NZ Quirk.

I noticed an underlieing attraction that NZ projects to the world at large is 'Quirk'

Flight of the Conchords

Wearable Art Awards

Christchurch Street Performers Festival

Auckland Random Acts festival

Boy with Tape on his Face.

Air New Zealands preflight Safety Presentation.

The whole Peter Jackson Phenom.

It's about nodes. There's a NZ 'quirk' node. I'm aware it has potential. It's preformed so that saves time and energy as it's been at least subtextually premasticated.

It's increasing.

Curate it?

Promote and export it?

Position myself as an element of it?

Design instalative mixed media quirk?

I think I'll use the series of designed installations I thunk up ten years ago as a base and build on them. That was responsible for the 'Fly fishing' performances in Canada. There's a track record of success and the environment seems more poised for NZ imaginative export than it has been prior.

Christmas/ done/ carry on.

The psychedelic secrets of Santa Claus

The psychedelic secrets of Santa Claus By Dana Larsen - Thursday, December 18 2003 Modern Christmas traditions are based on ancient mushroom-using shamans. Although most people see Christmas as a Christian holiday, many of the symbols and icons we associate with Christmas celebrations are actually derived from the shamanistic traditions of the tribal peoples of pre-Christian Northern Europe. The sacred mushroom of these people was the red and white amanita muscaria mushroom, also known as "fly agaric." These mushrooms are now commonly seen in books of fairy tales, and are usually associated with magic and fairies. This is because they contain potent hallucinogenic compounds, and were used by ancient peoples for insight and transcendental experiences. Most of the major elements of the modern Christmas celebration, such as Santa Claus, Christmas trees, magical reindeer and the giving of gifts, are originally based upon the traditions surrounding the harvest and consumption of these most sacred mushrooms. The world tree These ancient peoples, including the Lapps of modern-day Finland, and the Koyak tribes of the central Russian steppes, believed in the idea of a World Tree. The World Tree was seen as a kind of cosmic axis, onto which the planes of the universe are fixed. The roots of the World Tree stretch down into the underworld, its trunk is the "middle earth" of everyday existence, and its branches reach upwards into the heavenly realm. The North Star was also considered sacred, since all other stars in the sky revolved around its fixed point. They associated this "Pole Star" with the World Tree and the central axis of the universe. The top of the World Tree touched the North Star, and the spirit of the shaman would climb the metaphorical tree, thereby passing into the realm of the gods. This is the true meaning of the star on top of the modern Christmas tree, and also the reason that the super-shaman Santa makes his home at the North Pole. The amanita muscaria mushrooms grow only under certain types of trees, mostly firs and evergreens. The mushroom caps are the fruit of the larger mycelium beneath the soil which exists in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of the tree. To ancient people, these mushrooms were literally "the fruit of the tree." Ancient peoples were amazed at how these magical mushrooms sprang from the earth without any visible seed. They considered this "virgin birth" to have been the result of the morning dew, which was seen as the semen of the deity. The silver tinsel we drape onto our modern Christmas tree represents this divine fluid. Reindeer games The active ingredients of the amanita mushrooms are not metabolized by the body, and so they remain active in the urine. In fact, it is safer to drink the urine of one who has consumed the mushrooms than to eat the mushrooms directly, as many of the toxic compounds are processed and eliminated on the first pass through the body. It was common practice among ancient people to recycle the potent effects of the mushroom by drinking each other's urine. The amanita's ingredients can remain potent even after six passes through the human body. Some scholars argue that this is the origin of the phrase "to get pissed," as this urine-drinking activity preceded alcohol by thousands of years. Reindeer were the sacred animals of these semi-nomadic people, as the reindeer provided food, shelter, clothing and other necessities. Reindeer are also fond of eating the amanita mushrooms; they will seek them out, then prance about while under their influence. Often the urine of tripped-out reindeer would be consumed for its psychedelic effects. This effect goes the other way too, as reindeer also enjoy the urine of a human, especially one who has consumed the mushrooms. In fact, reindeer will seek out human urine to drink, and some tribesmen carry sealskin containers of their own collected piss, which they use to attract stray reindeer back into the herd. The effects of the amanita mushroom usually include sensations of size distortion and flying. The feeling of flying could account for the legends of flying reindeer, and legends of shamanic journeys included stories of winged reindeer, transporting their riders up to the highest branches of the World Tree. Santa Claus, super shaman Although the modern image of Santa Claus was created at least in part by the advertising department of Coca-Cola, in truth his appearance, clothing, mannerisms and companions all mark him as the reincarnation of these ancient mushroom-gathering shamans. One of the side effects of eating amanita mushrooms is that the skin and facial features take on a flushed, ruddy glow. This is why Santa is always shown with glowing red cheeks and nose. Even Santa's jolly "Ho, ho, ho!" is the euphoric laugh of one who has indulged in the magic fungus. Santa also