33 posts tagged “lisadevaney”
Pets were few inside the hidden cities, but many people kept caterpillars, and helped nuture them from worm, to
So many animals, and people, had been lost to the change, that a catepillar represented the chance for emergence from the situation. While the change was happening, some species of caterpillars threatened environments and people when the never ending rains, extended from the period of change to longer seasons, created habitats where the creatures thrived. Some over-thrived.
In Liberia, mass breeding of caterpillars, in an exceptionally wet climate, pushed people out of their own homes. The masses of caterpillars devoured plants and food for other wildlife became scarce. Normally, the caterpillars would not all fully develop, but in the extreme damp conditions the creature's multipled, nearly all growing to full adulthood. It became known as the caterpillar crisis of climate change in Liberia, and consideration was given to spraying the country with chemical pesticides to defeat the munching worms. The threat of poisoning the environment made the authorities decide against any pesticide use, and so the people moved away from the caterpillar infested areas, taking shelter in refugee camps.
While Liberia hated the caterpillars, other parts of the world were marveling at the growth of the species, and the
Many people who lived in the hidden cities remembered the seasons of the butterflies with joy, and desired to keep the Monarch caterpillar as pets in their living areas. These pets were hand-fed leaves and grass, and given safe, dark places to build their chrysalis, and time to allow the transformation. When the caterpillar began to break out of its chrysalis, people gathered to watch the butterfly emerge.
When the birght coloured creature spread its wings and flew into the air, the people clapped at the performance.
Welcome to Haiはい。my transmedia journey,
-Lisa
*Flickr photos by:
Caterpillar - Brenda Anderson: http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiouskiwi/
Chrysalis - MsEli: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mseli/
Butterfly - dwain77: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dwain77/
Erik Foss worked seven nights a week, splitting his time between shifts at a few bars in the city, as well as getting his
While bartending paid the bills, Erik was really in New York City to be an artist. Whenever he had time he painted, made collages and drew pictures of all the feelings that he had to absorb night after night while working at bars. Often, he heard a lot of pain and anger, especially with the pressure of the change happening. People were hiding out inside the many underground bars around the city, where the darkly lit spaces protected them from the burning sunshine that was destroying the environment everywhere on earth. They brought troubles with them to to the underground bars, and often Erik was the only person around that would hear some of the stories.
They told Erik about family and friends who got sick from the change, unable to tolerate the rising temperatures, a lot of people were developing heat illnesses. If they were young, it was easier to fight off the intensity of the fever and the constant feeling of thirst and being dizzy. If they were old, death was common.
Beyond the illnesses Erik would hear about, there was always the usual complications of living life. Lost jobs. Lost lovers. Lost dreams. For centuries bartenders had been listening to the stories of heart break and hard times, and Erik often felt like a sponge for all the pain that floated around the city and a magnet for it to land at on a bar stool in front of him.
Erik had a way of turning things onto a more upbeat funny side and with a rock 'n roll style, he'd make the most depressing person forget about the troubles and have a good time. A few special cocktails helped pick up the mood and Erik would just take the pain away with him and put some of it into his artwork when it got overwhelming. Furious strokes of paint to canvas emotionally healed him, and he'd then offer some of the results back to customers for sale.
They'd buy back their own pain sometimes, and hang it up on a wall in their home.
Haiはい。is my transmedia journey. Cut 'n paste "Haiはい。" into Google to find pieces of this story,
-Lisa
*Photo of Erik Foss by Supreme Mangement.
*Artwork by Erik Foss.
Today I’m joining 8,000+ bloggers from 144 countries, reaching 11 million viewers to chime in one a single important global issue of climate change for Blog Action Day, and want to share with the world why this topic is personal for me.
While green living is popular, fashionable and trendy right now (hurray!), I’ve actually spent a lot of my own life being
green and supporting a variety of environmental movements, writing about environmental issues and absolutely loving nature to the point of clapping when I see an ocean wave crashing against the shore, marveling when the sunlight hits against green leaves and makes an almost translucent effect, and crying when an eco-disaster destroys part of the world, from the Exxon Valdez oil spill to the icebergs melting and killing the habitat of polar bears.
