Sunday, February 22, 2009
Haiku
They have a problem with keys at the Zilkha Gallery. Not very many people have them and fewer people know the alarm code. Thus far this has only been mildly irritating but this morning we arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled opening time and no one from the gallery is around. We’ve been given a key to the front door and a dressing room, so we call Public Safety – as the security guards are called in these parts – they say they’ll be with us so we get changed. Fifteen minutes later the only people who have shown up are audience members. The others start small talk. I get on the phone. Sylvia our local performer gamely launches into organising games with the kids. Barry turns up, bless him, to ‘see how we’re doing’, he get on the phone. Our box office guy turns up. He’s got not key. He gets on the phone. It turns out a moment after our initial call a fire alarm has gone off Fire trumps Gallery Opening trumps sitting around with a Coffee and the Paper. We’re out trumped. Some audience are leaving, others are arriving. Just as we’re calculating whether Burglar Alarm plus Fire Alarm trump just Fire Alarm ‘Public Safety’ arrives and all is well. No fights break out. The Public is Safe.
After this glitch everything is great and runs smoothly. Lots of people have seen last nights TV and we’re steadily busy with visitors through the day. The response is fantastic. People tell us how much they love the show and ask questions. It’s busy but not so busy that we can’t keep building the show.
I work on statistics for the vitrines that are poised to be placed around campus. Barry and I talk about Darwin as prep for the Science Department display (later he emails saying there are 27 adult Charles Darwins living in the U.S.). Vitrines are a kind of haiku version of the show, you have to boil it all down to 1m square and keep it elegant in both visually and conceptually. It takes far more time than we ever credit it with.
Eventually Graeme and I nail the Haiku (if you’re following the show on Twitter you will already know the poem). We carry everything over to the Science block turning heads as we go. They don’t often see a brown housecoat in these parts, still less two together. No doubt a rumour is sweeping campus about this new, quasi-Mormon sect.
All goes well with the vitrine, the rice is tidy, the paper all very neatly, Darwin is there, H.M.S. Beagle is there, local creationists are laid out beside local evolutionists. All is as it should be. We carefully lift the Perspex hood over the display and gently lower it down. Beautiful. We admire our work. All is good, so casually we pull the protective plastic coatings from the Perspex and bundle it up into balls. We’re all set to go but inside the vitrine things have gone crazy. Grains for rice are rising up, standing on their ends and leaping from the piles. They’re pinging themselves against the Perspex attempting to escape and the paper is curling at its edges attempting to catch them. Momentarily our allegiances in the Creation – Evolution debate swing decisively then the crackle of static electricity breaks out. Now we’re spinning and dancing with delight. It’s fantastic, now this extraordinary show even has its own weird, flea-show style variety act, should a cabaret opening come up. With one sheet of plastic still to be pulled and my camera-phone poised we shoot what, if Craig can give me the appropriate pass-words, should become one of You-tubes more esoteric clips.
Late in the day at the Student Union Chris and I take the precaution of removing the plastic from the Perspex well away from the rice and earth everything carefully before enclosing the second Haiku.
It’s a seven hour day but shift working gives the others a half day. I’m locked into this for now. Yesterday I went for a break only to find myself online in the union digging out numbers for Albinos in Tanzania and the U.S. (more in the former) and a up-to-date number for Guantanamo Bay internees – which is often an elusive one to find.
It’s been a good day 182 visitors added to last night’s opening crowd gives us 400 so far. We have our own key to the gallery and – don’t tell anyone – the alarm has been left off. Midnight party with the Dancing Rice Grains anyone?
James
P.S. Having researched Wesleyan's Public Safety department for this blog I am now fully aware they are much more than just Security Guards. I also notice they do a neat line in statistics...
Link
After this glitch everything is great and runs smoothly. Lots of people have seen last nights TV and we’re steadily busy with visitors through the day. The response is fantastic. People tell us how much they love the show and ask questions. It’s busy but not so busy that we can’t keep building the show.
I work on statistics for the vitrines that are poised to be placed around campus. Barry and I talk about Darwin as prep for the Science Department display (later he emails saying there are 27 adult Charles Darwins living in the U.S.). Vitrines are a kind of haiku version of the show, you have to boil it all down to 1m square and keep it elegant in both visually and conceptually. It takes far more time than we ever credit it with.
Eventually Graeme and I nail the Haiku (if you’re following the show on Twitter you will already know the poem). We carry everything over to the Science block turning heads as we go. They don’t often see a brown housecoat in these parts, still less two together. No doubt a rumour is sweeping campus about this new, quasi-Mormon sect.
