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“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.” Rilke 
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I'm for ever fascinated where one foot in front of the other can lead. Yesterday I got an email from Adrienne Lloren, a young entrepreneur in Toronto who interviewed me this year for her online summit, "The Thriving Artist." In her email she mentioned one of her mentors, Jim Rohn. I'd never heard of him and curious to know where Adrianne gets her energy and inspiration I did a quick google search. Wikipedia told me that he had been a mentor for Tony Robbins. I was more curious. So I followed a link and watched a couple of videos in Youtube. His talks are about mindset, full of handy phrases and practical common sense. There was some useful information in talks titled "Focus on One Thing", and "How to Use Your Time Wisely." I was tidying up paperwork so listened as I sorted. As it does Youtube suggested some other videos. In the "coming next" box appeared videos from Dr Wayne Dyer - someone I had heard mentioned various times however I never had listened to any of his work. Youtube makes it easy for the curious. One video was called "On the Tao and A Million Little Pieces." I listened to various of the talks as I sorted paperwork and Dyer talked about living the "inspired life." Two things struck me. The first was that one of his chosen quotes was a quote from the British poet, print maker and visionary, William Blake that I have used many times in workshops and in my website, To see a world in a Grain of Sand, This quote always reminded me of what anthropologist Victor Turner talked about in "communitas" - the ability of culture to link people, and the power of art and culture can make you look and look again.
The second factor that surprised me was Dyer talking about 3.15am as one of those special times when you have more access to your quiet and true place. The Celtic Christians called it a "thin place" - where we are closer to that something else. Dyer quotes Rumi's saying, ""The breeze at dawn has special messages for you. Do not go back to sleep." You've guessed it, I woke up, got up to go to the loo, checked the time, and of course it was 3.15am. In the spirit of the coincidence I did my dues and took out a notebook and put down some thoughts. Each day is this sum of one foot in front of the other and the curiosity to find where my nose will lead me next. In the talk, Dyer mentions the book he is working on based on the Tao Te Ching to be called “Change The Way You Look At Life And The Life You're Living Changes.” I don't know if the book stayed with that title but whatever the title I'm sure that it was as fascinating as this talk about our thinking. New Year, New steps. Stay awake even just for the sake of a curiosity to see what might happen.  DECEMBER 2018 - Clear Insight Production's contemporary culture and arts newsletter. Dedicated to the creative and new ways of doing, being and knowing. Here is to #clarity #insightulness #productivity http://bit.ly/Clear-Insight-Productions-Newsletter-12-2018 #leadership #motivation #innovation #entrepreneur #inspiration #art #growth#coaching #passion #mindset #research #entrepreneurship #artsandculture#newwaysofbeingdoingknowing #clearinsight #clearinsightproductions #newsletter  NOVEMBER 2018 - Clear Insight Production's contemporary culture and arts newsletter. Dedicated to the creative and new ways of doing, being and knowing.
Here is to #clarity #insightulness #productivity https://mailchi.mp/1af78fba576f/newsletter-11-2018-clear-insight-productions-sharing-contemporary-culture-arts-news-from-around-and-about #leadership #motivation #innovation #entrepreneur #inspiration #art #growth #coaching #passion #mindset #research #entrepreneurship #artsandculture #newwaysofbeingdoingknowing #clearinsight #clearinsightproductions For sometime I have been fascinated with music in its widest sense whether it is where it spills into opera or the Avantgarde. It has been an unexpected journey for because whilst the pursuit of all things experimental came naturally for me, opera as art form was not on my map for many years. I was far more obsessed with exploring experimental theatre and where it touched dance and the body as in physical theatre, new dance, post-modern dance, performance art, and other cultural movement forms such as Butoh and Body Weather.