Here are some of the very personal reasons why I’m in love with nature and deeply, emotionally concerned about the impact of climate change on the environment.
Reason #1: I Lived In A Tent
When
I was a baby, back in 1967, my parents found themselves suddenly homeless. Dad
was a musician and had a great gig for a time working for an orchestra in
Maine. When the contract came to an end, he didn’t have another gig lined up,
and couldn’t afford the house they were renting.
We lived near the fisherman docks on the coast at this time, and Dad loved hanging out with the boat builders. One of his friends offered a patch of land in a boat yard that we could camp in for the summer, and Dad jumped on it – moving the three of us into a tent on the property. My Mom had never camped before in her life and was terrified of snakes. The mosquitoes were insane and apparently I
was covered in
bites. We ate amazingly well, as everyday the fishermen gave us lobster –
because at that time they couldn’t sell it on the market for some reason. I
don’t remember it really (I was about 1 years old) but family members still
talk to me about it, and my parents tell me these stories of how we lived off
the land and got help from the community that summer. To this day I am in love
with sleeping outside in a tent. I’m so happy being snuggled up, in the
outdoors, in the woods or on a beach somewhere, where beautiful nature is all
around.
If the climate changes, will the memories my family has of the coast of Maine just be memories? Will the coast of Maine be flooded and those fishermen's villages destroyed? Climate change, I take it personally!
Reason #2: My Grandfather Taught Me To Respect Nature
Often in the summers as a child, my family would join my grandparents in visiting the Adirondacks. Grandpa was
researching and writing a book about the great Adirondack explorer and surveyor Verplanck Colvin, and we’d join
my grandparents on adventures through the woods “bushwhacking” to find long forgotten survey marks left by
Colvin in the deepest woods. We also climbed the high peaks of the Adirondacks to find Colvin’s survey markers,
and at the tops of these incredible mountains were often endless rocks that you had to scramble up to get to the
peak. On these rocks grew lichen. As kids, we paid little attention to where we stepped and often trampled across
the lichen. We would also rip up some of it from its precious place clinging to the rocks, because we were curious
about it. Grandpa scolded us often and told us the story of the lichen plants that were thousands of years old, and
may have lived on the rocks since the time of the dinosaurs. His story made us think, and we then made a game
of trying not to step on the lichen. Grandpa also taught us repetitively the “carry it in carry out” philosophy for every
time we entered the woods. He spent most of his life as a Boy Scout Troop leader and brought many children into
the woods for camping trips and environmental educational excursions. To this day, now in his late nineties, he
looks over pictures of the Adirondack mountains that Colvin surveyed, and shows people his book. To this day, I
think about lichen, and still utter the phrase “carry it in, carry it out!”
Maybe if we all uttered the simple catchy phrase "carry it
in, carry it out" we could make a difference toward
climate change?
Reason #3: I Was A Reporter Covering Environmental Issues
For a number of years I had the best job of my life – working as a small town newspaper reporter in upstate New York. As a reporter, I covered everything for the community from cop reports to school board meetings to wacky stories, such as a woman who had a giant puffball growing in her garden that looked like a face. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. The rural area I was covering for news had many environmentally sensitive issues impacting it, with New York City pressing itself further north there were many land development concerns and the area was filled with fragile eco-systems that were under threat. I was an eye to all of these issues. I wrote a series of articles about the Wallkill River in upstate New York, and explored all the environmental threats from farming, to industrial waste to general pollution that threatened this river. For this I won an award, and got the attention of then Governor Mario Cuomo who cited it as an example in one of his speeches. I didn’t have to cover environmental issues to the extent that I chose to, but I made it my focus because of my love of the natural world.
There
are many, many, more deeply personal reasons why I love the environment, but
the above are three of my own reasons why I feel strongly about the issue we are
all facing of climate change. I’m sure that the 8,000+ bloggers writing posts
today also have intensely personal associations with the natural world, and I’m
interested in reading some of the other posts that people share for Blog Action
Day. Many people are going to write about the upcoming gathering of world leaders in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference and maybe if those world leaders give some contemplation of personal memories they have because of experiences in the natural world, they will care a lot more about climate change and do a lot more to make it stop happening.