All goes well with the vitrine, the rice is tidy, the paper all very neatly, Darwin is there, H.M.S. Beagle is there, local creationists are laid out beside local evolutionists. All is as it should be. We carefully lift the Perspex hood over the display and gently lower it down. Beautiful. We admire our work. All is good, so casually we pull the protective plastic coatings from the Perspex and bundle it up into balls. We’re all set to go but inside the vitrine things have gone crazy. Grains for rice are rising up, standing on their ends and leaping from the piles. They’re pinging themselves against the Perspex attempting to escape and the paper is curling at its edges attempting to catch them. Momentarily our allegiances in the Creation – Evolution debate swing decisively then the crackle of static electricity breaks out. Now we’re spinning and dancing with delight. It’s fantastic, now this extraordinary show even has its own weird, flea-show style variety act, should a cabaret opening come up. With one sheet of plastic still to be pulled and my camera-phone poised we shoot what, if Craig can give me the appropriate pass-words, should become one of You-tubes more esoteric clips.
Late in the day at the Student Union Chris and I take the precaution of removing the plastic from the Perspex well away from the rice and earth everything carefully before enclosing the second Haiku.
It’s a seven hour day but shift working gives the others a half day. I’m locked into this for now. Yesterday I went for a break only to find myself online in the union digging out numbers for Albinos in Tanzania and the U.S. (more in the former) and a up-to-date number for Guantanamo Bay internees – which is often an elusive one to find.
It’s been a good day 182 visitors added to last night’s opening crowd gives us 400 so far. We have our own key to the gallery and – don’t tell anyone – the alarm has been left off. Midnight party with the Dancing Rice Grains anyone?
James
P.S. Having researched Wesleyan's Public Safety department for this blog I am now fully aware they are much more than just Security Guards. I also notice they do a neat line in statistics...
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Local TV - How To Do It
Day 3. A monster day is on the cards, but first we must eat “all we wish” for Breakfast. In contrast to the cornucopia of yesterday’s Dinner the offerings are modest and we escape still trim and bustling for action.
Chris sets to tidying the gallery whilst the rest of us charge to the Olin Library on the other side of campus with all our kit. We set up this ‘satellite’ in the foyer with of a Birth of a Nation stats on one side and university based ones on the other. We finish just in time for brief ceremonials with librarians at noon. Then high-tail it back to the gallery and have thing just about ready when Dan Kain from WFSB Eyewitness News turns up with his camera guy. They are a great team, friendly and efficient, they spend about ten minutes with the show, the piece goes out that evening and it's one of the best we've seen done on the show. It throws into sharp relief our home stations’ failure to:
a> pick up on the show.
b> display any verve in their coverage of anything at all (not that I'm childish enough to harbour a grudge as you can tell).
Click on the link to see for your selves.
Before the cameraman has finished shooting his cut-away shots Jack, Graeme and I are off to Middletown's mid-town Main Street with a huge stack of rice to do a window display. We use a statistic that is so shocking that it keeps me awake at night - but more of that in a future post. Then it’s back to the gallery just in time for a newspaper interview (the Theatre and Visual Art Critics from a local paper have come in tandem which is a great idea for a show people find tough to catagorise). The opening follows seamlessly, with more ceremonials and food, which we miss out on because things are so busy. We also fail to pace ourselves properly. Having neglected to check our schedules carefully and are shocked to realise that though the opening finish at 19.00 we're due to plough on until 21.00.
Desperately hungry and thirsty I manage to mislead people into ‘the other’ Mexican Restaurant in town, not the one that's recommended. It’s a bad business. There are casualties. Food is left. We all cling to our beer for safety.
James
Link
Chris sets to tidying the gallery whilst the rest of us charge to the Olin Library on the other side of campus with all our kit. We set up this ‘satellite’ in the foyer with of a Birth of a Nation stats on one side and university based ones on the other. We finish just in time for brief ceremonials with librarians at noon. Then high-tail it back to the gallery and have thing just about ready when Dan Kain from WFSB Eyewitness News turns up with his camera guy. They are a great team, friendly and efficient, they spend about ten minutes with the show, the piece goes out that evening and it's one of the best we've seen done on the show. It throws into sharp relief our home stations’ failure to:
a> pick up on the show.
b> display any verve in their coverage of anything at all (not that I'm childish enough to harbour a grudge as you can tell).
Click on the link to see for your selves.
Before the cameraman has finished shooting his cut-away shots Jack, Graeme and I are off to Middletown's mid-town Main Street with a huge stack of rice to do a window display. We use a statistic that is so shocking that it keeps me awake at night - but more of that in a future post. Then it’s back to the gallery just in time for a newspaper interview (the Theatre and Visual Art Critics from a local paper have come in tandem which is a great idea for a show people find tough to catagorise). The opening follows seamlessly, with more ceremonials and food, which we miss out on because things are so busy. We also fail to pace ourselves properly. Having neglected to check our schedules carefully and are shocked to realise that though the opening finish at 19.00 we're due to plough on until 21.00.