It was by chance through my first visit to Argentina with a travel grant from Wales Arts International that I discovered the work of Oscar Edelstein (Composer) and Manuel Eguía (Physicist). Their joint research into the field of acoustics and music was taking sound into an extended form which contained the architectural qualities that I enjoyed in dance and site specific work. In other words they were exploring the exciting world of audio perception and the sense of sound in space. Their cutting edge research is actually nothing new. Edelstein and Eguía are taking up a conversation between the art and science of music that has a long and fascinating story. I approach this without the benefit of a background in acoustical science. musical composition, musicology, or physics but as a multimedia artist dedicated to creating artistic experiences that cross that special line from the ordinary to the extra-ordinary, to the oft quoted liminal space, to that otherness that only poets and maybe priests get to occasionally visit and play. This extensive collaboration between Edelstein and Eguía (which succeeded in being the first research project in Latin America to win major science funding as well as arts funding) re-establishes the old link between science and music - this ambiguous relationship that developed early on in science from the fact that when so often words and vision failed to find adequate explanations for the universe, musical metaphors were a final resort offering concepts such as resonance, vibrations and so on. In recent times the metaphor of vision has dominated science. This makes Edelstein and Eguía’s work together at the Universidad de Quilmes so important as they take us back into the prioritising of the ear and the process of listening. The research of historians like Penelope Gouk of Manchester University offer an intriguing parallel to this modern exploration of music as equally a science and an art, as she establishes the importance of music in the development of modern science. Her book "Music, Science & Natural Magic in Seventeenth-Century England" [1], shows how in the late 16th century and early 17th century the tradition of new experimental philosophy was developing out of the earlier tradition of natural philosophy, and how natural philosophy itself developed out of the tradition of the natural magician - the picture of the lone experimenter who sought to discover universal truths for his personal use or perhaps for that of an elite master. Often music was the source of metaphors used to represent hidden phenomena that could neither be seen or easily put into words. For example the sympathetic resonance between the strings of two instruments was a metaphor frequently used as a way to understand and control unseen forces. So as well as taking us forward in the field of acoustics, Edelstein and Eguia's work follows in the footsteps of a long line of experimenters who used musical models to illustrate links between the seen and the unseen, right back to the early experiments of the “natural philosophers” of the 16th century, individuals who were working even from before the birth of whom we now call scientists (which is a 19th century term), and whose work itself followed from that of the so called 'natural magicians.' These experimenters designed instruments as the first attempts to explain the universe in what has been called the “Naturalisation of the marvellous.” Many of these early experimental philosophers, explains Gouk. were themselves musicians, such as Robert Fludd for whom the practice of music was a step “towards true philosophical knowledge and divine illumination.” It was only later with the new experimental philosophy that figures like Isaac Newton (1642-1727) searching for underlying structures would begin to draw on maths as a language to reveal the unseen. Before that the properties of bell, lutes, trumpets, and keyboards were frequently used as musical models to describe the functions of the body. As pointed out by Gouk, the paradox and perhaps the break with the prevalence of the use of musical models came when polyphony was introduced - it was one thing to listen to one instrument and imagine a universal harmony and cosmic order, but this order was under threat when more than one instrument played together. The practice of tuning and temperament had to be introduced as a way to compensate. It was one thing to imagine universal models linked to antiquity such as Apollo - God of Harmony and Cosmic Order with his association with the lyre - an association that court magician John Dee (1527-1608), frequently used. However, put two lyres together and there was a problem. The cosmic order appeared to break down and new models were needed. It is in this fascinating terrain that Edelstein and Eguia orchestrate the re-meeting of music in its scientific and artistic form. Their work has been patiently and gently taking weight now for over ten years, and the team is ready to show more of the performative results. As a proud member of the production team, I hope this blog begins to identify some of the exciting aspects of this extensive project. I am only beginning here to scratch the surface of the scale of the project and there are others who can speak better about the acoustical science. However I see this as a space to begin new conversations and to offer some material in English and in layman's terms to go alongside the many scientific papers that the