Mr Woodnote

One day a couple of musicians came to the bear pit. Everyone was getting very excited about him coming to play for us. I had no idea who he was but he seemed to be a minor celebrity.

 

He was performing using a saxophone and a loop pedal also there was a rapper rapping about things as they do.

Ok so here's some cleaned up versions of some of the drawings on the pastry bags about the alcoholics.

I'm pleased with these. The style helps make these drawings small vignettes on the lives of the alcoholics.

Here a drunk comes across a couple of girls trying to interview people passing through so he takes his opportunity to speak his mind.

Diamond Jubilee!

This weekend the Queen celebrated 60 years on the throne. A lot of people I know were avoiding anything Jubilee related. I myself thought I would do the same until I realised I was missing a drawing opportunity. I found that the event brought together a range of people from different classes, all together under the same umbrella (almost literally). The Jubilee seemed as much a celebration for the Queens reign as it was for 'her' people. It seems some kind of irony that the thing which diffuses the division of classes and alleviates the sense that the lower class is somehow lesser than others is the Royal family.

At this point my only problem with the event was an aesthetic one as the flags and Union flags are a little garish.

 True to the British way, people stuck out the rain. I'm sure a lot of people have what you would hope were well informed opinions as to why they don't like the monarchy but I think they may be over thinking things because what I saw was, well, quite pleasant.

The good things

As well as a sketch book about societies darker side i want to have a sketch pad focusing on societies better side, things which are there to bring us together.

Musicians turn up at the Bearpit to perform for people. This guy seems to be a minor celebrity, everyone seems to know him, 'mr Woodnote' the saxophone player. I asked him to sign it for a friend of mine.

Public table tennis (made of concrete so it cant be vandalised). Bring your own bats! This is a great idea, people come and play and sometimes strangers play together.

New Job; New Ideas

I have a new job working in the Bearpit in Bristol. For those who dont know the Bearpit it's an area in a roundabout with underpasses and is a popular hangout for drunks and addicts alike. Its ripe for development and there are 3 different groups looking to improve the area sometimes in tandem and often with a lack of communication. Ive decided to do a sketch pad documenting the ups and downs of being an addict (as far as i can perceive). the sketch pad isn't ready yet so the drawings have been on pastry bags (the new job is a coffee cart) but it seems to add to the charm.

 

Here is a man getting angry at his girlfriend over money. These sketches were meant as preparatory studies to be re-done in the sketch pad. The result of this process i feel lacks the livelyness of the direct study but has an improved composition, need to find a way to blend the two.

Boredom seems to be a common emotion

sometimes something new and exciting happens, such as these two girls interviewing commuters for some reason. An opportune moment to have a rant and a laugh.

a quiet moment.

My Musings

I've been thinking about something that aroused my thoughts during the passing of the stick at Mitcheldean. There were talks about how they will act if an eviction went ahead and I raised an issue regarding their attitude towards people within 'the sytem' which I found derogative. They made the point that they percieved 'the system' as amoral (which is undeniable) and that they wished to state their opposition to 'the system' by not conforming in anyway with it. This could take on the form of resistance such as in an eviction situation. But as I see it this is the problem with such groups; they wish to change 'the system' but are unwilling to mediate with it. Public image is going effect public opinion which is obviously an important part of getting people on board with a movement, It needs to be inclusive to have an effect. The workshops and public events are designed to do this but on a more fundamental level the perosonal attitudes of the individual activist and the desire to conform to a particular lifestyle only serves to be exclusive. They become trapped by their ideologies and their sense of identity. From my personal experience in a public facing job I can say that the opinion of people from within 'the system' is that activists are dirty and that their ideologies are unrealistic, its not that this person is ignorant or amoral its only that they know a particular way of life and it is my opinion that until the activist can learn to mediate with that lifestyle the eviction will always be round the corner and 'the system' will remain unchanged.

The Wilderness Center, Mitcheldean.

Last weekend I packed my camping gear onto my bike and went to stay with a  friend of mine and a group of 'squaters' (although they choose not to use that title) in a place called The Wilderness. It use to be an education center teaching chidren about the wilderness until the council withdrew its funding. Until recently it was occupied by security staff until some activists requisitioned a couple of the buildings which include a barn and a mock saxon house. Their intent is to use the building for its original purpose and have been holding workshops like coppicing, wood working and foraging.

 

This is the common area where they hold talks and have tea. They are a pleasant bunch some of which are from the local area and some from Bristol. They seem to know what they are doing but they were having troubles when I arrived in the form of a strange vomiting bug that had gone around and a looming court appearance to get them evicted. Needless to say i didn't get to see them in their prime.

 

They hold sessions where they pass a stick around the circle and you're only allowed to speak if you are holding the stick and you are allowed to speak what ever is on your mind. Their is an air of silent tension as the stick makes its journey, at least I perceived it as tension.

 

The grounds of the complex are beautiful; there is a Saxon house which two people are sleeping in and a set stone monuments that had been carved during its time as an open education center. They said that the coucil plan to redevelop the area to 300 houses. I don't know how substantiated these claims are as its a steep outcrop of very old stone that I wouldn't have thought would have made good foundations but if it is true I wish these guys the best of luck, It's good to see squatting with a purpose.