Desperately hungry and thirsty I manage to mislead people into ‘the other’ Mexican Restaurant in town, not the one that's recommended. It’s a bad business. There are casualties. Food is left. We all cling to our beer for safety.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Not 'all you want' or 'all you can' just 'all you wish'.
As usual Day 2 means smaller rice piles and things start to speed up. We are in at nine and cracking on with it. I broke out briefly to visit WESU FM, which is a proper radio station, corridor walls lined with dog eared vinyl, 7” & 12”, tatty kit and a deep passion for radio pervading the place. Barry and I do double coverage on Stephan Allison’s River Valley Rhythms show. It’s a classic ‘through the glass’ interview with us in adjoining studios, meeting in the corridor as a record plays out. Stephan has a great, easy American radio voice. He is generous with his show time and as we appeared to run over time I started to grow anxious that listeners in the River Valley weren’t getting as many rhythms as they had hoped.
The big excitement within the team today was discovering the delicious “eat all you wish” facility at the Student Union building. Shockingly, it was here, at the heart of student catering that we discovered the first vitamins of our trip, stacks of salad and fruit and juice. Learning that a similar, but cheaper deal also applies to breakfast our joy was, as you may imagine, unbounded.
Amazingly even Jack, who had availed himself of the ‘make your own waffle’ equipment was able to waddle back to the gallery in time to greet our second batch of volunteer performers, a keen bunch who didn’t appear to resent being kept the full two hours, until 22.00, helping us push things on.
James
Link
The big excitement within the team today was discovering the delicious “eat all you wish” facility at the Student Union building. Shockingly, it was here, at the heart of student catering that we discovered the first vitamins of our trip, stacks of salad and fruit and juice. Learning that a similar, but cheaper deal also applies to breakfast our joy was, as you may imagine, unbounded.
Amazingly even Jack, who had availed himself of the ‘make your own waffle’ equipment was able to waddle back to the gallery in time to greet our second batch of volunteer performers, a keen bunch who didn’t appear to resent being kept the full two hours, until 22.00, helping us push things on.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Arts Center / Centre
It is brilliant to finally be here. We met Pamela Tatge the venue’s director back in January last year when the show was in New York. Planning for this trip essentially stared then with Barry coming over to see the show a few days later and us talking about the university researching statistics for us. Around Easter time Nick, our producer, happened to be visiting relatives near Connecticut so he called in for a site visit. Subsequently there has been an extended email correspondence.
We have been made to feel extremely welcome. First thing we were introduced to the venue’s impressive coffee making equipment and pointed to Tea cupboard (wisely both these sections of the kitchen are segregated). There was then a planning meeting with the venue staff during which we plotted through our packed itinerary and, almost before we had got down to work and certainly before a grain of rice had hit a sheet of paper we were guests at a introductory lunch during which we met other arts centre and arts faculty staff.
By mid afternoon a plan had was starting to emerge and some big piles were under construction. The gallery sets the rice off beautifully, it has a cork tile floor, walls comprised of vast rectangular stone bricks and huge windows. There is enough shape and character to give us natural sections and journeys.
At six our first team of volunteers arrived for training. They seemed like a keen bunch and rather than too much talking we launched rapidly into an apprenticeship scheme using them as extra hands to speed things along.
At eight we scooted over to an open rehearsal in which the Wesleyan University Orchestra was put through its paces playing a piece especially composed for them by Barbara Croall. Aware of the amount of prep required for tomorrow and having recently spent two days watching Birmingham Contemporary Music rehearse I decide to duck out a bit early.
Graeme cooks a fine risotto and surrounded, by the classics of Russian Literature, for my room is the study of a Professor of Russian Studies, I fall asleep listening to Fighting Talk.
James
Link
We have been made to feel extremely welcome. First thing we were introduced to the venue’s impressive coffee making equipment and pointed to Tea cupboard (wisely both these sections of the kitchen are segregated). There was then a planning meeting with the venue staff during which we plotted through our packed itinerary and, almost before we had got down to work and certainly before a grain of rice had hit a sheet of paper we were guests at a introductory lunch during which we met other arts centre and arts faculty staff.
By mid afternoon a plan had was starting to emerge and some big piles were under construction. The gallery sets the rice off beautifully, it has a cork tile floor, walls comprised of vast rectangular stone bricks and huge windows. There is enough shape and character to give us natural sections and journeys.
At six our first team of volunteers arrived for training. They seemed like a keen bunch and rather than too much talking we launched rapidly into an apprenticeship scheme using them as extra hands to speed things along.
At eight we scooted over to an open rehearsal in which the Wesleyan University Orchestra was put through its paces playing a piece especially composed for them by Barbara Croall. Aware of the amount of prep required for tomorrow and having recently spent two days watching Birmingham Contemporary Music rehearse I decide to duck out a bit early.
