News stories worth reading.
Women in pop music - comparing Adele with the likes of Lady Gaga, and good news for Kate Bush fans (yeah!)
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/success-without-gimmicks-20110422-1dr9y.html
Little girls and real life princeses.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/apr/23/princess-fairytale-daughter-royal-wedding
Michelle Bachelet, head of the newly formed UN Women - who she is and what she's trying to do.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/apr/22/michelle-bachelet-un-women
Emma Donoghue, who wrote Room, calls for an end to mothers judging each other.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/23/emma-donoghue-mummy-wars-parenting?INTCMP=SRCH
Enjoy
motherhood activism Australia, maternal feminism
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Around the world news
What’s going on in the world?
You wouldn’t know by reading the Sydney newspapers, but get a better idea by reading the Guardian Weekly. So, a little round-up from the last few issues.
Norway pays Guyana (on the northern coast of Sth America) to keep forests intact. That’s right. Norway is making annual payments to Guyana to keep its tropical rainforests. The money, based on holding back deforestation, factoring in avoided carbon dioxide emissions, is used for environmentally sound development.
Ghost towns in Spain. New housing estates have been abandoned due to the GFC. Youth unemployment is very high in Spain: 43%. For those aged 16 - 19 the rate is 64%. Young people are leaving Spain to seek employment elsewhere.
Spain had a very generous subsidy for solar power. That has just been cut. The energy companies were helping the government with the subsidies and the government now cannot pay them back.
In Japan, after the earthquake, radioactive water is being released into the sea as they are still trying to cool down the nuclear reactor.
17% of the worlds’ population is now Indian.
In the US, the majority of Republicans who are likely to vote in the primaries believe that Barack Obama was not born in the United States.
Refugees from Nth Africa are fleeing to Lampedusa, an Italian island closer to Africa than Italy, and the Italians aren’t happy. Berlusconi vowed to rid the island of immigrants. They are mostly men from Libya. So far this year 18,000 Nth African migrants have landed on the island of 5000 native inhabitants.
A story about a study in the lack of empathy (previously known as evil). Empathy can be tracked on a spectrum. We're all somewhere on the spectrum - hopefully not on the sociopath end.
A picture of a penis wins an Russian art prize. The winning group, which is endorsed by Banksy, painted a 65 meter penis on a drawbridge. When the bridge was raised the penis faced the local headquarters of the FSB (successor to the KGB). It’s like Jonah of Summer Heights High won an art prize!
A story about women leading the way in peace negotiations. Women have been involved in peace talks in Libya, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Rwanda, and now on the Ivory Coast. How? Women form grassroots groups, and work up to the leader’s wives and the leaders themselves. Local groups are best placed to bring about peace, so why do they need to apply to AU and UN to be permitted to participate in the peace talks, usually led by male bureaucrats, when it is more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in these modern conflicts? This ties into my last post about the fierce face of women.
Nature has rights. Bolivia is set to pass into law the rights of Mother Nature. They are establishing 11 new laws, under The Law of Mother Earth, which includes: the right to life and to exist, the right to continue vital cycles and processes free from human alteration, the right to pure water and clean air, the right to balance, the right not to be polluted and the right to not have cellular structure modified or genetically altered.
Wow. Go Bolivia!
If these were the kinds of news stories show on commercial tv, do you think we would be more fearful or less? More tolerant or less? More hopeful or less?
You wouldn’t know by reading the Sydney newspapers, but get a better idea by reading the Guardian Weekly. So, a little round-up from the last few issues.
Norway pays Guyana (on the northern coast of Sth America) to keep forests intact. That’s right. Norway is making annual payments to Guyana to keep its tropical rainforests. The money, based on holding back deforestation, factoring in avoided carbon dioxide emissions, is used for environmentally sound development.
Ghost towns in Spain. New housing estates have been abandoned due to the GFC. Youth unemployment is very high in Spain: 43%. For those aged 16 - 19 the rate is 64%. Young people are leaving Spain to seek employment elsewhere.
Spain had a very generous subsidy for solar power. That has just been cut. The energy companies were helping the government with the subsidies and the government now cannot pay them back.
In Japan, after the earthquake, radioactive water is being released into the sea as they are still trying to cool down the nuclear reactor.
17% of the worlds’ population is now Indian.
In the US, the majority of Republicans who are likely to vote in the primaries believe that Barack Obama was not born in the United States.
Refugees from Nth Africa are fleeing to Lampedusa, an Italian island closer to Africa than Italy, and the Italians aren’t happy. Berlusconi vowed to rid the island of immigrants. They are mostly men from Libya. So far this year 18,000 Nth African migrants have landed on the island of 5000 native inhabitants.
A story about a study in the lack of empathy (previously known as evil). Empathy can be tracked on a spectrum. We're all somewhere on the spectrum - hopefully not on the sociopath end.
A picture of a penis wins an Russian art prize. The winning group, which is endorsed by Banksy, painted a 65 meter penis on a drawbridge. When the bridge was raised the penis faced the local headquarters of the FSB (successor to the KGB). It’s like Jonah of Summer Heights High won an art prize!
A story about women leading the way in peace negotiations. Women have been involved in peace talks in Libya, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Rwanda, and now on the Ivory Coast. How? Women form grassroots groups, and work up to the leader’s wives and the leaders themselves. Local groups are best placed to bring about peace, so why do they need to apply to AU and UN to be permitted to participate in the peace talks, usually led by male bureaucrats, when it is more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in these modern conflicts? This ties into my last post about the fierce face of women.
Nature has rights. Bolivia is set to pass into law the rights of Mother Nature. They are establishing 11 new laws, under The Law of Mother Earth, which includes: the right to life and to exist, the right to continue vital cycles and processes free from human alteration, the right to pure water and clean air, the right to balance, the right not to be polluted and the right to not have cellular structure modified or genetically altered.
Wow. Go Bolivia!
If these were the kinds of news stories show on commercial tv, do you think we would be more fearful or less? More tolerant or less? More hopeful or less?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Awakening women: the fierce face of the feminine
http://awakeningwomen.com/2010/12/17/my-firts-tedx-talk-the-fierce-face-of-the-feminine/
Awakening women - the fierce face of the feminine.
This is the TEDx talk by Chameli Ardagh about claiming feminine rage to protect the children of the world.
Worth a look.
We know we feel like a lioness protecting her cubs when our own children are threatened, but what about other people's children? She's right when she says we often feel angry but hopeless when we think about how children are hurt when caught in political situations that are out of our control. Would reclaiming maternal rage help? It can't hurt.
Awakening women - the fierce face of the feminine.
This is the TEDx talk by Chameli Ardagh about claiming feminine rage to protect the children of the world.
Worth a look.
We know we feel like a lioness protecting her cubs when our own children are threatened, but what about other people's children? She's right when she says we often feel angry but hopeless when we think about how children are hurt when caught in political situations that are out of our control. Would reclaiming maternal rage help? It can't hurt.
