Thrive

I highly recommend watching this movie (free download), it is long, but you can pause, and continue later, the movie remembers where you paused (scary eh!). It is a very slik movie, comes across as a bit evangelical in style, but I recommend you allow yourself to get passed that and look at the content and make up your own mind. I met someone in France 2 weeks ago who has invented a devise that makes free, pollution free, energy. Can you begin to imagine the consequences of that for our lives, our environment, everyone and everything!

THRIVE: What On Earth Will It Take?
www.thrivemovement.com

Visit www.thrivemovement.com for more information on THRIVE. THRIVE uses the Yekra player technology.  See www.yekra.com for more information.

Sympathic vibrations

‘Bouzouki’ Orhan Osman and the Amsterdam Klezmer band. A great cross cultural concert in Rotterdam, Holland. My soul laps up the sympathic vibrations of traditional EU/Dutch music, of just walking around old cities, of the myriad of languages, of the (re) connections family and friends. It is so important to me as it makes me whole. As a globalite I know I need to travel from time to time to the many places and people I love. There will never be one place that will fully equate to a sense of 'home' as for me home is in so many localitie with so many people that live in as many places. Owning an airline would help :).

The following research into an inclusive art educational methodology was published in February 2012.
Please click here to go to the Ako Aotearoa wbsite where the findings are published in downloadable PDF format.
http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/ako-hub/ako-aotearoa-central-hub/resources/baaijens-art-education

2011

Ceiling decoration, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul.

Ok, so I decided that this is going to be a year for developing meaningful loving connections and invigorating life-enhancing expansions of the best possible degree.

To Christmas or not to Christmas, that is the question.

Somehow Christmas triggers experiences of utter disconnection in me.
Possibly because it is a time set aside for, among many things, the coming together of people.
A time of year I feel disconnected from everything and everyone more than at any other time. It is a life-long experience, cyclical in nature, tuned in with the coming and going of seasons, solstices, years, birthdays. A sacred season turned silly season by cultures that have lost the skill of marking time (rituals). Hallow times of being have turned into hollow and shallow times of doing. I long for a change and right there, in that moment of longing hits the experience of disconnection. I look at the communities around me, what people say and do, what they don't say and don't do and what I would like to do. Contemporary Christmas seems to scatter any notion of community. "What is it that you want?" you will no doubt wonder. A sense of being connected is all I want for Christmas, as such a sense will bring with it peace, inner peace and world peace.

Till then I will be riding out the tidal wave of the silly season.

To give you a glimpse of what my sense of connection could be I have enclosed a video clip I found this morning.
I like the story told in the last minute of this video.
May peace be with you.


Neva Murtha, somewhere off the coast of Canada.
By Charisse Baker, copied as per creative commons.

The gift of giving.

Sometime it can be hard to let in unconditional love.
In that case you can choose to give unconditional love instead,
because as you give unconditional love it will flow through you first.
As it flows through you it will nurture and recharge you as well as the receiver.
-Marcel Baaijens

A Blur of energy, Istanbul, Turkey.

Art and Intellectual Disabilities Syurvey

Click here to take survey
Please click on the link above if you want to participate in this survey.
To qualify you need to be working in an art educational capacity with people with intellectual disabilities.
The survey closes 30 November 2010.
Please pass this on to anyone you know that may be interested, anywhere in the world.
Many thanks, Marcel

Sounds of Silence

Old fashioned drafting.

It has been quiet on my blog, little to say, little time to post and my camera died, so no new images to share. Bogged down in survival mode, resettling back in New Zealand for the last 18 months and battling bureaucracy of the city while trying to get building permission for a small eco house on a tricky site. I am still working on my film in the little spare time I have.

It does not mean I achieved little. I have grown in my new job as a mentor at The Learning Connexion, a private tertiary art school, the largest art school in New Zealand. It is through this school I am returning to a line of work that I am very passionate about; facilitating the creative process, specially for people with intellectual disabilities. I have received a research grant and I am determined to make tertiary art education accessible for this population. But first... a well deserved and much needed break, a trip to Europe that will be a family visit, a holiday and research combined. I will visit The Netherlands, France, Portugal and Spain and visit a few art centres for artists with intellectual disabilities. I look forward to being creative again myself, dip my toes in the ocean and experience different cultures.

Time for new horizons and enjoying my new camera.