research has produced. I hope that little by little I will be able to share a deeper sense of this intriguingly resonant project. Deborah Claire Procter Multimedia Artist & Mentor Founder Clear Insight Productions For questions and more information: info@clearinsight.co.uk [1] Gouk, Penelope, Music, Science & Natural Magic in Seventeenth-Century England, (Yale Uni Press, 1999) [2] Natural Magic itself in this moment was seen as an antecedent to the ancient tradition of Priscia Theologia (Original Theology) and the belief that God had revealed the processes of nature to Adam who in turn revealed them to the “magi” - e.g. Abraham, Moses, Hermes, Orpheus, Pythagorus and so on. Gouk p.103 I have had a week of the strangest dreams with mixes of friends from all stages of my life all jumbled up and including last night Samuel L Jackson coming to return a coat that did not fit. It's not the moon but the 50th anniversary of the drama degree that I took at Exeter University. It was a rare beast set up by young theatre makers who were influenced by studio based laboratory style practices such as were happening in Poland with Jerzy Grotowski, or with Peter Brook's long rehearsal processes and long cycles. The brain child was John Rudlin who brought us his knowledge of Commedia del Arte, Dadaism and Surrealism. It was made possible by the genius mind of Shakespeare expert Professor Peter Thomson, and various others such as Les Read, Nick Sales and Glendyr Sacks. What was unique about it? Many things but particularly the idea that a British university would offer a practice based course as opposed to looking at historical or literary aspects of theatre. It was a pioneer. The inspired and intelligent team fought also for assessments based on practice so out of the nine parts of our final assessment seven, if I remember correctly, were practical.  1986 Exeter University Drama Department course guildelnes We had studio spaces. Another fight was to acquire and maintain the Roborough which had been a science lab as our performance space. It was a huge flexible space with beautiful tall windows and scary basement vaults that I never fancied going into. What is more in my year back in the eighties the numbers were capped so that there were eight of us doing single honours drama and twelve doing combined with English and one or two more combined with German. That meant that for three years we worked together constantly so it was as if we were a mini theatre ensemble. I think I will need many posts to put the experience into adequate words. We were young. far from home and swimming in a sea of creativity that was as overwhelming as it was wonderful. There was sweat and confusion. What held it together was the vision and flare of the founding team, including the strong presence of Les Read, Dorinda Hulton, Nick Sales and Glendyr Sacks. We were kitted out with black karate suits, black leggings (which were the limit for most of the guys) and a black leotard. The idea was to take out personality from the process of the rehearsal room - these were laboratory theatre concepts - somewhere between Peter Brook's "Empty Space" and Grotowski's "Poor Theatre."  1986 Exeter University Drama Department course guildelnes The truth is that it took years to be able to balance such an intense, exquisite and strange three years. We didn't have modules but worked on a theme or concept for five weeks leading to a performance. For this reason fellow graduates have become dramaturgs, opera directors, fine artists, writers, headmasters, community centre leaders, academics, researchers, and think there is even a diamond merchant - in other words people who found their own weird life combinations.
Five weeks of full time hours on themes like Kathakali dance drama; Mask work and Commedia; the structure of a Shakespearian five act history play (including writing and performing our own); and so on. The feather in the cap was the final third year project which was to make 20 minutes of theatre - anyway, anyhow you wanted but with the rule that it had to be 20 mins. We acted in each others and each took responsibility for the tech in one discipline so I was one of the sound team. I think I'm glad that this was all before mobile phone and even video cameras. So we were just making and doing constantly - most of it quite bad but with much enthusiasm. My karate-suit's trousers ended up being faded and softer than a cloud. In my last move they got thrown out which in this 50th anniversary nostalgia, I know regret. If I've learnt to make it up as I go along it was from these years. There were mistakes and it was damn confusing at times yet finally a catalyst for nearly all the other stages and impulses in my life. So it brings me great joy to see faces I have not seen for many years, and to be able to feel all the same hope, desire, enthusiasm, emotion, vulnerability, tenderness and passion. Youth is wasted on the young, of course. And as Picasso said, "It takes a long time to become young.” I am enjoying from afar this 50th anniversary which far from making me feel old, makes me feel extremely young and more determined than ever to make similar experiences possible for other. Deborah Claire Procter  I love this quote and it explains to me why I need to have so many journals and notebooks around me! It reminds me of the distinction I learnt whilst studying drama at Exeter University which was heavily influenced by studio based practice and ensemble