Friday, April 15, 2011
The rhythm of the holidays
I've heard a few people talking lately about getting into the 'rhythm' of the holidays. If we have any rhythm, this is it.
I awake to the words 'Mum, wobble my tooth' and a child or two leaving my bed. I doze, trying to sleep in. Then awake to the sounds of a recorder, a clarinet and/or a whistle. Sometimes I awake to the sound of the children running their own dance school in the kitchen, and a fight about someone not following someone else's choreography.
I turn on the computer and start working on something I'm working on. Matilda might bring me a cup of tea. The Days of the Week songs for Senior Dance Group. I've learned Wednesday Girl by The Jet Sets and Thursday Morning by Giles, Giles and Fripp (a precursor to King Crimson). I conclude there is definitely a gap in the market for songs about Wednesday and Thursday. I'm also putting together a cookbook for school. A Fruit and Veg cookbook. It needs a snappy name (Zucchini Fettuccine?) but everything I suggest is declared lame by the kids. Actually, that's my only suggestion. And yes, my uni assignment - the major assignment of the course. Slowly slowly.
Then I realise we are supposed to be somewhere in half an hour, and we go into panic mode. Hang out the washing. Everybody have something to eat and get dressed. Off we go. I bring my uni notes with me. While we're out a child will break a shoe. On our way home we buy new shoes, which, when we get home the child will decide she doesn't like and we need to return the shoes to the shop the next day.
When we return I do some cleaning up, trying to get the girls to clean up too. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. We have tasks written on a schedule that rarely get done. I tell them, daily, that I need to implement pocket money so I can withhold it as punishment, a la The Brady Bunch, a language they understand. I tell them, daily, that I would charge them 10c each for every hair band and hair clip that I pick up. I'd make $3 a day. That's an annual holiday for me, right there.
They play on the trampoline, and I throw the ball around with Matilda and Clancy, and we shoot some hoops, because they've got into the netball team, which is a new activity for them. Or they do painting or a craft activity at the kitchen table. My proudest two hours of mothering have been when the children have been painting whilst listening to a poetry CD. They did that twice. When the CD ended they started fighting, but for those two one hours, I was very pleased with myself.
I make dinner. This week we're riffing on potatoes, with a salad plate or fruit plate. Before dinner, while the kids are watching tv, stretching, and doing the splits or high kicks, we all have a piece of chocolate. Fair trade organic chocolate, so I figure it's OK. We eat dinner and talk. Sometimes Clancy and Banjo change their hairstyles for dinner. Watching The Brady Bunch is the best thing to have happened to Clancy's hair - after years of tears trying to get out tangles she now brushes it every day. I might play some music I like - Nick Drake in colder weather. We talk about the day and the plans for tomorrow.
Food has revived the children, and Banjo wants to perform. A dance that requires the wearing of sequins. Actually, for Banjo, even helping with cooking requires the wearing of sequins. The children might wash. Then, after much to-ing and fro-ing, they're off the bed, with me reading a story, or singing jazz standards. Clancy likes to sing along, even if it is a song she hasn't heard before. Banjo likes to interrupt. I like to plough through the interruptions then remind Banjo how lucky she is to have a mother who can hold a tune. Some children's mothers are tone deaf! After all that, and about three rounds of goodnight kisses, they want to read in bed. Ok, for a little while.
Then I'm back to the computer and working on something I'm working on until they settle to sleep. Is that a rhythm?
We still haven't set up the elastics in the back yard (between the trampoline, the washing line and the tree), we haven't done any sewing (we were planning to make Clarice Bean tunics), we haven't had many playdates, we haven't been practising the times tables. Maybe I can add those notes to the tune next week.
I awake to the words 'Mum, wobble my tooth' and a child or two leaving my bed. I doze, trying to sleep in. Then awake to the sounds of a recorder, a clarinet and/or a whistle. Sometimes I awake to the sound of the children running their own dance school in the kitchen, and a fight about someone not following someone else's choreography.
I turn on the computer and start working on something I'm working on. Matilda might bring me a cup of tea. The Days of the Week songs for Senior Dance Group. I've learned Wednesday Girl by The Jet Sets and Thursday Morning by Giles, Giles and Fripp (a precursor to King Crimson). I conclude there is definitely a gap in the market for songs about Wednesday and Thursday. I'm also putting together a cookbook for school. A Fruit and Veg cookbook. It needs a snappy name (Zucchini Fettuccine?) but everything I suggest is declared lame by the kids. Actually, that's my only suggestion. And yes, my uni assignment - the major assignment of the course. Slowly slowly.
Then I realise we are supposed to be somewhere in half an hour, and we go into panic mode. Hang out the washing. Everybody have something to eat and get dressed. Off we go. I bring my uni notes with me. While we're out a child will break a shoe. On our way home we buy new shoes, which, when we get home the child will decide she doesn't like and we need to return the shoes to the shop the next day.
When we return I do some cleaning up, trying to get the girls to clean up too. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. We have tasks written on a schedule that rarely get done. I tell them, daily, that I need to implement pocket money so I can withhold it as punishment, a la The Brady Bunch, a language they understand. I tell them, daily, that I would charge them 10c each for every hair band and hair clip that I pick up. I'd make $3 a day. That's an annual holiday for me, right there.
They play on the trampoline, and I throw the ball around with Matilda and Clancy, and we shoot some hoops, because they've got into the netball team, which is a new activity for them. Or they do painting or a craft activity at the kitchen table. My proudest two hours of mothering have been when the children have been painting whilst listening to a poetry CD. They did that twice. When the CD ended they started fighting, but for those two one hours, I was very pleased with myself.
I make dinner. This week we're riffing on potatoes, with a salad plate or fruit plate. Before dinner, while the kids are watching tv, stretching, and doing the splits or high kicks, we all have a piece of chocolate. Fair trade organic chocolate, so I figure it's OK. We eat dinner and talk. Sometimes Clancy and Banjo change their hairstyles for dinner. Watching The Brady Bunch is the best thing to have happened to Clancy's hair - after years of tears trying to get out tangles she now brushes it every day. I might play some music I like - Nick Drake in colder weather. We talk about the day and the plans for tomorrow.
Food has revived the children, and Banjo wants to perform. A dance that requires the wearing of sequins. Actually, for Banjo, even helping with cooking requires the wearing of sequins. The children might wash. Then, after much to-ing and fro-ing, they're off the bed, with me reading a story, or singing jazz standards. Clancy likes to sing along, even if it is a song she hasn't heard before. Banjo likes to interrupt. I like to plough through the interruptions then remind Banjo how lucky she is to have a mother who can hold a tune. Some children's mothers are tone deaf! After all that, and about three rounds of goodnight kisses, they want to read in bed. Ok, for a little while.