Day 20: Rosa goes to Mardi Gras 2010 (part 1)

I never 'do drag'! I don't feel comfortable dressing in women’s clothes because... I learned from an early age that being feminine or gay and feminine was not acceptable in a hetero sexual society, even today in male gay circles it is often frowned upon.
Doing drag has therefore become a big deal for me, conditioned out of me to such an extent that I feel I can't do it even if I wished to. Going in drag feels like a bad dream in which you suddenly realise you are not wearing any clothes in public!

So I gave myself the challenge to 'do' drag. First in a semi-private and 'safe' environment at the dress-up Christmas party at work, I took on 'Rosa', a cleaning lady as my character. I was nervous beyond belief. Afterwards I realised how liberating it was, but not liberating enough. It was only a first step in claiming back the power that I had lost by being fearful in many homophobic situations throughout my life.

With this first challenge completed it was time to take the next step: taking part in drag, in public, in the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade in Sydney, Australia AND fly there... in drag.

Thank God Air NZ put on a Pink Flight from Auckland to Sydney, not much of a challenge you may think, but... internal fear was still overwhelming. I made a doll, mini Rosa, as a 'stand-in' for Rosa on the domestic flight from Wellington to Auckland as I expected it to be an ordinary flight. Taking a dressed-up doll through check-in and on a 'normal flight' was in itself a challenge. Feel the fear and do it anyway I reminded myself again and again. I filmed the trip myself, producing plenty of shaky footage, but it is the proof that I did it. I am done now with the challenge, no longer carry the fear, I have claimed back the power I lost and feel soooo much better and stronger for it.

Part 2 featuring Rosa and Mini Rosa walking in the Parade and interacting with a 300.000 strong audience, clowning around as a cleaning lady removing 99.9% of all historical homophobia, in the crowd and of course myself will follow.

Big thanks to Air New Zealand for creating the Pink Flight with all its trimmings, and special thanks for the drag queens who escorted the passengers, you were my guardian angels. You were all fabulous! XXX.

Day 19: heard my favorite music, live in Wellington.

Delighted to discover that there is a band playing my favorite music right here in Wellington. Looing forward to work with them, yay!

day 18: New Buddha Statue

I am not religeous, but I do like Buddhism a lot, as a phylosophy and I love Buddha statues. I recently bought this one for my outdoor space, it is rather large, the size I had been looking for for a long time. It was intended as an ornament and as a reminder of wonderful times spent among Tibetans, Tibetan monks and their monasteries. Someone once said to me, where ever there is an image of Buddha, Buddha energy will be present. Kind of odd as apparently Buddha never wanted any imagery of himself made for worship purposes. The first images that represented Buddha were symbols. Human shaped Buddha's came much later and probably Buddha looked nothing like that at all.

Yet, since I have this statue facing my cottage, I feel much better, a kind of peace that subtly seems to radiate from the statue. It is not a precious statue at all, just a lump of mortar shaped by a mould. It has not been blessed in any way, yet I feel it very different than the other statue besides it. I am really happy with this Buddha statue, surprisingly so. Maybe it is all in my amagination, but hey, my imagination is as much part of me as any other part. Maybe the mystery will reveal itself one day, in the mean time I will enjoy its presence. The landlord's dog Piper seems to agree and happily settle in front.

Day 17: Sinterklaas tradition

Every year, Sint Nicolaas (Saint Nicolas) also called Sinterklaas, arrives in Holland mid November to celebrate his birthday (eve) on the 5th December. Traditionally he arrives by steamboat from Spain, where he normally lives. He is accompanied by zillions of Zwarte Pieten or "Black Peters", who are his assistants. They are a cross between a boogie man and a clown, scaring the kids as well as entertaining them. He rides on a white horse on rooftops, drops presents through the chimneys and may visit you on the 5th December. Gifting is done with lots of fun, anonymously. Gift can be disguised, can be jokes, can be used to hackle someone etc. Gifts are often accompanied with poems/ stories in rhyme form. There are many secular songs related to this folk fest that became the inspiration for Christmas and Santa in many other cultures. He is a clip from the official arrival of Sinterklaas in the harbour of Schiedam.

There are not many traditions left in contemporary Holland, but this one seems to survive the ages where Christmas is merely a religious festival. These days gifting happens at Christmas time as well, but it can’t compete with the original Sinterklaas celebrations.