dresses like a mushroom gatherer. When it was time to go out and harvest the magical mushrooms, the ancient shamans would dress much like Santa, wearing red and white fur-trimmed coats and long black boots. These peoples lived in dwellings made of birch and reindeer hide, called "yurts." Somewhat similar to a teepee, the yurt's central smokehole is often also used as an entrance. After gathering the mushrooms from under the sacred trees where they appeared, the shamans would fill their sacks and return home. Climbing down the chimney-entrances, they would share out the mushroom's gifts with those within. The amanita mushroom needs to be dried before being consumed; the drying process reduces the mushroom's toxicity while increasing its potency. The shaman would guide the group in stringing the mushrooms and hanging them around the hearth-fire to dry. This tradition is echoed in the modern stringing of popcorn and other items. The psychedelic journeys taken under the influence of the amanita were also symbolized by a stick reaching up through the smokehole in the top of the yurt. The smokehole was the portal where the spirit of the shaman exited the physical plane. Santa's famous magical journey, where his sleigh takes him around the whole planet in a single night, is developed from the "heavenly chariot," used by the gods from whom Santa and other shamanic figures are descended. The chariot of Odin, Thor and even the Egyptian god Osiris is now known as the Big Dipper, which circles around the North Star in a 24-hour period. In different versions of the ancient story, the chariot was pulled by reindeer or horses. As the animals grow exhausted, their mingled spit and blood falls to the ground, forming the amanita mushrooms. St Nicholas and Old Nick Saint Nicholas is a legendary figure who supposedly lived during the fourth Century. His cult spread quickly and Nicholas became the patron saint of many varied groups, including judges, pawnbrokers, criminals, merchants, sailors, bakers, travelers, the poor, and children. Most religious historians agree that St Nicholas did not actually exist as a real person, and was instead a Christianized version of earlier Pagan gods. Nicholas' legends were mainly created out of stories about the Teutonic god called Hold Nickar, known as Poseidon to the Greeks. This powerful sea god was known to gallop through the sky during the winter solstice, granting boons to his worshippers below. When the Catholic Church created the character of St Nicholas, they took his name from "Nickar" and gave him Poseidon's title of "the Sailor." There are thousands of churches named in St Nicholas' honor, most of which were converted from temples to Poseidon and Hold Nickar. (As the ancient pagan deities were demonized by the Christian church, Hold Nickar's name also became associated with Satan, known as "Old Nick!") Local traditions were incorporated into the new Christian holidays to make them more acceptable to the new converts. To these early Christians, Saint Nicholas became a sort of "super-shaman" who was overlaid upon their own shamanic cultural practices. Many images of Saint Nicholas from these early times show him wearing red and white, or standing in front of a red background with white spots, the design of the amanita mushroom. St Nicholas also adopted some of the qualities of the legendary "Grandmother Befana" from Italy, who filled children's stockings with gifts. Her shrine at Bari, Italy, became a shrine to St Nicholas. Modern world, ancient traditions Some psychologists have discussed the "cognitive dissonance" which occurs when children are encouraged to believe in the literal existence of Santa Claus, only to have their parents' lie revealed when they are older. By so deceiving our children we rob them of a richer heritage, for the actual origin of these ancient rituals is rooted deep in our history and our collective unconscious. By better understanding the truths within these popular celebrations, we can better understand the modern world, and our place in it. Many people in the modern world have rejected Christmas as being too commercial, claiming that this ritual of giving is actually a celebration of materialism and greed. Yet the true spirit of this winter festival lies not in the exchange of plastic toys, but in celebrating a gift from the earth: the fruiting top of a magical mushroom, and the revelatory experiences it can provide. Instead of perpetuating outdated and confusing holiday myths, it might be more fulfilling to return to the original source of these seasonal celebrations. How about getting back to basics and enjoying some magical mushrooms with your loved ones this solstice? What better gift can a family share than a little piece of love and enlightenment? FURTHER LINKS AND REFERENCES: - The Hidden Meanings of Christmas, Mushroms and Mankind, by James Arthur - Who put the Fly Agaric into Christmas?, Seventh International Mycological Congress, December 1999, Fungus of the Month - The Real Story of Santa, The Spore Print, Los Angeles Mycological Society, December 1998 - Santa and those Reindeer: The Hallucinogenic Connection, The Physics of Christmas, by Roger Highfield - Fungi, Fairy Rings and Father Christmas, North West Fungus Group, 1998 Presidential Address, by Dr Sean Edwards - Fly Agaric, Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month for December 1999 - Father Christmas Flies on Toadstools, New Scientist, December 1986 - Psycho-mycological studies of amanita: From ancient sacrament to modern phobia, by Jonathan Ott, Journal of Psychedelic Drugs; 1976 - Santa is a Wildman, LA Times, Jeffrey Vallance BOOKS WORTH READING: - Mushrooms and Mankind, by James Arthur - Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality, by Gordon Wasson - Mushrooms, Poisons and Panaceas, by Denis R. Benjamin