Graeme cooks a fine risotto and surrounded, by the classics of Russian Literature, for my room is the study of a Professor of Russian Studies, I fall asleep listening to Fighting Talk.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Welcome to Middletown
Birmingham to Newark, Newark to Heartford, Heartford to Middletown. No movies, a bit of prep, a bit of writing and 2/3 of Sadie Plant’s fascinating Writing on Drugs. A smooth trip. We have been lent a beautiful house here, right beside the Wesleyan University Campus and the others were already looking very at home in the vast kitchen with cats wandering around.
Professor Barry Chernoff, one of our hosts, came round to escort us to the local bar and introduce us to its beers, which was very considerate of him. Barry is an ichthyologist (“a fish guy”) and really great value. It soon became clear ‘theatrical anecdotes’ weren’t going to cut it alongside tales of the Amazon, Piranhas, Sting Rays and fish that at crawl inside your penis if you piss in the water. Perhaps only Werner Herzog could trade stories in this kind of company but who wants to trade when the quality is this high? We fed Barry questions, sat back and had a great time.
James
Link
Professor Barry Chernoff, one of our hosts, came round to escort us to the local bar and introduce us to its beers, which was very considerate of him. Barry is an ichthyologist (“a fish guy”) and really great value. It soon became clear ‘theatrical anecdotes’ weren’t going to cut it alongside tales of the Amazon, Piranhas, Sting Rays and fish that at crawl inside your penis if you piss in the water. Perhaps only Werner Herzog could trade stories in this kind of company but who wants to trade when the quality is this high? We fed Barry questions, sat back and had a great time.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Ready For The Off
From the office and the A.E.Harris factory; from vintage clothes stores, actors homes and hardware shops; from the costume hire facility and fire extinguisher workshop, everything is finally gathered, in a trailer, in the Paul Mathew store, in Long Marston ready for the long haul to Bucharest.
"Moving Entertainment Throughout Europe".
james
Link
"Moving Entertainment Throughout Europe".
james
Labels: ConstanceBrown, thericeshow
Link
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Last of the Reviews
We'd been led to believe The Times review would be short and sweet. It turns out to be longer than we had thought and as sweet as we had hoped.
The Stage is also keeping up its proud journalistic tradition.
James
The Stage is also keeping up its proud journalistic tradition.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Monday, September 22, 2008
Another Review
Even reviews read a bit like previews for this show. If only some of the passion would spill over from the comments book into the national print media.
It was a great weekend at the show. The room was mostly very busy. There were visitors from London, Brisol, Manchester and Belfast amongst the crowds, some of whom we knew, many of whom we didn't.
On Sunday a wall of noise and blaze of colour burst into the still rice landscape as a Bhangra was performed Nachda Sansaar and latterly by audience members and more or less ept [sic] members of Stan's Cafe. Though an unlike collision of forms the professional version did look rather good doing their harvest dance amonst the mountains.
Hopefully no photos of the Artistic Directors efforts will find themselves at www.thericeshow.com
james
Link
It was a great weekend at the show. The room was mostly very busy. There were visitors from London, Brisol, Manchester and Belfast amongst the crowds, some of whom we knew, many of whom we didn't.
On Sunday a wall of noise and blaze of colour burst into the still rice landscape as a Bhangra was performed Nachda Sansaar and latterly by audience members and more or less ept [sic] members of Stan's Cafe. Though an unlike collision of forms the professional version did look rather good doing their harvest dance amonst the mountains.
Hopefully no photos of the Artistic Directors efforts will find themselves at www.thericeshow.com
james
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Thursday, September 18, 2008
National Press
The much anticipated feature comes out in The Guardian. As anticipated it attracts attention of people who wouldn't otherwise have caught up with the show (old school friends), it lures in new audience members (a fantastic pair of senior ladies) and validates stuff people don't believe if you're saying it about yourselves (other media interest).
Now you can judge for yourselves.
James
Link
Now you can judge for yourselves.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Careful Phrasing
It's often difficult to clap at the end of a Stan's Cafe piece, not for negative reasons of meritocracy and disappointment but because the way ends are structured. Our standard way around this lack of feedback / connection between performer and audience is a Comments Book as employed by some Art Galleries.
Leafing through the two Comments Books after this weekend's opening was a fantastically positive experience, people were gushing with enthusiasm. Yet, nestled amongst the feel good acclamation was one entry that exposes both the limitations and strengths of the comments book.
Someone had taken exception to our use of the term 'Coloured People' in labelling a statistic. The problem with the Comment Book form of feedback is that there's no right of reply. The author was anonymous and long gone. There was no chance of running after them and explaining – that's not our term! That statistic and those around it are those of apartheid South Africa where 'Coloured' was an official term of the regime. Yes, it is offensive but that's because the regime was offensive.