techniques, and where we were taught to constantly ask “Why theatre?” - in other words what does it do that another art form does not. Therefore, why do we say “playwright” and not “play-write”? It is as if a playwright (distinct from a play-write), is someone developing their work in a process that is as much a physical process (like a wheel-wright) as an intellectual one. These are questions that have led my continuous artistic search to the borders of different art forms (dance theatre, physical theatre, performance art, martial arts in relation to performance etc) including to most recently an exploration in the arena of opera and experimental music in collaborations with Argentinean composer Oscar Edelstein as both a vocalist and video maker. Edelstein's concept of "Acoustic Theatre" raises the question of sound in space. It is question that was explored in the early acoustic experiments of the cathedral builders and Venetian masters (think whispering galleries and cathedrals constructed to be apt for choirs), up to references of the to the 3D space of German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen whose piece "Gruppen" requiring three conductors and three orchestras was recently performed in the Turbine Gallery at Tate Modern by London Symphony Orchestra directed by Simon Rattle), passing through Gustav Mahler, Richard Wagner, Claude Debussy, Arnold Schönberg, Geörgy Ligetti and Luigi Nono. With Acoustic Theatre, Edelstein is collaborating with physicists in Argentina to create a new kind of space for the experiencing of sound. He is working in depth with Manuel Eguía (Physicist / Acoustic Researcher) who is an Associate Professor at the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Buenos Aires and a member of CONICET (National Science Council) whose background is in Complex Systems, Nonlinear Dynamics and Theoretical Neuroscience. Together they are working with Sonic Crystals in an novel approach to sound in space. There is a long history of composers working in an interdisciplinary contexts that border with art, architecture, theatre and dance. Equally, in recent years artists have taken up this idea of sound in space and begun experimenting with the borders of sound. So for me Hélène Cixous - professor, French feminist writer, poet, playwright, philosopher, literary critic and rhetorician - captures that implausible aspect of the process of putting into words and for the need to physicalise the out of reach. She eludes to that special finding of what is not there - that just because. Cixous is best known for her article '' The Laugh of the Medusa.'' It takes 21 days to change a habit, and so Adrienne Lloren, a young Toronto entrepreneur has prepared 21 days worth of interviews with creatives - 25 infact (including me!) - from all spectrums of the artistic sphere. As a rapper, singer-songwriter, and YouTuber, Adrienne has been trying to figure out the challenge of how to bridge the gap between starving artist to thriving artist. So she decided to take on a research project to learn how successful creatives paved their way into crafting the life and business that they love. This research project has turned into an interview series called: The Thriving Artist: How Creatives Create Flourishing Careers. [You can register for a complimentary ticket using this LINK] These interviews are short and straight to the point conversations with successful creatives who’ve built thriving careers. In case you are wondering who the speakers are, here are just a handful of speakers you will hear from including me: Bree Noble (singer/songwriter & online radio host, USA), La Marie Ritchhart (Beauty Photographer & Mentor. USA), Nel Shelby (Dance Videographer, USA), Rodney Holder (Music business lecturer & podcast producer, Australia), Ryan Van Poederooyen (Drummer, Canada), Laura C George (Business consultant for fine artists, USA), Luna Jaffe (Jungian psychotherapy & holistic financial planner, USA) more! As an artist, I understand Adrienne’s question all too well - how hard it can be to pave your way and build a viable career with your craft. Unlike other professions, the creative route to success is obviously not linear, yet it’s not easy to shake off the sensation that it should be clearer.  Adrienne Lloren is the creator of AMPED Academy - an online educational platform focused on art, marketing, personal development, education and dream-chasing. Adrienne is the founder of GetAMPED a content creation agency, based in Toronto who are a team of passionate communicators, cinematographers and storytellers helping local small businesses amplify their message, and providing marketing solutions to artists driven by passion and purpose. She is on a mission to get her client amped-up and to craft the life and creative business that you love. “Never be afraid of being different,” she says, and that’s the same philosophy she uses to get her clients marketing with verve and energy. This summit series starts on Monday 2nd July, 2018. Sign up here for free. Hope you enjoy it and look forward to any discussions it raises. Any questions, let me know info@clearinsight.co.uk As ever I’m on Facebook here so I am curious to know your thoughts as my mission is that through clarity, insight and production we can enjoy a world full of new ways of being, doing and knowing. Best wishes, Deborah Claire Procter Clear Insight Productions in Facebook: |
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