A Walk in the Park

Last Saturday we organised Highgate Funday, in Highgate Park – and what fun we had!  The wonderful Barbara Nice MC’d the show, and we had a whole range of locally-sourced entertainment on offer.  From Barry Bling and the Orchestra of Love and Chaos, to Wolly the Clown, the Stanhope Kids Dance Troupe, St Eugene’s Choir, young future rap stars, Miss T, music, laughter and dance in equal measure.  We even had a visit from Buddy the sniffer dog!  There were stalls from all kinds of local organisations, from Fairbridge to Eastside projects, free hair ‘do’s', mendhi, the ‘smoothie bike’ and a cinema tent, courtesy of 7 Inch.  We were blessed with great weather and everyone had a great time.  It was exactly what we wanted – a traditional funday with extra added art and weirdness – check the photos (this set by Dan Davies – thanks Dan!)

In the words of our great Neighbourhood manager, Andy Sheppard -  ‘for the first time ever, we really connected Highgate and Digbeth’ – now that’s an achievement!

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Here’s some writing from Sandra explaining where we’re at right now:

This is my first blog post for a long time.

I’ve been working on an arts project with young autistic people for over two months now and am having an extraordinary time. They have vast, awkward, revealing imaginations. They do not speak in public sector tongues. They are honest, direct, joyful, ever-ready to try out and shift what I offer.  They gift as much as they enjoy.  This project is saving my artistic soul.  The commissioner has worked with us for years and met me in the place of soaring possibilities of a large installation, where people can immerse themselves in Cheyne, Josh, Matt and Tufayl.  Where targets are reinvented not disguised and can be interpreted, shape shifted so that the true focus of the project can breathe, not gasp.

After a weekend of delivering a very wonderful Fun Day on Saturday, with an incredible team, Lee and I have been swamped with onerous paperwork, intense demands.  Through aching legs and popping backs we subsume ourselves for the rest of this weekend in trying to survive at the Edge.  No time to reflect in a creative swirl of the next set of possibilities – straight to the land of sector speak, outputs and succession planning.

No way or time to describe the poetry of hanging out with local lads who volunteered with much verve, time and honesty, playing, working, learning by osmosis – made more poignant by the void of any artists reciprocating time we have given them.  Watching them use the trolleys across the park, as kids do, finding ever-more creative ways to bruising and pink shins as they hurl each other down hills in open laughter and wonder.

This last week I have taken down a big top, suffered Cost Co aisles to buy supplies, missed the dentist (again), re-re-rescoped bids on demand, amended flyers, forgotten press releases, begged forgiveness, laughed so hard, stayed up all night writing in tongues, been shortlisted for Australia (with Lee), forgotten to eat, promised myself a life, missed a great talk, authored dreams with Lee, blagged a raffle prize, loved my team, gasped at photos, skanked to reggae, seen souls soar, forgotten to twitter (again), avoided facebook (again), sat at the laptop all night, witnessed a beautiful dawn, seen sunflowers erupt, scoured for funding, ranted at traffic,  sorted out the world at the corner shop, shuffled in pain (the big top hurt), smoked fags, broken glasses, lost time, made lists, lost lists, stood on the roof of the Edge in wonder, made endless teas, answered stupid questions, offered advice, found great ideas on car journeys, lost them in twilight work-ache, forgotten birthday cards, dreamed of Africa, watched antiques roadshow (great stories), enjoyed the wind, purred with the cat, missed my friends……

That’ll do for now.