Then I'm back to the computer and working on something I'm working on until they settle to sleep. Is that a rhythm?
We still haven't set up the elastics in the back yard (between the trampoline, the washing line and the tree), we haven't done any sewing (we were planning to make Clarice Bean tunics), we haven't had many playdates, we haven't been practising the times tables. Maybe I can add those notes to the tune next week.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Tween birthday - it gets easier
Matilda is turning eleven. She's a very sensible and capable girl. She doesn't see the need in accumulating lots of stuff. Last year for her birthday I took her to see Wicked. For Christmas we gave her a week of dance classes at a very good summer school.
I asked her what she wanted to do to celebrate her birthday. She said she wants her friends to ride their bikes to the park and have a picnic. Great. Then she organised it herself. I realised that I wouldn't be going to her birthday party. I asked if I should drop by to pick up any presents she might receive (although she told her friends she doesn't expect gifts), and she said OK. So I'll just pop by. We'll have a dinner of her choice on the day, and I'll make a cake of course, if she doesn't want to make it herself. And I'll book to take her to the ballet. She's a ballerina who has never seen a professional ballet production.
She's lovely. Bright and lovely. She's easy to be with. I can talk to her about big concepts, and I can trust her to do the right thing. She still holds my hand and wants to sit on my lap. If she has a bad dream she'll climb into my bed. She said she'll keep doing that after she turns eleven.
So, I'm thinking. When you have three kids under the age of five and are feeling frazzled, and people tell you that it gets easier, this is what they mean.
I asked her what she wanted to do to celebrate her birthday. She said she wants her friends to ride their bikes to the park and have a picnic. Great. Then she organised it herself. I realised that I wouldn't be going to her birthday party. I asked if I should drop by to pick up any presents she might receive (although she told her friends she doesn't expect gifts), and she said OK. So I'll just pop by. We'll have a dinner of her choice on the day, and I'll make a cake of course, if she doesn't want to make it herself. And I'll book to take her to the ballet. She's a ballerina who has never seen a professional ballet production.
She's lovely. Bright and lovely. She's easy to be with. I can talk to her about big concepts, and I can trust her to do the right thing. She still holds my hand and wants to sit on my lap. If she has a bad dream she'll climb into my bed. She said she'll keep doing that after she turns eleven.
So, I'm thinking. When you have three kids under the age of five and are feeling frazzled, and people tell you that it gets easier, this is what they mean.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Today I taught my children this:
Next time I suggest we go to the Art Gallery, they are to say: How about we stay home and make our own art instead? Or we can look at art books.
We'll all be happier...
We'll all be happier...
Judging parenting
A friend of mine recently had a big discussion on FB about him witnessing a mother hosing her small son with water after he ignored her repeated requests for him to come inside. The boy cried. It drew the usual range of comments. He asked for mine, but I missed the boat, so will comment here.
My friend doesn't have children himself, but he and his partner are planning to, so they talk about how they would like to raise their children, when they have them. While it is important to share values with your partner, in the day to day reality of living with children, those values aren't always front and centre in all your interactions. Parenting is confronting. You find yourself, and your partner, doing things you never imaged, just reacting in the moment, or just to get through the day. Living with children is more tiring (especially with ongoing disrupted sleep) and more frustrating than you can imagine.
I'm not prepared to judge that mother. Of course, it would have been lovely if she walked up to him, got down on his level, talked to him about what he was doing, turned the activity into a little lesson, and gently guided him back into the house. But we don't always have the time and inclination to do that. She may have just had a big talk with her son about co-operation and consequences. Maybe she's on the brink of divorce, or worried about money, or is sick herself. We don't know the circumstances.
This is what I do know.
1. Parenting advice keeps changing. What we believe now about raising children is likely to be unfashionable when our children are grown.
2. The way society is structured now is not the ideal way for parents and children. It isn't healthy and shouldn't be normal for a parent and child to be alone together all day. It takes a tribe. Families need more support.
3. The only response which is helpful is to try to understand, to offer support, to be compassionate, and to be kind.
My friend doesn't have children himself, but he and his partner are planning to, so they talk about how they would like to raise their children, when they have them. While it is important to share values with your partner, in the day to day reality of living with children, those values aren't always front and centre in all your interactions. Parenting is confronting. You find yourself, and your partner, doing things you never imaged, just reacting in the moment, or just to get through the day. Living with children is more tiring (especially with ongoing disrupted sleep) and more frustrating than you can imagine.
I'm not prepared to judge that mother. Of course, it would have been lovely if she walked up to him, got down on his level, talked to him about what he was doing, turned the activity into a little lesson, and gently guided him back into the house. But we don't always have the time and inclination to do that. She may have just had a big talk with her son about co-operation and consequences. Maybe she's on the brink of divorce, or worried about money, or is sick herself. We don't know the circumstances.
This is what I do know.
1. Parenting advice keeps changing. What we believe now about raising children is likely to be unfashionable when our children are grown.
2. The way society is structured now is not the ideal way for parents and children. It isn't healthy and shouldn't be normal for a parent and child to be alone together all day. It takes a tribe. Families need more support.
3. The only response which is helpful is to try to understand, to offer support, to be compassionate, and to be kind.
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Progressive social policies in Europe - cut
In the Mothers Movement we've been looking to the progressive social policies of Europe as a light to move towards. But now, with European countries feeling the pinch of the GFC (four countries- PIGS - have been bailed out) and tightening their belts, cost cutting means an end to these socially progressive policies.
In the UK these are the programs being cut from April 1st: educational support for teenagers, music therapy for those with severe learning disabilities, fewer probation workers, less support for young parents, refugee advice centres, domestic violence centres, HIV prevention schemes, help for women with PND, lollipop people at school crossings, work programs for the blind, debt advice services, funding for the arts, day centres for street drinkers, and fire stations are shutting. Still to come are changes to the welfare system, the NHS, housing benefits and police services. Libraries, nursing homes and respite centres are waiting hear how they will fare. As funding winds down youth clubs will close, charities will shut up shop, after school activities for school children will end and day care centres for the elderly will close. Cutting community programs for early intervention mean serious problems later. But, The Gaurdian Weekly reports, if you are well, in secure employment, have already been to university, and have no care responsibilities, you probably won't notice the cuts. Only the vulnerable will suffer - the poorest 10%. The people who will feel the pinch mostly are women and children and the socially isolated.
In France there were protests last year about raising the retirement age to 62. They can't afford to have so many people on a pension. Taxes are high at 45%, (only Belgium and Hungary have higher), the welfare system is still in place and the 35 hour working week remains, however, prices are high, unemployment is high and infrastructure is running down. Although France has officially avoided recession, its economy is slowly going downhill. Some are suggesting two main measures to help - more women in the workplace (losing the tax incentives to stay home with children), and reforming the welfare system.
