We had a barnstorming weekend. Really very good, and although a bit by the seat of our pants, we more than got away with it. Very good spirit among everyone. ‘C Words: where are we going?’ worked pretty well. Difficult to really reflect and evaluate when it’s all still so recent, but the discussions were meaningful and gave us lots of useful points to use when we do our critique in earnest… The Auction of late-Capitalist artefacts was absolutely hilarious and somehow completely dodgy while being brilliant (ie, a fantastically complex event). It raised £200 towards supporting activists in Copenhagen. We are thinking that it should go towards legal support for Global South activists.
The Benefit Night/C Words Party for the Tar Sands had a great vibe to it. Lots of good acts – Moussa (Kora player extraordinaire), Good Clean Fun (Charlie Kronick/Lorne Stockman). Gary Anderson (with Institute for the Art & Practice of Dissent at Home), Aidan Jolly, Tracey Zengeni, Kooj Chuhan (Virtual Migrants), Simon Murray & Dorothea Smartt (African Writers Abroad) performed their commissioned poems, alongside other poets…Bristol Feral Choir.
Many many highlights. It raised £230 which, given that many of our networks are impoverished activists and artists is pretty good!
We are now clearing up. The side galleries are empty… The main gallery’s wooden walls have been dismantled, the tent gone, the quadricycle gone, boat gone, the great heap of wood all de-nailed by a great gang of bike activists and about to be picked up by Bristol Wood Recycling project… and the Walking Forest trees are to be moved temporarily to the boat before 20 or them are planted out on Sat 5th as part of a a nation-wide tree-planting day. James and I will stay in Bristol til Sunday, winding down from this epic experience…
Arnolfini seem pretty happy. We’re happy.
All good.
All come out in the wash.
Some last culture-clash moments of course – a swarm of self-managing anarcho-de-nailers who helped us denail in record time caused a lot of anxiety to technicians worried about hard hats, gloves, splinters etc… But this storm too passed.