I’m also interested in your personal stories about climate change here on Vox.com, so please join in today and register your blog at www.blogactionday.org
Concerned about climate change,
-Lisa
*The above images were found on Flickr and credit goes to:
Polar Bear:
Greenz4u’s
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80079525@N00/
Coast of Maine:
Ken Lund http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlund/
Freeduh2’s Photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26862761@N03/
100,000 people would be selected to live in each hidden city.
The number was decided based on space in the cities, but also because those in charge liked the round number.
100,000 was a milestone number for many things at the time. Web site pages celebrated when traffic hit 100,000 views. The introduction of Google Wave was only given to 100,000 lucky first testers. Prize money was often set at 100,000.
For such an important decision, the selectors may have sat around and calculated all kinds of variables and equations. They did put consideration to staffing of the hidden cities, and how many people in key roles would be needed, and when the jobs were added up the number came very close to 100,000 for each hidden city's population. The selectors rounded up to 100,000, and the number had the feeling of being a lottery card. For the 100,000 people saved in each hidden city, millions would be left out to face the change, and likely die.
Among the 100,000 people selected, everyone would have a pre-determined role, based on the skill they brought to the hidden city. Some of the roles included:
- Builders
- Architects
- Engineers
- Botanists
- Breeders
- Teachers
- Hydroponic farmers
- Nutritionists
- Digital archivists
- Computer programmers
About 500 roles were planned for the inhabitants of the hidden cities, and the selection process set out to recruit people for the roles. The selectors observed people who they thought would have the needed skills, from afar, for several years. Often someone would appear to have the necessary skills to fill a role, but personality traits would interfer and pollute allowing them as a choice.
During the selection process, candidates were secretly put to the test -- with challenges being pushed on them to see how they would perform. In some cases pressure was put on them with unexpected tax audits that forced a candidate to face bureaucracy and the threat of financial issues. Those who tackled the tax audit challenge by remaining calm and addressing the issue passed this test, but many cracked under the pressure and displayed anger and excessive emotion. The selectors wanted those who could remain calm and level headed under any situation.
In the hidden cities there would be many stressful challenges. All of the 100,000 residents would have to have the peace of mind to face daily hurdles.
Thank you for following my transmedia journey -- to find more of the story, cut 'n paste the tag Haiはい。into Google,
-Lisa
*Flickr photo by Enrico Weber: http://www.flickr.com/photos/skintype/
Rosie
and Mya decided to sit at the beautiful underground bar inside Pravda and
order their usual Friday afternoon
cocktail treat of decadent chocolate martinis. The place had a feeling of being safe, with it’s strong vaulted, tiled ceilings. It had been a bar for decades now, and remained one of Rosie and Mya’s favourite, secure, destinations. They started meeting on Friday afternoons at the subterranean bar about six months ago, when the reports of severe, tsunami-size flooding in parts of the world started. It felt very doomsday with the latest news of tragedy resulting from the change happening, and as best friends, they decided that time together was valuable and they should make sure they appreciate each other.
“Thanks for the extra strawberry Erik,” Rosie told the bartender. “Glad to see the rations are letting us get fresh fruit into the city still.”
“Yeah, this week was pretty good, so I saved some extra strawberries for you and Mya,” he said.
“I heard that Chicago is totally fruitless, another reason not to live in the mid-west,” Mya said.
The girls had removed their hats and dark glasses, and were enjoying the feeling of putting away the cumbersome accessories that protected them in the outside world. Soft light illuminated the bar, and complimented how they looked. Both single, and in their mid-thirties, appearance remained a priority in their urban home, and fashion styles were adapted to suit the need for ultraviolet protection. The white leggings and dresses they were both wearing took on a glow in the dim light and enhanced the creamy colour of their fragile skin. They both, subconsciously, took a look around the bar to see what men were present on a Friday afternoon. Often, the city workers took off work early and went to the bar to get seats, before the rush started for the weekend. As regulars, Mya and Rosie were guaranteed a spot at the bar, as long as they got there by 3 PM. Erik always saved their spot on Fridays, because they were all friends and looked forward to seeing each other every week.Today was typical, and the routine was something they all looked forward to when the week got challenging. It was a chance to just be social, and tell each other any updates they felt like sharing. Erik worked non-stop on weekends, and Friday afternoon was usually a calm period of a few hours before the bar got crazy.