I've been reading The Guardian Weekly lately - it is easy to carry and I like reading other perspectives (Australian newspapers are not what they could be). A growing trend I've noticed in European countries is the formalisation of anti-Muslim sentiment. There is Tea Party like trend in Europe too.
How will it all resolve? To quote TGW 'Britain is not alone in facing a hard choice between cuts, growth, debt and democracy.'
No mention about cuts to aid for developing nations,but that must be part of the plan.
In the UK these are the programs being cut from April 1st: educational support for teenagers, music therapy for those with severe learning disabilities, fewer probation workers, less support for young parents, refugee advice centres, domestic violence centres, HIV prevention schemes, help for women with PND, lollipop people at school crossings, work programs for the blind, debt advice services, funding for the arts, day centres for street drinkers, and fire stations are shutting. Still to come are changes to the welfare system, the NHS, housing benefits and police services. Libraries, nursing homes and respite centres are waiting hear how they will fare. As funding winds down youth clubs will close, charities will shut up shop, after school activities for school children will end and day care centres for the elderly will close. Cutting community programs for early intervention mean serious problems later. But, The Gaurdian Weekly reports, if you are well, in secure employment, have already been to university, and have no care responsibilities, you probably won't notice the cuts. Only the vulnerable will suffer - the poorest 10%. The people who will feel the pinch mostly are women and children and the socially isolated.
In France there were protests last year about raising the retirement age to 62. They can't afford to have so many people on a pension. Taxes are high at 45%, (only Belgium and Hungary have higher), the welfare system is still in place and the 35 hour working week remains, however, prices are high, unemployment is high and infrastructure is running down. Although France has officially avoided recession, its economy is slowly going downhill. Some are suggesting two main measures to help - more women in the workplace (losing the tax incentives to stay home with children), and reforming the welfare system.
I've been reading The Guardian Weekly lately - it is easy to carry and I like reading other perspectives (Australian newspapers are not what they could be). A growing trend I've noticed in European countries is the formalisation of anti-Muslim sentiment. There is Tea Party like trend in Europe too.
How will it all resolve? To quote TGW 'Britain is not alone in facing a hard choice between cuts, growth, debt and democracy.'
No mention about cuts to aid for developing nations,but that must be part of the plan.
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
Hope in humanity
I worked on the recent election day. I was one of those people who cross the names off in those big books. It was a long day, yes, but very pleasant. Everyone I worked with was lovely and we all worked together well. And all the people who came in to vote were lovely. Every time I looked up I noticed people with soft faces. Nobody was any trouble.
The other day I went to the Art Gallery to see Art Express - that's the exhibition of the top HSC art works. It was fantastic. I was really impressed with the breadth of knowledge the children draw from. It made me feel like there is hope in the future, that teenagers are smart and thoughtful and concerned about what is happening in the world, and that it might be quite satisfying for me to become a teacher.
I'm trying to hold onto this hope in humanity as we discuss, once again, and quite belatedly, putting a price on carbon, which we knew we must do years ago. I like to think we, in our household, live as if there is already a price on carbon, because we consider where things come from and where they go, and the embedded energy in everything. The whole story of climate change seems quite hopeless at times. We know our use of fossil fuels, which take millions of years for the Earth to make, is running out. We know we could invest in renewable energy. We know we make more waste and more pollution than we can sensibly dispose of, yet, yet, we just carry on as we've been going because it is convenient.
Must hold on to hope in humanity.
The other day I went to the Art Gallery to see Art Express - that's the exhibition of the top HSC art works. It was fantastic. I was really impressed with the breadth of knowledge the children draw from. It made me feel like there is hope in the future, that teenagers are smart and thoughtful and concerned about what is happening in the world, and that it might be quite satisfying for me to become a teacher.
I'm trying to hold onto this hope in humanity as we discuss, once again, and quite belatedly, putting a price on carbon, which we knew we must do years ago. I like to think we, in our household, live as if there is already a price on carbon, because we consider where things come from and where they go, and the embedded energy in everything. The whole story of climate change seems quite hopeless at times. We know our use of fossil fuels, which take millions of years for the Earth to make, is running out. We know we could invest in renewable energy. We know we make more waste and more pollution than we can sensibly dispose of, yet, yet, we just carry on as we've been going because it is convenient.
Must hold on to hope in humanity.
Education now
I'm half way through my first education subject, and everything is making sense. I can see how much education policy and practice has changed since I was at school.
The aim is to engage children as much as possible, and to cater for all types of learners. Appealing to all children is also a strategy to avoid disruptive behaviour. Teachers are expected to know each child well, to respect their individuality, take their backgrounds into account, and tailor a learning program whereby every child can have their needs met.
We know that people learn more by doing than by being told, so the idea is to have children actively engaged in their lessons. This means, in reality, lots of small group work, or co-operative learning. So, lots of talking with each other, as well as the teacher. Not a lot of the teacher standing out the front of the class addressing the students, and forget about the expectation that the classroom will mostly be a quiet place.
It also means children can contract their work, that is, they can choose between options, so they can write a song about the topic or make a map or explore and present the subject in a way which is meaningful to them. People learn by constructing their own meanings. Teachers plan for breadth (a means of learning that meets individual needs and interests) and for depth (offering tasks of higher order thinking for those who already grasp the facts and understand). This is what the Principal means when she allays parental fear about composite classes - all children are catered for anyway.
Socialisation is also a big component. Our society needs people who can get along with other people. If schools fail to socialise students then they are failing to equip students with skills for living.
Transparency is another component. Children know the consequences, what is expected of them, agree on the rules, know what is assessable, and the teaching program used by the teacher is known to the students.
All quite different from when I was a school student! For a teacher it means a lot of work, a lot of creativity and, hopefully, more satisfaction. From what I've seen so far, teachers are very generous with their ideas and are happy to help each other. Something to be grateful for.
The aim is to engage children as much as possible, and to cater for all types of learners. Appealing to all children is also a strategy to avoid disruptive behaviour. Teachers are expected to know each child well, to respect their individuality, take their backgrounds into account, and tailor a learning program whereby every child can have their needs met.
We know that people learn more by doing than by being told, so the idea is to have children actively engaged in their lessons. This means, in reality, lots of small group work, or co-operative learning. So, lots of talking with each other, as well as the teacher. Not a lot of the teacher standing out the front of the class addressing the students, and forget about the expectation that the classroom will mostly be a quiet place.
It also means children can contract their work, that is, they can choose between options, so they can write a song about the topic or make a map or explore and present the subject in a way which is meaningful to them. People learn by constructing their own meanings. Teachers plan for breadth (a means of learning that meets individual needs and interests) and for depth (offering tasks of higher order thinking for those who already grasp the facts and understand). This is what the Principal means when she allays parental fear about composite classes - all children are catered for anyway.
Socialisation is also a big component. Our society needs people who can get along with other people. If schools fail to socialise students then they are failing to equip students with skills for living.
