Monday, January 12, 2015

The art of listening, synchronicity, and looking for answers within the context of collaboration and vision



Some know that my buddy Rachel Weiss and I wrote a grant for the City of Austin this year and got funded to do a performance project. 


Rachel came up with the brilliant idea of "Sacred Space"  -- so right up my alley. Because she was in Italy at the time of the deadline on an intensive teaching acting to kids, I wrote the grant. 


Sacred Space was inspired in Rachel from the notion that art in the Renaissance was housed in Sacred Spaces, and thus art and artists were deemed as sacred beings as well. That's all I remember her saying! Without referencing old emails...

In short, art is not viewed as sacred anymore as modern art has been removed largely from sacred spaces and has been totally secularized. 

That's about what we had to go on. I wrote the grant with the idea that I would like to combine my love of street art and and the surprise that goes along with that, as well as writing music for dance, which has always been my passion. Those two things were important to me. Also important to me: Rachel is a brilliant and intuitive dancer as well as Actor, Producer and Director. 

We are completely co-collaborating on this; and we are riding the wave of ideas, shapes, forms and techniques that can combine both of our visions into one. 

So it is incredible that I have found precedence! I happened upon this podcast from On Being: my favorite podcast that discusses spiritual matters with great thinkers in the area of Science, Art, Religion, and Academia. 

The podcast showcases two incredible thinkers: Courtney Martin and Parker Palmer. The podcast was on "The Inner Life of Rebellion" LOVE IT> 

I almost dropped the dishes I was doing when Parker said this: "...One thing our community is most deficient in, is safe spaces for truth telling about the condition of our souls. (or identity or integrity). 

He was talking about Secular Sacred Spaces! (while referencing his book) BOOYAH! He was talking about expression, connection, truth telling, and the human condition. 

Precisely what we are doing with Art, Music Dance, wound up all into one public art instillation and performance. 

I want to identify more what we are doing with this piece in a future post, when it's more flushed out. 

In the interim, I'm going to read and then contact Mr. Palmer and have a quick convo with him. Wouldn't that be lovely? My dream! I'm also going to read Courtney's BooK: Do It Anyway. Which states: If you care about social change but hate feel-good platitudes, Do It Anyway is the book for you. 

Perfect. Rebellion, the art of space, feminism, activism and social change within the context of Art and Performance. 

Something to live for. 




















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