“So did the casting agent get back to you yet?” Mya asked Rosie.
“No, I called a few times, but he never answered. The commercial isn’t scheduled to be filmed for a few months yet, so I’m not hopeless on that, and besides I got another audition invite yesterday that I’m working on,” Rosie told her friend.
Rosie was a semi-working actress. She picked up film roles for television commercials, and played character roles in shows like Law and Order, the now longest running American television show in history. Work would come and go, and she was always on the hustle to find paid gigs. At this stage in her career she harboured no delusions about becoming famous, and the excitement and sparkle of being a working actress had expired for her a few years ago. It was all she knew how to do, so she kept doing it because she had to. She earned enough to pay rent every month on her tiny apartment, and she often got interesting invitations to parties, art openings and film premieres because of her connections. Mya was often invited as her +1 guest, and she’d taken Erik to a few things if he was free.
With the change happening, it had impact on the entertainment business, in terms of the types of roles that Rosie was auditioning for. Story lines were getting darker and reflected a lot of the fear the general public was feeling. Rosie found herself specializing in hardship roles these last few years, often being made up to play the role of someone who was scarred from sunlight burning, or devastated economically – such as a farmer’s wife who saw crops burn up and livelihood destroyed in the change, and was forced to move to the city and find work. The roles were grim now, but Rosie was flexible and could easily slip into any part a director wanted to fill.
“I was watching an old episode of Law and Order the other day, and saw you playing that homeless person. Remember that one? It was the one where the wife murders her baby to get back at the husband for having an affair and then tries to pin it on the homeless lady,” said Mya.
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that episode, I remember it took hours to get the makeup right on that one. I never realized that caking dirt on a person could be such a precise business in making it look authentic,” Rosie recalled.
“You were really good in that, scary. You looked hideous – they did a really impressive job of transforming you.”
Rosie told Mya that the roles on Law and Order were getting harder to get, because she had appeared so many times as various characters that the casting agents for the show were concerned that she was becoming too recognizable to the audience. The show had a pool of performers that they often picked from over the years, because it was easier to cast people with experience in working with the directors. The formulaic nature of the show meant that thousands of episodes, and spin-offs, had been made over the years, often with repeat appearances from the character actors.
Mya loved Law and Order because it also served as a current event archive, with the shows following story lines that were based on real world events. When the change started happening, the show mirrored some of the stories that were emerging. Characters in the show started dressing in the heat reflective clothing that became necessary with the change happening, and the story lines weaved around some of the stresses that everyone was feeling with the increased pressure in the city from severe sunlight.
Often Mya would document the real stories depicted in Law and Order, researching any of the digital archives that she could find about the real life events and preserving the video, news reports, pictures and birth records of the real people involved. It was one of the reasons she found her job so interesting, beyond the importance that her role meant to society overall. Things were disappearing in the change, and everything Mya saved and documented became more and more valuable as the story of humanity unfolded.
Welcome to Haiはい。, a transmedia journey,
-Lisa
*Flickr Photo by Peter Sealy, aka Dr. Curry:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dirkdarkroom/
Nobody knew about the selection. People would disappear from your life, first just one and then a few more, over
Those who headed the selection, a group of 100 forward thinkers who had devoted their lives to planning for the inevitable, established a criteria for each person they picked. Skill was essential. They picked people who could build, programme technology, offer medical care, be botanists and hydroponic farmers, and those who were in strong health. In every hidden city, every person had a role and responsibility in providing the others with skills.
People were investigated for skill sets, checked by doctors and, in some cases, tested for ability. No one was told about the selection, until they were picked and taken away to live in one of the hidden cities. In total, 1 million people were selected.
Those who set up the selection rules fretted about the task, and despaired that it seemed to be nothing more than history repeating itself from the Hitler days of World War II. There was no choice though. Selection would save a few, or no one would be saved.
When selected, the chosen person would be approached by a man and a woman, both smiling. The woman would softly touch the selected person's hand and let them know that it was time to go, and the others would be waiting. Drugs were used. The man would use an invisible spray, that rendered immediate peace and tranquility, to immobilize the person. Once he covered the selected person's face with the spray, any fear washed away, and the will of the person became trusting and pleased to be following the man and woman.