Transparency is another component. Children know the consequences, what is expected of them, agree on the rules, know what is assessable, and the teaching program used by the teacher is known to the students.
All quite different from when I was a school student! For a teacher it means a lot of work, a lot of creativity and, hopefully, more satisfaction. From what I've seen so far, teachers are very generous with their ideas and are happy to help each other. Something to be grateful for.
Monday, April 04, 2011
What is the appeal of Dexter?
I watched the final episode of Dexter last night. It is a show I've been following - I follow a few: Mad Men, Breaking Bad. When I first had kids I was a big fan of Six Feet Under and Queer as Folk - it was good to have some adult themes to think about whilst pushing the kids on the swing at the park and doing the washing up. I only watch these series as they air on free to air tv - I'm not into viewing box sets - I don't have a block of time in which to do that. Perhaps I like to have something to look forward to on a weekly basis. Anyway, I've been a bit excited about Dexter.
What is it about the show that makes me toss and turn at night after watching, (aside from the early morning garbage truck?) and gives me so much to think about?
I suggest the narrative voice over is part of the appeal. Dexter is trying to fit into society. He is trying to do what is expected of him, even though he doesn't instinctively know. He needs to fit in so he doesn't draw attention to himself and arouse suspicion (he's a serial killer, but he only kills baddies). I think we are all like that, just not to the same extent. I'm sure all of us at some time have had people crying in front of us, or being angry, or doing things where we aren't sure if we should get involved or how we should react. Perhaps we often try to be kind, or helpful, or sociable, or attentive, when really we may not care. But the more that you do that, the more you learn to care. The series is kind of about learning to be caring.
The show is clever, well written, fast paced, and sometimes funny.
And it is a damn good argument for counselling. If every character who had experienced trauma had seen a counsellor, there would be no story!
If you watch Dexter, why do you like it?
What is it about the show that makes me toss and turn at night after watching, (aside from the early morning garbage truck?) and gives me so much to think about?
I suggest the narrative voice over is part of the appeal. Dexter is trying to fit into society. He is trying to do what is expected of him, even though he doesn't instinctively know. He needs to fit in so he doesn't draw attention to himself and arouse suspicion (he's a serial killer, but he only kills baddies). I think we are all like that, just not to the same extent. I'm sure all of us at some time have had people crying in front of us, or being angry, or doing things where we aren't sure if we should get involved or how we should react. Perhaps we often try to be kind, or helpful, or sociable, or attentive, when really we may not care. But the more that you do that, the more you learn to care. The series is kind of about learning to be caring.
The show is clever, well written, fast paced, and sometimes funny.
And it is a damn good argument for counselling. If every character who had experienced trauma had seen a counsellor, there would be no story!
If you watch Dexter, why do you like it?
A glimpse into someone's else life
On the weekend Matilda and Clancy went away to camp. We were home with just Banjo.
So quiet. So peaceful.
I caught up with my uni study, did some cleaning, and cooking. Had a nap. Banjo had one on one time with her dad (he took her out so I could study) and I got to look into her little face and listen to her, uninterrupted.
She, however, was a bit sad and lost without her sisters. She kept saying "I thought I heard Matilda playing her clarinet' or 'I thought I saw Clancy running past' and she even wistfully walked around calling their names. At one point she said, 'I think Matilda just sent me a kiss'. She played teachers on her own for a while before stating we needed to invite another child over because she didn't like playing on her own. And she wouldn't go to bed in her room because it was too lonely. She even planned a surprise party for her sisters' return.
So, I feel like I've had a little glimpse into the life of someone who has one child and lives a much quieter life than I.
It didn't take long for us to return to normal.
So quiet. So peaceful.
I caught up with my uni study, did some cleaning, and cooking. Had a nap. Banjo had one on one time with her dad (he took her out so I could study) and I got to look into her little face and listen to her, uninterrupted.
She, however, was a bit sad and lost without her sisters. She kept saying "I thought I heard Matilda playing her clarinet' or 'I thought I saw Clancy running past' and she even wistfully walked around calling their names. At one point she said, 'I think Matilda just sent me a kiss'. She played teachers on her own for a while before stating we needed to invite another child over because she didn't like playing on her own. And she wouldn't go to bed in her room because it was too lonely. She even planned a surprise party for her sisters' return.
So, I feel like I've had a little glimpse into the life of someone who has one child and lives a much quieter life than I.
It didn't take long for us to return to normal.
Friday, April 01, 2011
Responsibility for performance
As I've said, I'm doing research on an Australian theatre director and acting teacher, Lindy Davies. This is what she teaches (from her website):
The Autonomous Actor
An actor who is self governing, an actor who has a unique vision of performance; a strong sense of responsibility; an actor who questions and gives suggestions; an actor in pursuit of virtuosity: working rigorously, imaginatively, conceptually and physically.
An actor who is prepared to take responsibility for the material they choose to work with, by challenging writers if there is a lack of quality, by challenging content that is racist, sexist or ageist.
An actor who is prepared to look at the implications of what something does, rather than only looking at what something says.
An actor who is willing to look at the political implications of belonging to a profession which is shaping the perception of following generations.
You can see why I love her.
With this in mind I watched Tim Minchen perform with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra last week. I was wondering if some members of the orchestra were uncomfortable with the content of the material and would rather not be associated with the work. Fortunately, I know someone in the orchestra, so I asked. The answer is that the members of the orchestra are given the opportunity to step away from a performance they feel uncomfortable playing in. Good news.
I wonder, then, about the chain of responsibility for all sorts of work that becomes part of the media or part of our culture. For example, the content of magazines. The issue of French Vogue, for example, which contained a photo story of female children heavily made up and dressed in adult type clothing and jewellery. From the idea being put forward at a meeting, all the people who helped organise the shoot, the children themselves and their parents, the photographers and stylists, the printers, the newsagents. Did nobody along that chain ask any questions about whether maybe it isn't a good idea afterall? The same can be applied to a range of advertisements, songs, music videos - the list could go on.
My niece is now looking into gaining a cadetship with Pacific Magazines. She could be writing content for Who, or Total Girl. I wonder if she will have any real input in questioning the messages to women and girls about themselves. We'll see. Maybe she'll get to be editor and have some power, but, in the meantime, just learn the ropes and do as she's told. Like everyone else along those chains.
The Autonomous Actor
An actor who is self governing, an actor who has a unique vision of performance; a strong sense of responsibility; an actor who questions and gives suggestions; an actor in pursuit of virtuosity: working rigorously, imaginatively, conceptually and physically.
An actor who is prepared to take responsibility for the material they choose to work with, by challenging writers if there is a lack of quality, by challenging content that is racist, sexist or ageist.
An actor who is prepared to look at the implications of what something does, rather than only looking at what something says.
An actor who is willing to look at the political implications of belonging to a profession which is shaping the perception of following generations.