The Stuck Truck of Mark, The Rut that Filled an afternoon.

Catholic guilt, the residue or echo of it is a kind of ever present Tinnitus of the soul amongst my family, and so we play with it.... in this case a delivery truck immobilized and almost tipping over while delivering a table and chairs to my brother becomes all my brothers fault. We are a funny family, some of us try harder than others, we're  all pretty funny though.

View from Mt. Tiger, NZ

Kona Christmas Parade,... deviation

This is my 4th xmas parade, I get teamed with the solar wind band, who are a kinda surf sound sorta outfit, here I am taking liberties by leaving the route and walking through a restaurant bent double with a camera on my head, cos that's the way I roll.

Grand-dad of Street theatre fest producers, Dick Finkle;

The creator of the Edmonton street theatre festival, Dick Finkel

 On this week’s episode Robert speaks with the legendary producer of theEdmonton International Street Performer’s Festival, Dick Finkel. Dick’s started in 1985 on a wing and a prayer and grew his festival based on the belief that if you treat performers like artists and shower them a with great hospitality, a world class festival would emerge and it did.


The Interview....

Street performance advice.

YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.
Forward:
The following are a collection of tips from various threads on P.net (performers.net) in response to questions posed by first timers/ newbies/beginners.
These are some of the responses and are a good collection of simple guidelines given by performers with many years experience from all over the world. You have to start somewhere and this is as good a place as any.
If you have further questions post them here
Martin Ewen

So You Want To Be a Street Performer.


Advice I give everyone starting out is that your first hundred (or so) shows are going to SUCK. So just get through them and take notes on what worked and what didn't. After 100 bad shows, you'll still probably have learned something new in each show. With 100 lessons learned, something is bound to click in that 101st show and you'll be off and running.


Start a notebook of ANY idea you have (tricks, lines, promo ideas, etc). No matter how strange or ridiculous they may seem. Then at the end of each week/month/etc review your ideas and breakdown the ones you might work and pursue them.