Sometimes the man and woman selected up to 20 people at a time, packing them all into the back of a white van. The spray lasted for eight hours, and allowed plenty of time to take those selected to the first step house. The first step houses were processing points for every person who was selected. It was a holding station where the selected would get briefed about what was happening to the planet, and what would happen to them next.
It was no secret to anyone on the planet that severe problems were threatening life on earth. Everyone knew. Temperatures had risen so high that many places were uninhabitable because of schorching heat. Deserts replaced once vibrant, lush and green forests, and killed everything off. The oceans were pushing inland more and more, drowning millions of people in the process, and destroying whole communities as they forced onto the land.
The destructive climate could no longer be controlled and left little chance for survival for those who were not selected to live inside the hidden cities. At the first step house, the situation was explained to all who were selected, and roles were assigned for what they would bring to the hidden cities.
Thank you for following Haiはい。, a transmedia journey by Lisa Devaney,
-Lisa
Bankers wearing black shirts, sipping expensive cocktails at a beautiful beachside hotels, while millions lose their jobs,
It starts here. September 3rd, 2009.
Burned down, the blackness folds over the mountains, the seashores and all the man made objects until only the hidden cities survive.
The few who were lucky to be sheltered, are kept protected.
Those who are left gather in together tightly, watching from behind shields, as the earth crumbles into a runimous landscape of scorched surroundings and things that used to be. Sadness haunts the transformation. Faces shed tears, and as those left experience frequent, spontaneous, overwhelming rushes of furious emotions. There is little left to do but comfort each other when pain gets too much, and try to rebuild.
Inside these pockets, filled with small groups of humanity, the people gather around campfires, taking comfort inside these safe feeling places, slowly venturing out on scouring missions to find what is left and usable.
Stories are told, not by books, all lost in the burning, but by talking, and from the electronic archives, preserved long ago by a few futurists, that were sealed up in hidden places scattered about the earth.
As the change happens, life forces onto the surface with stronger and smarter adaptation for the new environment. Surprises are seen, and names and species categories are given to the discoveries as they appear. Some are cultivatable and have properties that help feed, heal or supply shelter.
Welcome to Haiはい, a transmedia journey,
-by Lisa Devaney
Last weekend I was tucked away in the beauty of the English countryside, near Cambridge, to debut Hai Media Group's all-female production of The Wind in the Willows at the Secret Garden Party.
Our show, a
re-make of the childhood favourite by Kenneth Grahame, was my own
interpretation of how the elements of the story might play out in a quirky
festival environment. I played Toad of
Toad Hall, joined by a cast of talented women portraying Badger, Ratty, Mole
and Weasel.
Without my co-horts I couldn't have pulled off such an entertaining production and I'm grateful that the following women joined me in the adventure, including sticking around to enjoy the delights of the four-day festival:
Lucy Lowe as Ratty
Lucy is a
recent graduate of performing arts and her training was demonstrated in playing
the role of Ratty. Her boyfriend Matt Price, a comedian, also joined us in
hosting the evening as MC. Thanks Lucy!
Ali Rawlings as Weasel
Cheyne Pride as Mole Cheyne played the role of Mole and an adorable Mole she made!
Cheyne is a gifted
singer and songwriter by trade who sings with both National Debt and her band The Wildcat Tamers. Cheyne's also a professional Cheerleading coach,
who trains children of all ages in the fine art of Cheer. Her dance troupe Cheer-A-Go-Go performs at music and club nights throughout London and Europe. Thanks Cheyne!
Mary Epworth as Badger
Mary is a singer and songwriter who played the role of Badger, giving this character wise words of wisdom. Mary is the lead artist in her Jubliee Band, and you can watch her perform in this beautiful music video that was produced earlier this year:
Thanks Mary!
Dancer Amanda
Mae Steele provided the grand finale dance at the Toad Hall
celebration. We also had a
few supporting rabbits and weasels to join us in the performance (Will Twynham, Andy and Sadie Spector) and following the show we invited the audience to join
us at a banquet table and feast on delicious food at our make-believe Toad
Hall. Thanks Weasels and Rabbits!