Day 16: lesson in trust

Just as I am trying to convince myself that going to Sydney for a long weekend to film at Mardi Gras 2010 is an extravagance I cannot afford, unexpected money is coming in to proof me wrong.

Day 15: Guy Fawkes

Silly man, tried to blow up the British Parliament a looong time ago. What that's got to do with New Zealand I don't know, but I enjoyed the traditional fireworks nevertheless, the smell, the vibrating thunder, the spectacle of light... It's is a childhood thing, New Year's Eve is my birthday and the New year is heralded in with lots of fireworks in Holland, brings back happy memories.


The strangest picture I have ever taken of fireworks.

day 14: when work is play

I have been quite busy lately, trying as best as I can to balance work, life, developing my house design and making a film. An increased workload became enjoyable last week, eventhough I was working on a Sunday. I was asked to make art on camera for a DVD production for the school where I work. I created 2 large mixed media works on paper, mainly a collage of mono prints about the theme of pilgrimage. These two relating to a tall tower (about 100m) in my place of birth; Amersfoort, which used to be a pplace of pilgrimage. 2 details on one panel and 1 shot of the entire second panel 0.8x2.4m

Day 13: Diwali-Tihar

Butterlamps in windows, on doorsteps, in flower mandala's on the street mark the start of the New Year in Nepal. Twice, some 20 years apart, I was fortunate enough to spend Nepalese New Year's in Kathmandu. These days electric festive lights take over, until one of the many power blackouts strike, allowing natural light to once again work it's wonder.

Happy Diwali (India), happy Tihar (Nepal), happy New Year (Nepal Era).

Day 12: as I think...(part 2)

Click here for as I think...(part 1)

day 11: the view from here

Will I ever get tired of this view? I don't think so, better not anyway, as my new eco house with enjoy almost the same view. I am house sitting the first house I bought in this neighbourhood with my ex. When we split I moved next door into my second house in the hood. Then I seperated a bit of land, sold house no 2 and will build on lot no 3. So just hopping around the area. I love this little unknown corner of the city, quiet, surrounded by native bush and lots of native birds as there is a bird sanctuary close by.
Being back in this area for 1 week is a great reminder why I am going through the challenging process of building my house here.

I am not only minding the house but also Barney the dog and Kitty the cat, they both know me and give lots of unconditional love. Pets are great!

day 10: relative traveling fatigue

I am very titred today, a busy day at work followed by an exhausting slow journey home, not my home, I am house sitting this week, so a bit out of my routine. What a whimp I hear you say, I agree. Today is nothing compared to another journey I took in Nepal.

This is footage from 2007-2008. I was on my way from the capital Kathmandu to Lumbini on the border with India. A very different kind of travel with an maximum average speed of 40km/hours on rattling busses with noisy video players, loud horns, barely leg space and hard seats. Somehow that journey seemed less tyring than the half hour I spent today in the traffic jam on my way home. Part of the journey I traveled on the roofrack of the bus, just like I did 20 years earlier. Still as much fun, plenty of fresh air, no noisy music videos, great views, but a little more dangerous as these days electric wires can hang dangerously low accross the road. Riding busses in Nepal is not very safe, but apart from flying or walking there is no alternative. Danger is lurking around every corner, but traveling with the Nepalese is never boring, they make great company making you forget about the torturous long journeys that are only interupted by short chai stops. The scenery, well you can't get much better...

Day 9: enrichment process

The first bit of mulch the new mulcher produced.

I am making space for the new eco cottage I am planning to build. I need to clear bushes and the odd tree, none to precious fortunately. It is my intention to recycle everything that needs to make way on the site. All trunks and branched have been chopped to firewood size, the twigs and leaves are mulched so they will enrich the soil they sprouted from. Once the building is done I will restore the garden with native planst and trees, some from cuttings I have taken before I started chopping.

I also intend to have a small vege garden and have some chickens. It is a small site and steep, but with enough space to practice permaculture on the smallest of scales. The house will be super insulated. have solar panels and underfloor heating with a heat exchange pump. It is all part to an attempt to reduce my carbon footprint while increasing comfort levels (older NZ houses aren't the best, often draughty, barely insulated and poorly heated). I can't wait for the house to be ready because I am ready. I know the house will enrich my life greatly. It will be worth the wait.

For other posts from this series please visit: http://mb-asif.blogspot.com