STREET PLAY

The discriminating few will no doubt wonder how it happened that my previous post, Public Art and Public Play also appears as a previous post of mine, called, oddly enough, "A Public Fun Artist. "Was there a significance to the second appearance of what is apparently a post by yet another name," you might ask yourself.

Today's post, therefore, is about something else that, spiritually-wise, I find uplifting in a weighty way. Something created by two people who have become, consequently, actual friends of mine truly. A website called "Street Play.

There's a lot of reminiscing going on about how kids used to play back in the days when kids were kids. It's a good kind of reminiscing, a sweet nostalgia for the inventiveness and irrepressible, undeniable spirit of play. Unfortunately, we almost always follow those moments of wistful wonder with the conclusion that kids nowadays just don't do those kind of things.

Streetplay is a spirit-lifting - restoring our faith both in our memories of childhood, and in childhood itself. Streetplay's collections of photographs documenting actual kids in actual play, here, and around the world, yesterday, and today, provides us with incontrovertible evidence of the preeminence of the playful spirit.

Then again, there's the nostalgia part. Surely you didn't forget those long summer afternoons playing Stickball? And who could forget Halfball? Or, for that matter, Skully? Reading about those games, seeing the photos and film clips, even if you never played them, is a journey into the past, present, and future of fun. It not only documents what we used to do, it reminds us that we can still do those things, that we have a heritage to pass on to our children and children's children. And our children, and children's children have a heritage to pass on back to us.

This is a remarkable site. Rich in depth and detail, preserving and nurturing a wealth of rock solid invitations to play. It is free. You can help support the site by purchasing cool stuff from their store. There are no advertisements. A genuine gift to us all.

PUBLIC ART - PUBLIC PLAY

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer lifts spirits with his "Relational Architecture" projects, as exemplified by his body movies piece - (this link takes you to a very large quicktime movie, requiring a fast connection and great patience - all well worth the effort).

In this remarkable work of art, Lozano-Hemmer invites people to play via complex and subtle uses of light and technology. I quote from his website:

Body Movies transforms public space with 400 to 1,800 square metres of interactive projections. Thousands of photo portraits taken on the streets of the cities where the project is exhibited are shown using robotically controlled projectors. However, the portraits only appear inside the projected shadows of local passers-by, whose silhouettes measure between 2 to 25 metres high, depending on how far people were from the powerful light sources placed on the floor of the square. A custom-made computer vision tracking system triggers new portraits as old ones are revealed.

Body Movies effectively transforms a public square into a public playground, where strangers play with light, shadow, and each other. It illustrates every principle I can think of that characterizes an effective play environment: It supports almost any degree of involvement. Players can choose to ignore it completely. Players can watch other players at play. Players can dip into and out of it at will. Players can get silly and stay safe, get serious and take risks, become fascinated and fascinating, play alone or in groups. Players can spend hours figuring out how to make it do things.

Lazano-Hemmer came to my attention via an email I received from Madamjujujive, aka Julie Ferguson, a contributor to two of my "Blogs o'Fun" - Metafilter and Everlasting Blort. She knew that I'd be at least as excited as she was about her discovery of the art of as described in this discussion on MetaFilter. I mention this by way of thanks, to Madamjuvujive, Rolo, who passed the lilnk on to the MetaFilter community, and to the many wonders and powers of we who blog.

Want to see more of Lazano-Hemmer? He recommends HUMO: A mobile platform for the rapid deployment of huge images and his "ambitious net project" Vectorial Elevation.

THE MAGIC NUMBERS

This is a very, very brief post, but this particular story caught my eye. I think not enough so-called 'celebrities' keep their feet on the ground anfd this is a great example of band, in vogue at the moment, who have done just that.

As a teacher I have often approached people whom I'd hope might support some class project and had little response.

Mind you this story also shows they were not prepared to stand for any nonsense - they are highly principled!

The Magic Numbers have been SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTERS to the tecaher and class in this particular story. They should be commended for that!

WORLD DRIFTS IN – CALEXICO

Calexico, as well as being the name of a town somewhere near the American/Mexican border, is a musical act comprising Joey Burns and John Convertino, former members of Howe Gelb-led, legendary act Giant Sand.

Their unique musical blend is best described as a cross between Mariachi, TexMex and rock. When listening to their music on my iPod I half expect to see tumbleweed blowing across my train carriage or wherever I happen to be at the time.