Make Your Own Props: It's Amazing What Can Be Done With Cardboard and Poster Paint
As Toad, I had a blast making people laugh as I ran
around in a little motorcar that John & I constructed of cardboard, along
with a small Jail and a small boat.
Feedback has
been terrific from the event organizers and it was a terrific learning
experience. Much gratitude goes to Kate Risker aka Miss Risk and Simon Harris, from the Hand of Glory record label,
for inviting me to create this performance.
Here's ten things I loved about the Secret Garden Party:
1) Brands
were nowhere to be seen, and if they were there, any were in attendance, they
were virtually invisible to the human eye. The brand-less festival let a few
hundred artists emerge for attention, and allowed the mass of quirky creative
ideas shine through. Instead of tribute banners to lager, you’d find Action
Camps inviting guests to make their own superhero costume, listen to an
experimental musician or watch a performance.
3) Skanking to the brassy funky soulful beats of The Fontanas, and having a fireside chat with lead singer Gavin Skeggs and finding out that he is also in a band called The Tarantinos , inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s films.
4) Getting a huge kick out of the performance antics and musical skills of Rat Fink who delivered big sound and big fun.
5) Watching the pyro-technical extravaganza of the Pirate Ship getting blown-up, a very Burning Man-esque moment.
6) Hanging out in the tree house of the Where The Wild Things Are venue.
7) Making a cape at the Superhero Action Camp, making a carnival hat at another Action Camp and listening to Green political talks at the Green Action Camp.
8) Not spending endless amounts of time waiting in queues for food, drink and loos.
9) Bumping into many friends, something that is less likely to happen at Glastonbury, where everyone gets lost in the crowd.
10) Unwinding in the Lost Horizons sauna.
Among
the music performances I enjoyed was seeing Grace Jones headline the festival, at
the only festival gig she is doing this year. She’s 60 now, and still a
powerhouse of music and towering good looks.
Many thanks to Jim Hanner for his fantastic photos from the show and the festival:
Still grooving on the Secret Garden Party,
-Lisa
Who’s Lisa Devaney?
I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original Cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com
Would,
Kenneth Grahame, the author of The
Wind in the Willows be delighted or disgusted to know that his fairy tale classic
for children has had a makeover?
His four main anthropomorphised animal characters Toad, Badger, Ratty and Mole will be played by a cast of entertaining women who are hell bent on making their own version of the tale rock.
My company the Hai Media Group has produced and cast a new cabaret show that takes inspiration from the lazy river days of life along the river in the very English countryside adventure story. I’m playing Toad of Toad Hall and will present this magical story, that evokes the best of pastoral English settings for summer, to quote the book:
"Believe me, my young friend, there is NOTHING--absolutely nothing--half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." –The Wind in the Willows
Who’s Who in the Cast?
- Toad played by me, Lisa Devaney
- Badger played by Mary Epworth, lead singer with her Jubliee Band, on the Hand of Glory record label
- Mole played by Cheyne Pride, a country rock singer
- Ratty played by Lucy Lowe
- Weasel, played by Ali Rawlings, aka Punk Rock Dolly
- Sexy Rabbit, played by Amanda Mae Steele
We are merrily on our way to The Secret Garden Party, bringing a cast of colourful, loveable, characters who will treat guests to a scrumptious feast of sight and sound at none other than that magical childhood place Toad Hall. Greeting weary travellers who come from far and wide across this great green land of Britain, and beyond, will be our joyful celebration, of dancing, and a spectacular banquet table, in a place to revel.
We’ll debut our all-female revue of The Wind in the Willows at The Secret Garden Party, arts and and music festival this week where Grace Jones is the headline act. Grace Jones:
Our show is among a talented line-up of music acts that will be part of the ‘Come and Play’ area of the festival – a collection of tents that invite guests to play with arcade games, or interact with the performances happening around them.
"The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spell-bound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea." –The Wind in the Willows
Spread before our guest's eyes will be a dining table, gigantic banquet table, as only would suit Toad of Toad Hall to entertain, along with his friends, all evoking the magical memories of childhood favourite tale The Wind in the Willows. White table cloth, OTT décor and upon this marvellous display, unexpected delights – of poetry reading, dancing and comedy skits, played out spontaneously, between sets of live music.