The advantage of a comments book is that we now know that someone is walking around Birmingham with the belief that Stan's Cafe were co-authors of Mind Your Language. Although we'd rather stretch our audience than patronize them on this occasion we felt we could afford to leave things to chance. The whole set of labels now read something like " 'Coloured' People In South Africa 1948 as defined by the Apartheid Regime". It's an ugly label but better than people attaching an ugly phrase to us.
James
Link
Leafing through the two Comments Books after this weekend's opening was a fantastically positive experience, people were gushing with enthusiasm. Yet, nestled amongst the feel good acclamation was one entry that exposes both the limitations and strengths of the comments book.
Someone had taken exception to our use of the term 'Coloured People' in labelling a statistic. The problem with the Comment Book form of feedback is that there's no right of reply. The author was anonymous and long gone. There was no chance of running after them and explaining – that's not our term! That statistic and those around it are those of apartheid South Africa where 'Coloured' was an official term of the regime. Yes, it is offensive but that's because the regime was offensive.
The advantage of a comments book is that we now know that someone is walking around Birmingham with the belief that Stan's Cafe were co-authors of Mind Your Language. Although we'd rather stretch our audience than patronize them on this occasion we felt we could afford to leave things to chance. The whole set of labels now read something like " 'Coloured' People In South Africa 1948 as defined by the Apartheid Regime". It's an ugly label but better than people attaching an ugly phrase to us.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Monday, September 15, 2008
First Weekend
Over 1,000 people visited the show over its opening weekend. The result of a benign confluence of good marketing, good weatehr, ArtsFest and free admission. Many people left saying they would return with friends, so hopefully this will be the case and audience numbers will hold up for the next three weeks.
There have been some fantastic photographs of the show posted on flikr. These are all collated on a website you can reach by following the link.
james
Link
There have been some fantastic photographs of the show posted on flikr. These are all collated on a website you can reach by following the link.
james
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Opening Night
Opening night and all is looking good.
Good audience, good show, good response.
In theory a piece comes out about the show in the Guardian on Monday, so fingers crossed. Lynn Gardner's comment on her blog promises well. If anyone fancies adding a comment to her entry then this may help keep that entry up the Guardian Blog pecking order and thus more visable to the world (we're slowly being inducted into these subtlties of strategy.
james
Link
Good audience, good show, good response.
In theory a piece comes out about the show in the Guardian on Monday, so fingers crossed. Lynn Gardner's comment on her blog promises well. If anyone fancies adding a comment to her entry then this may help keep that entry up the Guardian Blog pecking order and thus more visable to the world (we're slowly being inducted into these subtlties of strategy.
james
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Test Cases
Rules for 'the rice show' are emergant. A few things are certain.
1: Each grain of rice can only represent a PERSON.
2: Each grain of rice can only represent ONE person.
3: That person cannot be fictional.
4: That person can be dead.
5: As the grains act as 'cast members' it is possible for one person to appear in a number of piles simultaniously 'played by' different grains of rice.
There are other rules of protocol, about presentation and performance but it is the boundaries of those fundamental rules that I enjoy exploring and here we have to resort to Case Law. Today Chris presented a new Test Case the discussion of which caused Graeme to appeal against a former Test Case.
Test Case 1: Degrunier vs No one (my metaphor breaks down here): The Unknown Soldier
Degrunier argued that, as a real, though unknown soldier was burried in the tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc De Triomphe she should be allowed to place this person into the show (her idea was that he should go into The New Room).
After some deliberation Justice Yarker denied the claim. His resoning being that, whilst fulfilling the technical requirements that the rice represent a single, non-fictional person, the symbolic power carried by the real unknown soldier collapses when translated into the show as that symbolism is removed by a further degree, it becomes a representation of a symbol. The show makes the role of the Unknown Soldier redundent as every single solider who fell on a particular battle field can now have their own rice representative, they do not have to share a single symbol. In part, this is what gives the show its power.
At the time Justice Yarker said he would consider allowing an appeal to Justice Stephens, but on retireing to his chambers the thought "no I'm defintately right on this one and that's the end of it".
Test Case 2: Rose vs Yarker: Twelve Angry Men
Appealing a previous judicial ruling Rose argued that Twelve Angry Men shouldn't be allowed because amongst other things it felt a bit funny.
Many of the trainee barrasters standing by had no idea what was going on and had to be briefed about an old black and white film staring Henry Fonda adapted from a stage play the author of which no one could remember.
Trow and Semp, speaking on behalf of Yarker, pointed out that whilst the 'statistic' appears to be referring to fictional characters in fact it is merely identifying a dozen hopping mad males. Trow used the Million Men test case to bolster his argument.
Rose internally cursed that QC Hadingue was on other legal duties in Stratford and unable to back him up.