Don't lose heart when a day crashes around you ..


Be respectful.. of the people you share the space with.. performers , other street workers, close by shops.... and any reoccurring fans you might have...


Work as many different spots as you can [all over the country] this will help you to be adaptable to any situation and not get used to only working one spot.


Travel,watch street performers with reputations you've heard of,ask them questions about your show,these people know what they are talking about.


The 3 s's.......Smile,Shave and Slow down [you have to relax when you perform,if you are too high energy,people just leave]


Look good,you will get paid what you look like,if you look like a clown you'll get paid like a clown,if you look like a hippy,same.But if you look like a professional,clean props,clean clothes/costume,well groomed,It'll help people relate to you.

Good ideas can come anywhere, so be sure to keep your notebook handy. I used to think I would remember it, but I usually forget...


NOTHING can replace the experience of watching an experienced street performer as she/he  builds an audience, entertains that audience and then, after suitable hat lines, garner the rewards from his/her years  of study and preparation.


You create a stage in public create an audience
do a show with a

beginning


middle

and end

and ask for money afterwards.


You should somehow look like a bit of a goof out on the streets so that people understand that you are a performer.


 By placing stuff on the ground (clubs, knives, torches, babies etc.) you get the interest of passerby's. Contact them. Tell them a show is to start. Grab a child and place him or her where you want her. Make a stage out of a rope. Ask the child to hold onto the rope. Her family will stay (hopefully) Run around and get the audience around the rope. Start the show. It helps if you have some really crazy things placed at the ground. A chainsaw do all the talking. Knives work. The best is personality.


Making your tricks flow into routines is also very important. Finding a way to connect them together and connect you with the audience.

Give it a fair chance to see if you really want to do it..

watch other performances and learn from them.. the good .. and
especially the bad... but be your own show... if you copy another performance then you are just a copy ...


Getting out and seeing how the other guys do it, asking questions, and just doing it yourself is really the only way to learn.


Develop a character,
1/ Get one article of clothing that ‘is’ you, some playful/interesting piece of clothing, hat, jacket,pants doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are comfortable and playful about pushing a stage to just outside your body..


2/ grab a prop, juggling ball, babies rattle, small/big doesn’t matter, any object that gives you some deep playful impulse 
Something that, in any given moment where you feel you’re losing it, you can grab that thing and focus on it and remember that the idea is to enjoy yourself. Choose wisely and personally.


3/ THEN on the pitch
create a stage
Put your props out with focus and intention (builds possible anticipation, its a tension device)
and/or mark out an area with string/rope whatever
and or pace the intended stage

4/
Create an audience

beckon interested people to the edge of what you have defined as your stage.


Use the ‘curious ape’ technique.
(Deeply rooted in the human psyche is a curiosity borne from self preservation. From the time we came down from the trees onward unusual things had the ability to kill. If a person sees an action or a series of actions that make no sense it is a universal human principal that they will halt and focus until they have perceived meaning. If you for example take 5 actions and unusually stop each to continue another nothing will make sense for round two thirds of the process when the objectives become more apparent. In this time a good proportion of people passing will stop to try and make out what you are doing.


I was lucky enough to have the silly people comedians do a piece I wrote that demonstrated this principle, I was able to stretch ‘making no sense at all but obviously doing something focused’ to a grand total of round 15minutes--before they realised that the dead fish were there to attract flies that each performer was competitively catching)


Promise them a show Create eye contact


Instigate relationships, be happy, if you try too hard go back to (2) then resume.


I think the first thing any solo performer needs to find out is HOW OTHERS PERCEIVE YOU ...
The only way I know to do that is to take whatever skills you have and present them to an audience ... don't write material  just put the things you do in a kind of order on the ground in front of you ... then pick them up (even if they are alive) and see what happens ... THEY (the audience) will tell you what they want from you ... and THEY will write your show for you.


Once you know who you ARE ...you will know your CHARACTER ... your clown.