If
you are planning to attend The Secret Garden Party, please plan to see our
performance – scheduled for 8 PM, this Thursday, July 24th, at the
‘Come and Play’ area. We’ll plan to keep in character and costume for the
night, so stop by after setting up your campsite and dive deep into this
festival’s creative spirit, and come play with us.
"Animals arrived, liked the look of the place, took up their quarters, settled down, spread, and flourished. They didn't bother themselves about the past--they never do; they're too busy." –The Wind in the Willows
Here’s the night’s line-up:
19:00
hrs - 19:30 hrs DJ
Bomber
19:30 hrs - 20:25
hrs The Ratfinks
20:30 hrs - 20:50
hrs Hai Media Group Presents:
The Wind in the Willows
20:50 hrs - 21:45
hrs Kid Id
22:00 hrs - 23:00 hrs The
Fontanas
23:00 hrs - 00:00 hrs
DJ Bomber/ I Heart What?
00:00 hrs - 01:00
hrs Chin Supressor
01:00 hrs - 02:00
hrs Symmetrik
‘Come and Play’ is an exciting new festival venue, which has been put together by the team
responsible for bringing Eco-Arcadia to events throughout the UK for the last 5 years. Join in the welcoming feast of the festival, or just sit back, relax and unwind after your travels, to watch the silly, festive antics unfold, enjoy the music, and dine! Dine! Dine! Upon festival delights.
The only question is – are you a Rabbit or a Weasel? Pick one or the other, and join us! Whiskers and bunny ears will be supplied, or bring your own to be a participant in our version of The Wind in the Willows.
"It's
never the wrong time to call on Toad. Early or late he's always the same
fellow. Always good-tempered, always glad to see you, always sorry when you
go!" -The Wind in the Willows
Many thanks to Kate Risker, aka the fabulous Miss Risk, who invited Hai Media Group to produce and perform this new twist of the old tale of The Wind in the Willows.
A proud & stupid Toad am I,
-Lisa
Who’s Lisa Devaney?
I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original Cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com
At bTWEEN 08 the motto was Seed Share Sell -- with many of the UK's digitial industry gathering to offer up ideas,
listen to ideas, and in some cases sell concepts. It was a mash-up that saw indie and fringe digital media types meet up with the mainstream superstars of the digital media industry, and it was a match that proved fruitful for all.
Last week I was part of bTWEEN, held at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, representing my agency Hai Media Group, where my seed idea for a promotional campaign called Rare Fruits was among the final selections to win a £5K prize, and possible commission by a company to support their marketing efforts. Along with my talented media partner Isabella Hu of Ecolocate, we bravely faced a panel of digital media and branding experts to showcase our idea. We were honoured that our Rare Fruits idea for the Branding Talent competition was selected, and nervous to present our ideas to 4Talent, BBC, Aegis, Ogilvy, and others.
It was a learning experience, and one that took a lot of courage for the many small entrepreneurs or, simply a few folks with good ideas, to face their more senior peers in the creative digital industry. In talking to other finalists, many
likened the situation to being in the TV show Dragon’s Den, complete with its very own Digital Dragonoids. The finalists presented their sometimes fragile ideas to a panel of experts, most who were helpful idea cultivators, and never shy about picking and preening at concepts, all in effort to help support making the ideas a reality. As the experience moved along, bTWEEN, for me, as I do not speak for others who attended, morphed into far more than just a contest entry.
The two day conference included a star studded line-up of speakers from the emerging
media space. Highlights for me was learning more about Flourescent
Media from Carolyn Maze, hearing what’s happening with music in the emerging
media landscape from Kevin
Bacon of AWAL and seeing all ages represented. Teenager jellyellie spoke and over 60 cartoonist Bill Tidy drew pictures and
told stories. Cory Doctorow, co-founder and editor of Boing Boing focused his
talk on digital rights, and Matt Locke, Commission Editor of Education &
New Media at Channel 4, was an excellent ‘navigator’ of current happenings with
this innovative broadcaster, including youth programming.