You can see why I love her.
With this in mind I watched Tim Minchen perform with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra last week. I was wondering if some members of the orchestra were uncomfortable with the content of the material and would rather not be associated with the work. Fortunately, I know someone in the orchestra, so I asked. The answer is that the members of the orchestra are given the opportunity to step away from a performance they feel uncomfortable playing in. Good news.
I wonder, then, about the chain of responsibility for all sorts of work that becomes part of the media or part of our culture. For example, the content of magazines. The issue of French Vogue, for example, which contained a photo story of female children heavily made up and dressed in adult type clothing and jewellery. From the idea being put forward at a meeting, all the people who helped organise the shoot, the children themselves and their parents, the photographers and stylists, the printers, the newsagents. Did nobody along that chain ask any questions about whether maybe it isn't a good idea afterall? The same can be applied to a range of advertisements, songs, music videos - the list could go on.
My niece is now looking into gaining a cadetship with Pacific Magazines. She could be writing content for Who, or Total Girl. I wonder if she will have any real input in questioning the messages to women and girls about themselves. We'll see. Maybe she'll get to be editor and have some power, but, in the meantime, just learn the ropes and do as she's told. Like everyone else along those chains.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Unlocking the nit code
Banjo's teacher this year is right onto the treating of nits. After the note went out, he followed up by talking to parents, and asking the kids whether they were being checked and /or treated.
The reason? He has dreadlocks.
So, I reckon that is the key. What we need in the public school system is more teachers with dreads!
The reason? He has dreadlocks.
So, I reckon that is the key. What we need in the public school system is more teachers with dreads!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Slutwalk
This from MIRCI at York Uni.
On January 24, 2011, during an on-campus safety forum held at Osgoode Hall Law School to discuss recent attacks on women at York University, Toronto Police Const. Michael Sanguinetti explained that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized."
He later apologized, saying he was "embarrassed" by his remarks.
There will be a protest called Slutwalk at York Uni on April 3rd.
Meanwhile, protesters in Australia carry posters calling our Prime Minister 'Bob Brown's Bitch'(Ok, so I put in the apostrophe) and in Libya a woman who claims to have been raped by 15 Gaddafi militiamen is being taken to court for defamation.
A few years ago the NSW Police Commissioner stated that women are fundamentally disrespected in our society.
Do we wait for sexism to die out with the men who believe women have no rights, or do we educate people every chance we get?
On January 24, 2011, during an on-campus safety forum held at Osgoode Hall Law School to discuss recent attacks on women at York University, Toronto Police Const. Michael Sanguinetti explained that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized."
He later apologized, saying he was "embarrassed" by his remarks.
There will be a protest called Slutwalk at York Uni on April 3rd.
Meanwhile, protesters in Australia carry posters calling our Prime Minister 'Bob Brown's Bitch'(Ok, so I put in the apostrophe) and in Libya a woman who claims to have been raped by 15 Gaddafi militiamen is being taken to court for defamation.
A few years ago the NSW Police Commissioner stated that women are fundamentally disrespected in our society.
Do we wait for sexism to die out with the men who believe women have no rights, or do we educate people every chance we get?
Monday, March 28, 2011
Lets look at the reporting of a family tragedy
Yes, it is a family tragedy that a father, upset at losing custody of his children after divorce, threw his daughter over a bridge to her death. But lets look at how this is reported in The Age.
The descriptions:
The father, who, in other circumstances, could be seen as an artist or businessman or tradesman or any sort of normal man. He could be any of a number of the dads at school.
In the dock sat a man of distinctive appearance with long, unkempt hair surrounding his bald crown, in the middle of which stood a small tuft of unruly strands, like a cockatoo's crest.
His deep-set eyes sat below a large forehead etched with two v-shaped lines, gave him a look of permanent puzzlement.
In other circumstances, an on-looker might think of him as homeless, had he not have been decked out in a suit and tie each day.
To the prosecutor, Freeman's presentation suggested a "Rasputin-like appearance of a mad monk."
The daughter - a normal kid. And I'm not suggesting any child deserves to be hurt - of course she was innocent. I'm just noting the description as angelic. She was actually a normal child.
DARCEY Iris Freeman looks as angelic as she does innocent in the photographs her family released to the media in the wake of her death.
She has her mother's button nose and her father's fair hair. She has a cheeky, mischievous twinkle in her eyes that most four-year-olds possess.
The mother - a normal, overweight, nothing describing her clothes or hair, mother:
The tall, kind-looking, motherly figure shot only momentary glances at her ex-husband from the witness box, as she told the court she did not want to miss her daughter's first day of school.
She is a motherly-figure, not a mother.
Objective reporting? No. Demons and angels. Way to go The Age.
Points, though, for ending the story with ways people can seek help and support, and Anne Hollands for this:
To assess any risks or problems, we need to have services available very early on, to screen for these problems. The services that support families have suffered cutbacks in the last federal budget and those cuts are coming in from July 1. To screen at-risk families, to create links with courts and police, there must be continued government investment in these services. Access to counselling should be universally available, and it needs to happen long before people get to court.
Systems must be in place. Systems funded by government.
The descriptions:
The father, who, in other circumstances, could be seen as an artist or businessman or tradesman or any sort of normal man. He could be any of a number of the dads at school.
In the dock sat a man of distinctive appearance with long, unkempt hair surrounding his bald crown, in the middle of which stood a small tuft of unruly strands, like a cockatoo's crest.
His deep-set eyes sat below a large forehead etched with two v-shaped lines, gave him a look of permanent puzzlement.
In other circumstances, an on-looker might think of him as homeless, had he not have been decked out in a suit and tie each day.
To the prosecutor, Freeman's presentation suggested a "Rasputin-like appearance of a mad monk."
The daughter - a normal kid. And I'm not suggesting any child deserves to be hurt - of course she was innocent. I'm just noting the description as angelic. She was actually a normal child.
DARCEY Iris Freeman looks as angelic as she does innocent in the photographs her family released to the media in the wake of her death.
She has her mother's button nose and her father's fair hair. She has a cheeky, mischievous twinkle in her eyes that most four-year-olds possess.
The mother - a normal, overweight, nothing describing her clothes or hair, mother:
The tall, kind-looking, motherly figure shot only momentary glances at her ex-husband from the witness box, as she told the court she did not want to miss her daughter's first day of school.
She is a motherly-figure, not a mother.
Objective reporting? No. Demons and angels. Way to go The Age.
Points, though, for ending the story with ways people can seek help and support, and Anne Hollands for this:
To assess any risks or problems, we need to have services available very early on, to screen for these problems. The services that support families have suffered cutbacks in the last federal budget and those cuts are coming in from July 1. To screen at-risk families, to create links with courts and police, there must be continued government investment in these services. Access to counselling should be universally available, and it needs to happen long before people get to court.