It might be a little frightening at first ... but you will get it pretty quick ... especially if you are hungry.


Once you know what they want to see ... then it's pretty easy ... just write down everything that you see or hear that is funny ... if you wanna get real good, record your shows on tape ... that's about it.


There is no failure, just success and not trying. Set your goal and do it. There are tons of business people that are very successful because they're stupid. They don't think about stuff, they just start and figure it will all work out. Hard work is better than hard thinking. This is what I tell myself once a week.


Do shows and suck and go home rejoicing in your suckness knowing that at least you did shows. The most valuable thing I have been told and what seems to be the recurring theme through all these posts is that the only way to get good at the street is to do the street.


While personal perseverance is a major part of anything creative I think those of us who for various reasons are still performing on the streets after a decade or so could quite easily bring to mind individuals who have taken us under their wing showed us some techniques and probably more importantly given us permission to make our own rules.


Its scary to get out there with your own content and risk failure. That's why generic shows are so plentiful.
I was very lucky to have a teacher, ( and a soft hearted
probation officer)


 How to create a stage in public, how to create an audience, how to create a show with a beginning a middle and an end, how to ask for money.
There's heaps of ways to do each of these things . It helps to know what some of them are.


Go to festivals and learn at the feet of your elders, betters and wisers . Catch all the street at the Fringe that you can. Plan your holidays to coincide with streetfests in other cities. Try. Rehearse. Ask quality questions. Fail. Succeed. Laugh at yourself. 
Don't let the odd cranky reply or brush-off dissuade you. Read. Research all kinds of comedy, of performance, of style, of tempo, of era, of mood.

Find the skin that fits like a glove.
Beginning, middle, end dude. It's not rocket science.


Beginning: (For a street show) Make some sort of spectacle of your self until you've drawn enough attention from passers by that they are no longer passers by, they are a crowd. (For a stage show) Make an entrance.


Middle: Do something to keep every body interested and entertained enough so they don't want to walk away. That works for both street and stage.


End: It's called a finale', or perhaps a grand finale', your biggest trick, or most visual or funny routine. Also if it is a street show and you want your audience to tip you for the performance, you should communicate that to them at some time during the show. It's called a hat line.


 For stage don't do a hat line, the people have already paid to get in and it will probably just confuse them, or worse, piss them off.  


And finally the best way to put together a street show is to do it. Find a pitch somewhere and do at least 100 shows. Paying attention to your audience at all times. The stuff they like, keep. The stuff they don't like, either fix or discard. Have fun and try not to hurt anyone or get arrested.


Just think outside of yourself a little. If you were just a spectator on the sidewalk, what would surprise you, make you laugh, and endear you towards a performer . 


Thinking like an audience member is a huge help towards writing original material, and avoiding being overly masturbatory. And never just deliver, always tease at least a little bit first, otherwise they won't appreciate it, you've got to make people WANT what you've got before you give it to them.

Oh, yeah, and don't ever shout "Look At Me!" It makes people want to !@#?in' slap you


General rule of thumb: if they stop and watch, you're doing good. If they keep moving, try something else.


Personally, I tend to try and create a progression that tells some kind of simple story in my show (ex: inept chef struggles to cook a wily lobster) rather than just string tricks together.


But if you do string tricks together, here are some things to think about:


1) transitions between tricks are where you will lose your crowd. Try and link your tricks together some way so people will stay to watch.


2) the arc of your show should be straight up -- build suspense, work the crowd, make 'em want to see your big finish, whatever it is. Don't give your best away at the top of the show.


3) Don't even start your show until you get at least a solid front row of people actively watching you. Before you start your show, you need to do things to attract people's attention, and make them understand that they need to stick around for the show.


More talk, less walk. More show, less stuff.


Work on your patter, your verbal skills, your dialogue and interaction with the audience.


Don't keep on talking about it , do it .


