt the enthusiasm and creativity that are blossoming on these evenings at the Conservatory are exceptional, are not the "norm", are not reflective of the entire population. Yet when individuals who have been involved with the ecological artmaking for only about 6 weeks have responded by sending this message: "I love the way exploring and expressing the arts" can inspire people about the environment.

Now there's the very real possibility that those who see the perfomance on Earth Day and at the Green Living Show might be infected by the energetic creativity and passionate involvement of our group proclaiming our devotion to planet care.

Tonight I will be with everyone there again, and will report on what we're working on -- in other words, telling the story of how to live well and wisely and creatively on the earth.

Starting to Emerge

Here are some photos of our explorations from Day 4. We are starting to accumulate lots of material that is related to each of the 4 elements and within each arts modality. Our next task is to fold in the local environmental issues that we feel strongly about. Our group energy has a lovely creative feel as we are getting to know one another better and are feeling more comfortable working together creatively. It's wonderful seeing the images emerge as we come together at the end of each session to share what each group has created.

Day Four: Collaborating modes of expression

It's difficult to know how else to describe last Thursday evening's gathering. After a series of vocal and body warm-up exercises from Heather Dick, we again formed three groups. People wanting to work in drama and spoken word went with Heather, others wanting to do visual art went with Nicole -- with Andrea to arrive later -- leaving the large room with all the musical instruments for eleven others to improvise with Rick on a couple of soundscapes.

Having been reading David Rothenberg's book on music and nature, and explored a site on "experimental musical instruments", I opted this time to try collaborating on a soundscape.

Rick led the entire group in a brief session of improvising with a variety of simple small hand-held instruments (none of them as grand -- or wet! -- as in this brief video at http://youtube.com/watch?v=8p1QMEOK50I) before dividing us into two groups. Each group was to take as a theme an element and compose a short piece evoking the actions of that element -- in our case an illustration of a riddle for the sounds of the wind. With about a half -hour time limit to create a soundscape to present to the entire group, the process was an intensely involving blend of spontaneity, experimentation, and collaboration that all somehow came together very effectively.

When all three groups convened and presented what we'd worked on, it seemed as if the components of a larger piece were actually starting to take shape. The performance piece inspired by the element of Earth was charged with energy. The visual constructions are still exploratory, for they require a lot more time to make, but what has been built to date indicates that the visuals will be responsive, as will the music, to the voice and movement of the drama group, and that the drama group in turn will be able to incorporate the other modes of expression into what they've begun to develop.

Given that only six more weeks remain to create the ultimate piece, we are each to select a modality (soundscape, drama, visual art) to focus on for the rest of the project. My initial notion was to work with voice and drama, since they relate to my storytelling. However, the soundscape session completely captured my curiosity. I'd never before attempted anything like the experience of shaping sounds in a group: it's exciting and engages not only close listening but a connection with body and imagination I hadn't anticipated.