As is alluded to above, the mix of musical influences shows that in the name Calexico, they were not so much picking an identifying label, as they were making a statement about their music crossing borders. The genre is best described as alt.country or Americana.

There appearance as SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER is merited by several instances, not least of which are some of their barn-stroming tracks like “Crystal Frontier” and “Across the Border”. However, the specific citation in this case comes as a result of their live concert held at the Barbican Theatre in London in November 2002.

Now having seen them perform live at the Royal Festival Hall in 2004 with the Spanish band Amparanoia, I can vouch that they are one of the most amazing bands I have ever seen playing live. They know how to put on a show. Indeed it was one gig that had us fans well and truly ‘rocking in the aisles’.

A previous gig in London in 2000 had won them great acclaim and the accolade of Time out’s ‘Gig of the Year’ – an accolade indeed. So they had something to live up to when they went on stage in November 2002.
The DVD that is a record of that show is called ‘World Drifts In’ and is a brilliantly simple concept. No frills – the band are filmed with few cameras trained on them. Yet this simple style works, it doesn’t becme tiresome or boring. Instead one is drawn into their performance as, like Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense" the band builds before your eyes.

Francois Breut, a French singer joins the group on a couple of songs, including the important track ‘The Ballad of Cable Hogue’. But it is about halfway through the event that the night becomes something very, very special. The appearance of the 8 members of Mariachi Luz De Luna ensures that the sober environment of the Brabican is rocked like it never had been before or will be thereafter.

The performance of all on stage is a marvel and wonder that will be looked back on many years from now as a benchmark for world music and for that reason it is a worthy member of the SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTING hall of fame.

SANJURO

Sanjuro is the eponymous role played by Toshiro Mifune in the 1962 film. The movie was made as a comedic follow-up to the more serious Yojimbo. The character of Sanjuro appears in both films, and unusually although described as a sequel, it cannot technically be such, as it occurs in an earlier period of history than its predecessor!

In both films Sanjuro, whose name means ‘thirty years old’, is a mercenary who sets out to help people in need. The latter film is the one I refer to in the rest of this post.

In the film, Sanjuro reluctantly plays mentor to a naïve group of young Samurai as he tries to help them to learn their trade.

Why I feel uplifted by this character is the way in which he makes use of his intelligence to support and encourage his charges although it is ultimately a fruitless task. That’s not to say he exploits his position. He makes himself indispensable to the nine fledgling Samurai by trying to get them to think for themselves. However much he tries, they continue to mindlessly act with one voice. Although somewhat disdainful of their inability to act independently, he still perseveres with them.

Sanjuro outwits everyone he comes into contact with – most emphatically in the very famous final scene frequently referred to as the ‘briefest and most breathtaking duels in the history of cinema’.

But for me he is a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER because of his indefatigability and dogged determination to help others.

BALLOON HATS AND THE QUEST FOR FUN

You wouldn't think that making balloon hats could evolve into a spiritual path. Unless you happened to stumble across a website called "The Varieties of the Balloon Hat Experience." As the authors explain:

In 1996, Addi Somekh and Charlie Eckert began traveling to different places in the world to make balloon hats for people and take photos of them. The goal was to show people all over the world laughing and having fun, and to emphasize the fact that all human beings are born with the ability to experience joy. In total, they visited 34 countries and have over 10,000 pictures.

I am amazed at what a rich, luscious, thoughtful, inspiring, and profoundly gift this Balloon Hat Experience proves to be: the amazing gallery of Balloon Hatting around the world, the gallery of Threes - depicting stories of love and balloon-hatted glory in series of three images.

I found this on their What is Laughing page.

"In the Navajo tradition we have what we call Chi Dlo Dil, or a Laughing Party, for a newborn. The Laughing Party is the first laugh you hear from a child. It's usually around six weeks. It's the baby's first expression to the world, saying 'I'm ready to interact.'

...At the party everybody sits around the baby and has a big meal and plays with the baby. The person who makes the baby laugh first plays an important role in the child's life."