Rehearse. Go to a neutral space, set up a video camera and just jam in front of it. Improvise. Throw out ideas. Create. Even if it's awful. Especially if it's awful. Then watch the tape. Watch it again and then a third time. Note which ideas you liked and chuck everything else.

Go back and rehearse again this time go back to your 'good ideas' and try and take them further. Try new stuff. Watch the tape three times and take notes. Then go back and do it again and again and again and again...


1.THE RIGHT STUFF- combine all your skills.
a) physical...what you can do ... be like Murph.
b) mental ......what you think about ...positive attitude. c) emotional ..how you feel about it ...care about them. d) theatrical...who you are ...impersonations / dialects.


2. MATERIAL- what works for you.
a) “street” is not “stage”...break the 4th wall.
b) the family show....appeal to the masses.
c) the Pizza Hut mentality... everybody gets the joke.
d) the “L” factor...”Likability”...how much they like you. *
e) character & personal style...be unique... you are: who?
f) technique...master your craft.
g) K.I.S.S....keep it simple stupid.
h) standard lines, tired bits....mistakes are stepping stones to
failure.
i) ripping off... give credit where credit is due.
j) Houdini’s Rule: involve the senses...sight and sound together,
+ smell, + touch
k) the hat line...unique to the street...they pay you because
they like you.*


3. DESIGN - your choice.
a) set...the look of your stage...banner / showtime sign. b) props...and proud of it! ...your prop case display.
c) costume....neat & clean & durable ...“nice vest”.
d) sound systems....Mouse vs. Peavey, Anchor Audio.


4.SAFETY - think!
a) personal...if it hurts, don’t do it!
b) audience... “...ever hit a little boy in the face with a knife?”...
... “our client has...”

c) fire... shake those torches! OSHA approved fuel container...to ask or not to ask?
d) security....out of sight..out of mind!
e) travel...don’t fly with fuel, carry-on restrictions... (check those machetes!)... I.N.S.


5. THE SHOW - made up of bits.
a) packing...prop case + casters...two check-in, one carry-on, weight & size limitations.
b) structure....put it all together.
1. set-up, warm up...pre show.
2. crowd gathering...whistles, bells, yells...make a spectacle of
yourself.
3. intro., hat line ...who you are...mention money, be funny. 4. bit...usually one prop or skit about 2-3 minutes long.
5. transition...segué...time between bits.
6. etc....create tension...relax tension.
7. Big Trick set up....what I’m gonna do for you...
8. hat line...what you’re gonna do for me....$
9. Big Trick...wow... “louder” ...WoW!
10. hat pass...laughter turns their money into yours.
11. benediction....thank you..thank you...both of you.
12. cool down, reset...turn around time.

6. CONDITIONAL PROBLEMS - beyond your control.
a) site selection... high traffic flow (people)...sight lines.
b) surfaces & sun... “the sun was in my eyes!...I stepped on a
rock! ...it was the wind!”
c) pollutants: fumes, noise...construction, cars, children. (& the
occasional fountain)
d) legality...Stephen Baird...learn the rules then break some. e) weather... it affects the audience.
Butterfly’s Rule: 92-62.. over 92?... too hot... under 52?...too
cold ......duh.
f) safety first again... re-read #4. ... this time, everything’s wet.


7. HECKLERS - friend or foe?
a) analysis ... listen to what they say.
b) action ...use what they say ... comeback lines. c) resolution...it’s part of the act!

8. FOREIGN LANDS - your backyard.

a) people...loving the differences.
b) places...Waldo says: ”buy a ticket.”
c) things...border crossings, money woes, the best spots, Visa’s
9. SHOW BUSINESS - these days, it’s 1/2 show and all business a) professionalism ...presentation is 90 percent of your act.
b) corporate identity...you, on paper ... your video!
c) public relations ...give them more than they expect...make
those calls!
d) moneymoneymoneymoney...satisfy yourself, make a lot then
use it to help others ... save for the future... don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
Keep a diary for the first month or so at least as you'll find it useful and entertaining later on, audience sizes, particular interactions, problems, hat sizes and shows per day.
Remember, you can do anything, go anywhere, earn as you go. All you need is one unit of performance.
Good luck. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Sue's Wall, Roadkill Memorial.