Systems must be in place. Systems funded by government.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Talking about mothering in the UK
Remember I mentioned earlier a new book called Shattered: Modern Motherhood And The Illusion Of Equality, by Rebecca Asher?
Well, The Guardian have a run a piece promoting the book, and boy, has it gathered a lot of comment!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/mar/26/modern-mother-equality-illusion
The comments cover the usual ground: count yourself lucky you can have a baby, you made your bed now lie in it, they do families better in Europe because of gov't policy, they do families better in developing countries because families live together and mums aren't isolated (and domestic labour is cheap), this is a personal matter and men and women need to communicate better, it is all about working life - we need more flexibility, it is the fault of feminism for making women think they can have a career and be mothers when really you can't have it all (unless you are a man), and plenty of people identifying with the problems the author describes.
The important point is that the conversation is happening. Keep it going.
Well, The Guardian have a run a piece promoting the book, and boy, has it gathered a lot of comment!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/mar/26/modern-mother-equality-illusion
The comments cover the usual ground: count yourself lucky you can have a baby, you made your bed now lie in it, they do families better in Europe because of gov't policy, they do families better in developing countries because families live together and mums aren't isolated (and domestic labour is cheap), this is a personal matter and men and women need to communicate better, it is all about working life - we need more flexibility, it is the fault of feminism for making women think they can have a career and be mothers when really you can't have it all (unless you are a man), and plenty of people identifying with the problems the author describes.
The important point is that the conversation is happening. Keep it going.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
More on theatre directors
(that may be a play on words...)
I’m doing a study on the director and performance consultant Lindy Davies. I attended acting workshops with Lindy in the early 1990s - I still remember what she taught me, and it influenced my acting, and expectations for theatre performance. Apparently Cate Blanchett still applies Lindy’s methods (I saw the NIDA production of Electra where Lindy directed Cate.) Lindy was head of drama at VCA 1995 - 2007, and instigated a program of performance based on principles of artistic autonomy, collaboration, egolessness, asking what theatre can be, what is the meaning of the piece, what does it do? I love Lindy.
I must admit I’ve been out of the theatre scene for some time. Since having children I’ve only really attended productions that my friends have been involved in. And local musical theatre productions. When I returned to Sydney after studying in the country, I saw Barry Kosky’s production of Tartuffe for STC and thought WTF?? I then saw his direction of NIDA students. It turned me off Sydney theatre - I didn’t want to be spending the little money I had on seeing productions where the actors probably had not idea why they were doing what they were doing. So, I have some catching up to do.
I’m interested to track the influence of Lindy’s work. Graduates from VCA work together - they share a language and aesthetic. It seems independent theatre in Melbourne flourishes as a reaction against the conservatism of MTC, but in Sydney the avant-garde is embraced into the mainstream.
Simon Stone, aged 26, is a graduate of VCA and is being acclaimed as a bright young thing of theatre. He is now Belvoir Street’s resident director.
This is from an interview he did with Arts Hub.
I worked as an actor in film and television quite regularly in my first year out of high school, then I went to the Victorian College of the Arts. While at the VCA I developed all the creative partnerships that constitute the fabric of The Hayloft Project. We started at school the same investigations that we are now conducting – we are trying with each project to get closer to what makes theatre a unique form, irreplaceable, magical, overwhelming. The teachers at the VCA created an almost utopian environment in which this was our complete focus. The school has often been criticised for being out of touch, for not preparing its actors for the industry’s conditions adequately, but this is precisely what I cherished – it is a theatre laboratory, pushing the form’s boundaries, testing its limits, not a preparatory school for a rather paltry film and TV industry. The VCA, for this very reason, is largely responsible for the current renaissance in independent theatre in Melbourne.
In an interview with SMH, he boasts how many films he has watched as if it is an achievement. A tangent, I know, but it just makes me glad he wasn’t my flatmate. Also, off track, it bothers me that people are so proud of having watched a DVD box set of a tv series. It isn’t as it you made the shows. You sat on your lounge and watched. Not really an achievement. Anyway.
He is interested in directing new plays and rewriting classics. His production of The Wild Duck, based on Ibsen, is finishing at Belvoir on the weekend. His next one will include a naked cast. Not sure why.
He started the Hayloft Project in Melbourne. He states on its FB page that theatre must be its own medium - it isn’t film or tv - so why does he mic his actors and present them in a box?
Benedict Andrews is another hot young director. He studied at Flinders, was resident director of STC 2000 -2003, has won awards and regularly works in Europe.
RealTime Arts says
Benedict Andrews is one of those rarities among Australian theatre directors, an artist with style (a hated term in this country but it's vitally about the honing and perfecting of an idiosyncratic theatrical language) and vision (a persistent and personal working through of a set of significant questions).
http://www.realtimearts.net/feature/Archive_Highlights/9892
See here for collected information about Benedict Andrews and reviews of his work.
I saw his production of Measure for Measure at Belvoir. And yes, it is a difficult play, due to the plot. Benedict Andrews set it in a world where porn is the norm. All actors use the toilet. Faeces splattered all over the stage. Masturbation. Set in a rotating room, actors filming, with video screens by the set. I didn’t enjoy it. Did any women?
Can’t we have a more positive vision? I don’t need to look far to see the vision he is presenting me with here. Women clean up the shit. Women are being degrading in my own culture - I see it everyday. Voyeurism of reality tv. Yes, I get it. I don’t have to like it.
It is great that these directors are being mentored and given opportunities. Neil Armfiled and Robin Nevin have been particularly helpful. Young directors do need support.
However, I need to ask, is their work about branding, a la Kosky? Is the avant-garde about being blokey and puerile and voyeuristic? Are they trying to appeal to a Big Brother audience? Are they trying to put bums on seats by appealing to tv audiences?
Is it OK to not like the work of these directors?
And, once gain, where are the women?
I’m not saying that theatre should be staid and conventional and traditional. I just want it to be something other than what these guys are giving us. Something else. Innovation doesn’t have to be nasty and sensationalist for the sake of sensation. Or is there something gong on here, that I'm just not getting?
I need to see more theatre.
Meanwhile, back to my essay.
I’m doing a study on the director and performance consultant Lindy Davies. I attended acting workshops with Lindy in the early 1990s - I still remember what she taught me, and it influenced my acting, and expectations for theatre performance. Apparently Cate Blanchett still applies Lindy’s methods (I saw the NIDA production of Electra where Lindy directed Cate.) Lindy was head of drama at VCA 1995 - 2007, and instigated a program of performance based on principles of artistic autonomy, collaboration, egolessness, asking what theatre can be, what is the meaning of the piece, what does it do? I love Lindy.