Yarker (acting contrary all good legal proceedure as both defendant and judge) decided against the appeal. Whilst acknowledging the validity of the 'feeling a bit funny' argument and welcoming the appeal he said he was minded, on this occasion, to allow Twelve Angry Men so long as it stays in its own room and doesn't interfere with any other 'statistics'.
With both case and court dismissed everyone wandered off and no one seemed particularly bothered about being paid less than £100 per hour.
James
Link
1: Each grain of rice can only represent a PERSON.
2: Each grain of rice can only represent ONE person.
3: That person cannot be fictional.
4: That person can be dead.
5: As the grains act as 'cast members' it is possible for one person to appear in a number of piles simultaniously 'played by' different grains of rice.
There are other rules of protocol, about presentation and performance but it is the boundaries of those fundamental rules that I enjoy exploring and here we have to resort to Case Law. Today Chris presented a new Test Case the discussion of which caused Graeme to appeal against a former Test Case.
Test Case 1: Degrunier vs No one (my metaphor breaks down here): The Unknown Soldier
Degrunier argued that, as a real, though unknown soldier was burried in the tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc De Triomphe she should be allowed to place this person into the show (her idea was that he should go into The New Room).
After some deliberation Justice Yarker denied the claim. His resoning being that, whilst fulfilling the technical requirements that the rice represent a single, non-fictional person, the symbolic power carried by the real unknown soldier collapses when translated into the show as that symbolism is removed by a further degree, it becomes a representation of a symbol. The show makes the role of the Unknown Soldier redundent as every single solider who fell on a particular battle field can now have their own rice representative, they do not have to share a single symbol. In part, this is what gives the show its power.
At the time Justice Yarker said he would consider allowing an appeal to Justice Stephens, but on retireing to his chambers the thought "no I'm defintately right on this one and that's the end of it".
Test Case 2: Rose vs Yarker: Twelve Angry Men
Appealing a previous judicial ruling Rose argued that Twelve Angry Men shouldn't be allowed because amongst other things it felt a bit funny.
Many of the trainee barrasters standing by had no idea what was going on and had to be briefed about an old black and white film staring Henry Fonda adapted from a stage play the author of which no one could remember.
Trow and Semp, speaking on behalf of Yarker, pointed out that whilst the 'statistic' appears to be referring to fictional characters in fact it is merely identifying a dozen hopping mad males. Trow used the Million Men test case to bolster his argument.
Rose internally cursed that QC Hadingue was on other legal duties in Stratford and unable to back him up.
Yarker (acting contrary all good legal proceedure as both defendant and judge) decided against the appeal. Whilst acknowledging the validity of the 'feeling a bit funny' argument and welcoming the appeal he said he was minded, on this occasion, to allow Twelve Angry Men so long as it stays in its own room and doesn't interfere with any other 'statistics'.
With both case and court dismissed everyone wandered off and no one seemed particularly bothered about being paid less than £100 per hour.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Visiting Artist
Amid the flow of journalists wandering in and out of the show today came a woman who was clearly neither a journalist nor in the wrong place, she clearly wasn't one of our volunteers, it turned out she was Deborah Feingold.
Despite loving photography, I'm samefully ignorent of who actually takes any of those pictures I love. Man Ray, Weegee, Robert Maplethorpe, William Wegman, Edward Dimsdale, beyond that and I start to struggle. I had however heard that Deborah Feingold was due to open an exhibition just across the road from us at the St.Paul's Gallery and I had heard that a fair number of people are excited by this fact. So it was great to meet her.
She was delightful, full of energy and enthusiasm and joy. A great refreshing blast of that transatlantic vivacity which makes being in the States such a thrill. Anyway, she zoomed in, was super enthusiastic about the show, had an anguished glance at her watch and zoomed off to preparations for her opening.
It was so nice of her to find time to come over and see what we were up to that it redoubled my determination to get to the St.Paul's opening tomorrow. Back home thinking about writing this entry I track down her photographs and it turns out I've got one of them beside my bed. Amongst the beautiful portraits she takes of the rich and famous are a series of book covers and amongst these is Barak Obahma's audacity of hope, a book which I was reading fairly assiduously before this whole show thing cranked up.
As we were leaving the exhibition she did stop beside one particularly enormous pile of rice and enthuse about its quality as an object and the great light in that room and so on........ how much does Feingold commission set you back? Shouldn't a C.E.O. have a prestige photograph of himself behind his desk, even if it a secondhand melamine desk at Unit 108b The Big Peg.
James
Link
Despite loving photography, I'm samefully ignorent of who actually takes any of those pictures I love. Man Ray, Weegee, Robert Maplethorpe, William Wegman, Edward Dimsdale, beyond that and I start to struggle. I had however heard that Deborah Feingold was due to open an exhibition just across the road from us at the St.Paul's Gallery and I had heard that a fair number of people are excited by this fact. So it was great to meet her.