My friend Susan spent around a month creating memorials to roadkill and putting them up on her lounge wall. Each has the name of the animal, possum, bird, kitten, cow, etc. it's beautiful.

My Dangerously Melodic Anthem; D,Veloped

Something about this, I still have addictive tendencies , I hear something I like and I suckle, I found this tonight and I'm on about the 6th replay.

 My Dangerously Melodic Anthem by D.VELOPED

History of the Internet

History of the Internet from Melih Bilgil on Vimeo.

The Lightbulb Conspiracy (Full Length - English Subtitles)

Yeah I know, No-one's got an hour to spare, concentration spans being obsolete an all.....


Consumerism = 1. Advertisement - 2. Planned Obsolescence - 3. Credit :
These 3 stages of modern business are worth noting regarding the promulgation of today's world wide consumer system which is presently stripping the natural wealth of the planet for all inhabitants, including man.

Stage 1 (Advertisement), and 3 (Credit) are well known and often discussed in the mainstream arena.
Stage 2 of the consumer process is much less talked about.

Stage 2 - Planned Obsolescence..
Obsolescence is the state of being which an object, service or practice is no longer wanted, even though it may still be in good working order.. (bar say one 'irreparable' defect.. in this case of the planned variety.
(Plus, often compulsory for those entering into an established market.. i.e. permitted to remain in the fold.)

Thanks to these international, inter-company agreements (well illustrated here in the case of the light bulb's life-reduction over the century) we really Do have an identifiable template under which large companies Are going to operate to maintain consistent profits.

These agreements also foster alliances and understandings between the largest companies, solidifying the groups' monopoly/ duopoly/ oligopoly etc. over their particular market areas.

If there is a display of competition and output styles between the different companies, there Will at least be Some agreements in place to preserve both a steady income and mutually beneficial consolidation for the established players involved. Negating any veritable competition.

These collectivist tactics have been going on too long.. resulting in disastrous consequences globally, in ever-decreasing/expanding circles (how ever you see it) of self-interest.

The illusion of competition is diligently maintained. It's part of everyday business now. Maintained by those in the know (the heads of companies, executives, lobbyists etc.) for the 'benefit' of the consciences of those further down the chain of influence and for those who'd actually care to watch what's going on.

These sorts of corporate activities serve big money interests alone.

NOTE: Over time, production processes are becoming less and less dependent on man power and this is not as good a thing as the Zeitgeist movement would like to promote. (Be careful who your thought-givers are, and what social-engineering intentions for that movement may be). Just do be aware, all otherwise well-meaning movements and institutions Are coopted by the big-boys sooner or later.. and these days Sooner is more likely to be the case.

Today's corporatism is a form of fascism.. less obvious than Nazism ever was. and is far more detrimental to the planet's survival.

It just a little obvious in this day and age what's going on here.. what's been transpiring on our planet since at least the second world war and more likely, to differing degrees, a long time before then.

You can put it down to human nature, or down the activities of a particular Type of human being -- 'enterprising' people who wish to promote their own survival to the detriment of everything else.. the end justifies the means and all that sort of thinking).

This documentary illustrates quite well (to those who'd scoff at such 'beliefs' as) people planning together for their own benefit to the detriment of others in our world.

China Clown Wedding.

This was the genesis of my stilt cam idea.
The angles are unique.
What a wonderful day.

Seth and Christina got married, half Chinese traditional and half Clown wedding with many fellow clowns in attendance in China.

Hand-balancing; Different perspective.

From the only other small town Canterbury international NZ mime I know [Boy with tape on his face]

His friend Reuben Kuan

Street Performer, Lee Ross.