I must admit I’ve been out of the theatre scene for some time. Since having children I’ve only really attended productions that my friends have been involved in. And local musical theatre productions. When I returned to Sydney after studying in the country, I saw Barry Kosky’s production of Tartuffe for STC and thought WTF?? I then saw his direction of NIDA students. It turned me off Sydney theatre - I didn’t want to be spending the little money I had on seeing productions where the actors probably had not idea why they were doing what they were doing. So, I have some catching up to do.
I’m interested to track the influence of Lindy’s work. Graduates from VCA work together - they share a language and aesthetic. It seems independent theatre in Melbourne flourishes as a reaction against the conservatism of MTC, but in Sydney the avant-garde is embraced into the mainstream.
Simon Stone, aged 26, is a graduate of VCA and is being acclaimed as a bright young thing of theatre. He is now Belvoir Street’s resident director.
This is from an interview he did with Arts Hub.
I worked as an actor in film and television quite regularly in my first year out of high school, then I went to the Victorian College of the Arts. While at the VCA I developed all the creative partnerships that constitute the fabric of The Hayloft Project. We started at school the same investigations that we are now conducting – we are trying with each project to get closer to what makes theatre a unique form, irreplaceable, magical, overwhelming. The teachers at the VCA created an almost utopian environment in which this was our complete focus. The school has often been criticised for being out of touch, for not preparing its actors for the industry’s conditions adequately, but this is precisely what I cherished – it is a theatre laboratory, pushing the form’s boundaries, testing its limits, not a preparatory school for a rather paltry film and TV industry. The VCA, for this very reason, is largely responsible for the current renaissance in independent theatre in Melbourne.
In an interview with SMH, he boasts how many films he has watched as if it is an achievement. A tangent, I know, but it just makes me glad he wasn’t my flatmate. Also, off track, it bothers me that people are so proud of having watched a DVD box set of a tv series. It isn’t as it you made the shows. You sat on your lounge and watched. Not really an achievement. Anyway.
He is interested in directing new plays and rewriting classics. His production of The Wild Duck, based on Ibsen, is finishing at Belvoir on the weekend. His next one will include a naked cast. Not sure why.
He started the Hayloft Project in Melbourne. He states on its FB page that theatre must be its own medium - it isn’t film or tv - so why does he mic his actors and present them in a box?
Benedict Andrews is another hot young director. He studied at Flinders, was resident director of STC 2000 -2003, has won awards and regularly works in Europe.
RealTime Arts says
Benedict Andrews is one of those rarities among Australian theatre directors, an artist with style (a hated term in this country but it's vitally about the honing and perfecting of an idiosyncratic theatrical language) and vision (a persistent and personal working through of a set of significant questions).
http://www.realtimearts.net/feature/Archive_Highlights/9892
See here for collected information about Benedict Andrews and reviews of his work.
I saw his production of Measure for Measure at Belvoir. And yes, it is a difficult play, due to the plot. Benedict Andrews set it in a world where porn is the norm. All actors use the toilet. Faeces splattered all over the stage. Masturbation. Set in a rotating room, actors filming, with video screens by the set. I didn’t enjoy it. Did any women?
Can’t we have a more positive vision? I don’t need to look far to see the vision he is presenting me with here. Women clean up the shit. Women are being degrading in my own culture - I see it everyday. Voyeurism of reality tv. Yes, I get it. I don’t have to like it.
It is great that these directors are being mentored and given opportunities. Neil Armfiled and Robin Nevin have been particularly helpful. Young directors do need support.
However, I need to ask, is their work about branding, a la Kosky? Is the avant-garde about being blokey and puerile and voyeuristic? Are they trying to appeal to a Big Brother audience? Are they trying to put bums on seats by appealing to tv audiences?
Is it OK to not like the work of these directors?
And, once gain, where are the women?
I’m not saying that theatre should be staid and conventional and traditional. I just want it to be something other than what these guys are giving us. Something else. Innovation doesn’t have to be nasty and sensationalist for the sake of sensation. Or is there something gong on here, that I'm just not getting?
I need to see more theatre.
Meanwhile, back to my essay.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Right 2 Childhood Conference
http://www.right2childhood.com.au/
A few organisations that lobby to protect children have got together to present this day of talks about children and the media and our present culture. It is being held in Sydney on Friday April 29th. The main names in the field will be there - Stephen Biddulph, Maggie Hamilton, Julie Gale, Emma Rush, Wayne Warburton, Joe Tucci, Richard Eckersley, Melinda Tankard Reist, as well a Nina Funnell.
I might send this info on to the school Principal, to see if she'd like to send someone from school to the conference.
I attended a similar conference last year - it was really interesting, and good to mix with the other attendees - just interesting to see who attended.
I made notes here.
http://motherhugger.blogspot.com/2010/03/gorwing-up-fast-and-furious-conerence.html
A few organisations that lobby to protect children have got together to present this day of talks about children and the media and our present culture. It is being held in Sydney on Friday April 29th. The main names in the field will be there - Stephen Biddulph, Maggie Hamilton, Julie Gale, Emma Rush, Wayne Warburton, Joe Tucci, Richard Eckersley, Melinda Tankard Reist, as well a Nina Funnell.
I might send this info on to the school Principal, to see if she'd like to send someone from school to the conference.
I attended a similar conference last year - it was really interesting, and good to mix with the other attendees - just interesting to see who attended.
I made notes here.
http://motherhugger.blogspot.com/2010/03/gorwing-up-fast-and-furious-conerence.html
Female directors
Yesterday I posted a question to my online Theatre Studies class about the crop of acclaimed young (male) directors who include lots of shit and masturbation and porn in their productions. I'm talking Barrie Kosky and Benedict Andrews here. I asked whether women actually like these production, because I don't, and where are the acclaimed female directors? It seems to me these (male) directors are boys with toys - their vision is blokey and puerile. Base. Sensationalist. Are they really bringing something exciting to the world of theatre or is the Emperor wearing no clothes?
Today there is a piece in the SMH about theatre and film director Gale Edwards. Here's a snippet.
''But I've pursued the idea of being an artist my whole life to the detriment of having a home, having a family, having kids. All of which I regret but none of which I noticed at the time.
''I didn't wake up and make a decision not to get married and not to have children. I was working. I was privileged because the next thing would be offered. I was a bit like a cowboy - I wanted to go over the prairie and see what was on the other side.''
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/fresh-start-blows-gales-way-20110311-1bq0n.html
Once again. Motherhood and a creative life. Incompatible.
Today there is a piece in the SMH about theatre and film director Gale Edwards. Here's a snippet.
''But I've pursued the idea of being an artist my whole life to the detriment of having a home, having a family, having kids. All of which I regret but none of which I noticed at the time.
''I didn't wake up and make a decision not to get married and not to have children. I was working. I was privileged because the next thing would be offered. I was a bit like a cowboy - I wanted to go over the prairie and see what was on the other side.''
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/fresh-start-blows-gales-way-20110311-1bq0n.html
Once again. Motherhood and a creative life. Incompatible.
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