She was delightful, full of energy and enthusiasm and joy. A great refreshing blast of that transatlantic vivacity which makes being in the States such a thrill. Anyway, she zoomed in, was super enthusiastic about the show, had an anguished glance at her watch and zoomed off to preparations for her opening.
It was so nice of her to find time to come over and see what we were up to that it redoubled my determination to get to the St.Paul's opening tomorrow. Back home thinking about writing this entry I track down her photographs and it turns out I've got one of them beside my bed. Amongst the beautiful portraits she takes of the rich and famous are a series of book covers and amongst these is Barak Obahma's audacity of hope, a book which I was reading fairly assiduously before this whole show thing cranked up.
As we were leaving the exhibition she did stop beside one particularly enormous pile of rice and enthuse about its quality as an object and the great light in that room and so on........ how much does Feingold commission set you back? Shouldn't a C.E.O. have a prestige photograph of himself behind his desk, even if it a secondhand melamine desk at Unit 108b The Big Peg.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
The New Section
I work on the new section late into the night.
Growing tired I slacken off, I allow myself to start reading.
I pause to look at pictures.
The stories behind these names and numbers are too much.
I'm in tears.
That's it for tonight.
James
Growing tired I slacken off, I allow myself to start reading.
I pause to look at pictures.
The stories behind these names and numbers are too much.
I'm in tears.
That's it for tonight.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
How Much?
A deputation from the show were off on Fire Marshal training this morning. Having just put out a series of statistics about workers burning to death in factory fires I hoped that they would pay close attention. Whilst being a little cagey about what they actually learnt they did assure me there's more to fire marshalling than shouting "There's a fire, follow me" and charging for the exit.
Whilst the Fire Marshals were letting off fire extinguishers the Rice Wranglers spent much of the morning being photographed and filmed in a press call. A great piece came out in the Birmingham Post yesterday so hopefully that's a sign of the P.R. blizzard cranking up another notch.
The day wasn't without anxiety. A local news agency, having received a press release, phoned up expressing an interest in the show. Normally this would be a good thing, but their first question was "how much did the show cost?". Now, I don't know about you, but I've never heard a national news story about what excellent value for money a particular work of art is, particularly not one which isn't oil placed on canvas looking a lot like the thing it is 'supposed to be'. So we didn't answer the question and we'll see what happens. Ironically the same agency sent a photographer, who arrived woefully late, but whom we politely accommodated, and he loved the show. He left with a fist full of fliers and a promise to return with his girlfriend. Hopefully this is the start of a crazy word-of-mouth snowball.
James
Link
Whilst the Fire Marshals were letting off fire extinguishers the Rice Wranglers spent much of the morning being photographed and filmed in a press call. A great piece came out in the Birmingham Post yesterday so hopefully that's a sign of the P.R. blizzard cranking up another notch.
The day wasn't without anxiety. A local news agency, having received a press release, phoned up expressing an interest in the show. Normally this would be a good thing, but their first question was "how much did the show cost?". Now, I don't know about you, but I've never heard a national news story about what excellent value for money a particular work of art is, particularly not one which isn't oil placed on canvas looking a lot like the thing it is 'supposed to be'. So we didn't answer the question and we'll see what happens. Ironically the same agency sent a photographer, who arrived woefully late, but whom we politely accommodated, and he loved the show. He left with a fist full of fliers and a promise to return with his girlfriend. Hopefully this is the start of a crazy word-of-mouth snowball.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Nearly There
The show is starting to look very much like a show now. There is more to do, but things are well in hand for press photographs and a bit of filming tomorrow. With fire marshal training, new performers arriving, more interviews and opening logistics all intruding I knew I wanted to be well ahead in developing the show and it looks like we're not far off.
A few visitors have been wandering through and giving the appropriate bowled over responses. It is always more impressive than people imagine. Tonight Collin, Paul and I stayed late. The show looks great at night in this space.
The most exciting news for connoisseurs of fine ethetical dining, is that The Kitchen Garden Cafe will be running a concession at the show. Most exciting for connoisseurs of the show – we are working on an aestetic departure. The venue has a side room which has a different feel to the rest of the space and needed a new strategy. This is in place and tentitively being inititated.
One of the things I enjoy most about working on this show is solving the connundrums it throws up. What to do with that room was a new and serious one. It took a bit of convition and guidance from Craig commit to a new approach and discard a significant portion of some people's work from yesterday. It will pay off. It gives the show now has an added twist. The secret will be revealed once the show has opened.
James
A few visitors have been wandering through and giving the appropriate bowled over responses. It is always more impressive than people imagine. Tonight Collin, Paul and I stayed late. The show looks great at night in this space.