Lee Ross started in NY, then wandered round the planet playing on the street then got two principle roles at once for Cirque's first Asian tour and now lives in LA.
I first saw him in NZ, he was doing the audience participation hero/villian/ damsel railway rescue module. Or the cowboy gunfight audience participation, or maybe both were integrated. Old stuff, he was slick but he was an american, slick came with the territory, how else could they maintain their entitled overconfidence. [gotta remember I was a provincial NZ bloke with a precious arrogance]

But he innovated and he was the first to do what has now been used as a foundation of many peoples shows. He would do what he calls 'verbal following' he would stand, watching people pass with a mike in his hand and he would vocalize the thoughts in their heads.[ My character Lurk does something similar using mime, it's a different more abstract beast] It was quicksilver and inventive and really risky and funny. I remember three suited businessmen walked past, talking among themselves in what appeared to be a defensive, self important way. [because they knew they were going through his stage, anyone who passed by was going through his stage and the size of it was defined by who he included in his improvised remarks, he could send it out long or keep in in close, there had to be a border because that would be where his audience formed]...anyway these stiff and suited guys went past conversing and I remember Lee getting in close to the mike and muttering, "Bullshit bullshit bullshit, yes bullshit bullshit bullshit, oh really bullshit bullshit bullshit."

He won me over. He took risks, he invented.

Very rarely he still gets out and visits street festivals, I saw him at some small canadian fest 5/6 years ago.

interview 26 mins,

Street Performer-Otis Mace-Guitar ace.

Otis works mainly on stage but he's done his fair share of busking and he was beguiling. His lyrics told stories or celebrated absurdity. I loved coming across him strumming on the street.
His heartfelt parodies of country and western  teetered on the cusp of authenticity.
With lines like...
"You can water your hydrangeas on the grave of our arrangement...but it's only disappointment's gonna grow."

Effort Money and Time

Pumkins Are Actually Rocks

Thunderbirds Are Go



Don't Shoot Down The Only Woman To Ever Love You.mp3

Monty Python Dead Parrot Sketch and it's ultimate conclusion

and it's conclusion

Genki Sudo, Clown, Mime, Fighter.

This is Genki Sudo, a Japanese performer, choreographer and director of a modern mime theatre.




I have a clown antenna. It delights me when it picks up a frequency.

There is a certain truth in comedy, it's unspoken and hard to put into words but with clown,  I just know it when I see it and it delights me.

There is a certain truth, a primitive profound energy to be found in martial rituals also. I was marinated in Rugby, growing up in NZ and there's a spirituality to be tapped deep in the clash that the game frames.

So to with men and women who fight. Contesting the moment for dominance is not everyones cup of tea but I'm drawn to it.

Genki Sudo was a fighter, he was exceptionally good,
 [21 pro fights on World stage, won 15, lost 4, drew 2]
 He was so proficient at fighting that he 'played' with it. My antenna hummed when I saw him fight. I was delighted. I thought gleefully to myself,
"This guys a Clown!"

He admitted that he had grown to a point where he saw a fight primarily as a means of self expression and had respect and gratitude towards his opponents for giving him the medium in which to work.

In the world of men who try to beat each other up for a living Genki Sudo was deep.

he wrote essays

The theory of Happiness

How to Marry　The Woman living in　the Valley of the Wind

God is The Tablecloth

Revolution

Genki Sudo, The Bashar

Subconscious Always Talks to You

Catcher In The Octagon

Renaissance Of Love and Revolution

Let's Cat

He rarely lost.
Win or lose he would brandish a large flag representing all the nations of the united nations with the words "We are all one" on it.

Japanese Mixed Martial Arts [MMA] placed theatrical emphasis on fighters entrances to the ring. Genki Sudo, who held a degree in performing arts, constructed elaborate entrances with subtext and layers. He was the master of the theatrical entrance. He had his own theatre group [still does but he doesn't fight any more]



and his fighting? disciplined, unorthodox, playful, dominant.



He retired from hitting people expressively and now creates performance thus..



He's my favorite Buddhist.

A most interesting fellow.