Nancy Evans, Shiprock, NM (Navajo Nation)

And this piece of poetic anthropology about the meaning of hats from Mary Holmes is Professor Emerita of Art at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

The head has always been a battlefield. We think of ourselves as livingin our head. Our most important acts aren't performed by our hands or our legs. We think and speak with our head. So the head becomes sacred. It has meaning. Which is why there came to be so much meaning attached to hair and headdresses, to what they look like. And it has enough meaning that it¹s worth fighting about ...I have great faith that hats will come back, because they have been important to humans for millennia. And the balloon hats give people, at least momentarily, a return of that experience of dressing the head. I think that's why it evokes that bubbly, giggly, happy response. People feel that at last they have the recognition they deserve.

THE COMMANDOS IN “THE LIFE OF BRIAN”

It seems somehow fitting that I make this post on the day that “Life of Brian” was voted the best comedy film of all time in a UK poll. I wrote this post a while ago intending to upload it on the date of one of the Monty Python team’s birthday, but it is perfectly suited to today.

The film, although deemed to be so blasphemous it was banned in Norway and Ireland is jam-packed full of classic funny moments. But not all of these are particularly appropriate for this Blog. Instead, the focus of my attention for SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTERINESS as can be seen from the title, is this scene where crowd of malcontents and dissenters discuss the contributions that the Romans have made to society.

This scene has been much parodied but it does make a serious point I feel. Tom Waits sings in “San Diego Serenade” that he ‘never missed my hometown till I stayed away too long' – thereby implying that you don’t know what you’ve lost till you don’t have it anymore. In a similar way, the proletariat cannot see what the Romans have contributed to society. At least not until, in response to 'and what have they ever given us' the first person pipes up with 'the acqueduct', which opens the floodgates so that it is soon joined with 'the sanitation', 'roads', 'irrigation', 'medicine' and many more. Thus it is, in typical Pythonesque fashion, that the point is not so much made as bludgeoned home with a sledgehammer!

And I end up unsure about who lifts my spirits most. Is it the main speaker, who in the face of great contradiction still plugs away trying to prove his point again and again – like Robert the Bruce’s spider from the famous Scottish legend? Or is it the crowd who, despite their ‘leader’ telling them otherwise, come up with a whole string of reasons to be grateful to the Romans.

In a way I see parallels between this scene and the way in which yesterday’s SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER, Sir Bob Geldof, dealt with problems as they arose when planning Live 8. In short, he’d say, “Apart from X and Y what is standing in the way of [a particular thing] happening?” [receives answer] “Okay then, apart from X, Y and Z what is standing in the way of it happening?”

I love this ‘Never Say Never’ attitude and feel too few of us take that approach in our lives. Too often obstacles are perceived as being more problematic than they actually are.

SIR BOB GELDOF

It being New Year's Day and all, I wanted to pick a SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTER of truly heavyweight proportions. Someone who in the past year did their damndest to make a difference to the world. Who was not prepared to take 'NO' for an answer and who really and truly believes in what he says and does.

It was uncanny that in deciding who to pick after seeing the bells in this morning, in fine company (and who can ask for more than that?) my neighbours Miranda and Paul and their children as well as my wonderful kids and beautiful wife, Liz.

As we were winding down and sat in front of the telly watching a documentary about the making of the LIVE8 concert in July 2005, it struck me that Bob Geldof was the person I would pick. {particularly because of his part in the Make Poverty History campaign (see new 'skyscraper' badge at left hand side!).

The documentary was truly enlightening as it showed how his dogged determination ensured that the event was a great success, although personally I feel it was partially ill-conceived.

Seeing him battle with the immensity of heart-of-gold-but-tempestuous promoter Harvey Goldsmith in trying to get another band (The Killers) onto the already over-capacity running order, was a revelation. His attitude of 'I don't care about the problems, just make sure it happens' might not always go down well with people, but in this case it is as refreshing as having a bucket of icecubes pured down your back.

When the people who run Hyde Park (where the Live8 London leg was held) hassled him about the finishing time, he simply said that if they closed it down early he'd send letters to the 2012 Olympic venue voting committee saying that if the UK couldn't feasibly run an event for 200,000 people in Europe's largest urban space, what chance had they of runnijng a successful Olympics. Needless to say that empty threat or not, Bob won the day.

On of his most notable achievements was the role he played in getting Pink Floyd to reform for one memorable 20 minute slot, for the first time since their acrimonius fall out over 20 years previously.

I don't agree with all he has done or said, nor do I share all of his viewpoints, but in my opinion he is an example of the common man who has stood up and been counted throughout his life, and for me there can be no better exponent of SPIRITUAL WEIGHTLIFTING than he!