The most exciting news for connoisseurs of fine ethetical dining, is that The Kitchen Garden Cafe will be running a concession at the show. Most exciting for connoisseurs of the show – we are working on an aestetic departure. The venue has a side room which has a different feel to the rest of the space and needed a new strategy. This is in place and tentitively being inititated.
One of the things I enjoy most about working on this show is solving the connundrums it throws up. What to do with that room was a new and serious one. It took a bit of convition and guidance from Craig commit to a new approach and discard a significant portion of some people's work from yesterday. It will pay off. It gives the show now has an added twist. The secret will be revealed once the show has opened.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Monday, September 08, 2008
It's In The Stars.
With all the ancillary action going on it would be difficult to ignore the fact that there's a show developing in the midst of it all. All 112 tonnes of rice are now safely stowed. Of this approximatly 70 tonnes has already been set out ready for the off.
The really big piles look fantastic. The organising logic feels strong. Lots of our favourites are already out. Playfulness is starting to creep in. Everyone's pretty focussed. As always with the smaller statistics now being concentrated on the speed of delivery is cranking up. We've let Arvo loose allowing him license to do 'dramatic lighting' in one section of the show. The mood is up-beat. We're on course for a good one. Not least because Rachel RICE won Big Brother.
James
The really big piles look fantastic. The organising logic feels strong. Lots of our favourites are already out. Playfulness is starting to creep in. Everyone's pretty focussed. As always with the smaller statistics now being concentrated on the speed of delivery is cranking up. We've let Arvo loose allowing him license to do 'dramatic lighting' in one section of the show. The mood is up-beat. We're on course for a good one. Not least because Rachel RICE won Big Brother.
James
Labels: thericeshow
The Other Billboard
It's time to let people into the secret of the billboards.
There's a scheme called Birmingham Champions which is run by Marketing Birmingham. They persuade local businesses that it's in their best interests to operate in a thriving city and that part of what helps a city thrive is having a positive buzz about it. They then ask (or suggest) what these businesses can do to help generate this positive buzz.
In the case of Signature Outdoor "Birmingham's leading Outdoor Advertising Company" this means giving away slots on some of their sites to intitiative that reflect well on the city. Through the good offices of Marketing Birmingham we have ended up with two of Signature's "lightbox supersites", one at Paradise Circus and the other a huge site at Boulton Middleway. The book price on these two for our show build up was £20,000 and we got them for nowt, so THANK YOU to both Marketing Birmingham and Gerry Bew at Signature. Gerry also sent through some great photos, which you are seeing here.
These photos are reproduced here as a road safty intitiative. Too many Stan Fans have been so shocked at the sight of the billboards that their driving has become momentarily erratic. Study them carefully on-line before attempting any drive-by action.
james
Link
There's a scheme called Birmingham Champions which is run by Marketing Birmingham. They persuade local businesses that it's in their best interests to operate in a thriving city and that part of what helps a city thrive is having a positive buzz about it. They then ask (or suggest) what these businesses can do to help generate this positive buzz.
In the case of Signature Outdoor "Birmingham's leading Outdoor Advertising Company" this means giving away slots on some of their sites to intitiative that reflect well on the city. Through the good offices of Marketing Birmingham we have ended up with two of Signature's "lightbox supersites", one at Paradise Circus and the other a huge site at Boulton Middleway. The book price on these two for our show build up was £20,000 and we got them for nowt, so THANK YOU to both Marketing Birmingham and Gerry Bew at Signature. Gerry also sent through some great photos, which you are seeing here.
These photos are reproduced here as a road safty intitiative. Too many Stan Fans have been so shocked at the sight of the billboards that their driving has become momentarily erratic. Study them carefully on-line before attempting any drive-by action.
james
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Manual Handling
Today we received our Manual Handling training. It is perhaps now more relevant to the get-out than the get-in, but as the man said "it doesn't have to be a heavy weight to do your back in". He was a personable bloke, who looked like he'd never lifted anything heavier than a box file of risk assemsents in his life. He recovered well from finding all the startling or unexpected answers to his early quiz questions were just another specialist subject for finly honed stat minds at the caff.
Percentage injuries at work attributable to manual handling? 38% sounds about right.
It was a genuinely useful session, reasurring as much as anything. Break the task down? We're already doing it. Tea bags in individual mugs does away with the need for a heavy teapot and in so doing reduces the chance of muscular-skeletal problems or ruptures the mere description of which are eye watering.
WARNING: The link is to a PDF about manual handling so only click on it if you actually have an interest the subject.
James
Link
Percentage injuries at work attributable to manual handling? 38% sounds about right.
It was a genuinely useful session, reasurring as much as anything. Break the task down? We're already doing it. Tea bags in individual mugs does away with the need for a heavy teapot and in so doing reduces the chance of muscular-skeletal problems or ruptures the mere description of which are eye watering.
WARNING: The link is to a PDF about manual handling so only click on it if you actually have an interest the subject.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