Keynoter Kaiser Kuo, from Beijing, gave bTWEEN attendants an insider’s look behind what many Westerners
describe as being “the great firewall of China” with his speech Censorship, Culture and Chinese Netizens. You can read his thoughts about the conference here. He was a popular person at bTWEEN, as attendants discovered that he is also in a Chinese heavy metal band called Tang Dynasty, in addition to his role as Group Director of Digital Strategy with Ogilvy (China). He won the prize for being the Most Inspirational Person at bTWEEN.
I met other competitors who’s ideas were representative of new creative, new technology, social and environmental motivation and above all enthusiasm and passion. Here’s a few magic moments that I witnessed at bTWEEN:
1 + 1 = A Better Business Model
Andy Davison presented his idea for regenerating abandoned and derelict space in communities across the UK, that involves documenting the effort with film over a three year period. The documentation would track progress, but also provide a film archive that a broadcast outlet (Channel 4, BBC or other) could turn into a documentary or film about how the UK is Going Green. Andy’s professor also attended to support the idea and offered this commentary about the project:
“Exactly the kind of thing we should be supporting in this age of environmental destruction. This is something we should all get behind - use new media tools to do something REAL and meaningful in the world.” –David Robinson, Lecturer, University of Bradford
The magic happened when later that night I met Mark Alexander, who’s seed idea is called Hugs Everything, a concept he describes as “Facebook for environmental awareness.” As it turns out, his idea complements what Andy Davison is getting up to, and the two have connected and have started meeting to incubate how to bring their mutual ideas to life.
Like I said in the title of this blog post -- Rare Fruits are growing from bTWEEN!!!
1 2 1 = Incubation
Among the senior mentors attending bTWEEN was Steve Taylor, Director of Development & Innovation for Aegis. Steve was a judge in the Branding Talent competition, and from what I understand was instrumental in pulling in more agency creatives to bTWEEN than have previously attended, making the conference a real mix of agency types, entrepreneurs and technologists. He also set up his own mini-incubation lab at bTWEEN, where he kept back-to-back appointments to discuss new business ideas with entrepreneurs. I heard that he met with more than 20 people, helping them better define what role they can play in the industry.
Somewhere in bTWEEN
bTWEEN included a number of features that I’ve never seen used at conferences before. The organizers deserve praise for incorporating:
Live Webcasting
The crew of Kinura worked non-stop to keep the speaker’s discussions and other happenings broadcasting live from Manchester. The webcast included a chat feature, that allowed anyone watching the speakers from elsewhere to contribute, and ask speakers questions. The chat also made for hilarity at times, when the chatters commented on speakers presentations, or in some cases, got sadly mean about a few things. bTWEEN's chat feature was created by muchosmedia.
Another highlight was Timelines, a techy feature that allowed attendants to ‘bookmark’ points of interest, connect with people, and re-visit the experience online, using RFID tagging devices, supplied with registration badges.
Most amazing was that so many of the new technology industry of the UK were in attendance, alongside what can be
credited as part of the very beginnings of computing. At 60-years-old, ‘The Baby’ was probably the greatest star of the bTWEEN show, as it’s the world’s first stored-program computer. The Baby was designed by a dream team of engineers at the University of Manchester in June 1948.
My Photo Magic Moment
For me, one terrific magic moment was meeting a truly impressive multimedia installation artist, who I plan to spotlight
in the
future on this blog. While chatting about his upcoming installation in the
north of England, we started taking some photos. He took my camera and informed
me that he would take the best photograph of my life. Sure I thought, whatever,
I can’t stand most photos that are taken of me. But he proved his artistic
genius on the spot, and sure enough this is the best photo I’ve ever had taken
in my life:
Thanks for the best photo of my life Simon!
What's happening with Rare Fruits?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention what became of our contest entry. Well, we didn’t win
the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but we did win plenty of valuable insight and
counsel for pitching our Rare Fruits idea to others. The champion of our Branding Talent competition was Robin Cramp, who’s Little Me idea won over the judges, and may likely be developed further for use with Littlewoodsdirect.com.
We got awesome feedback from the mentors about our idea, including spot-on tips from 4Talent about what we can do with the Rare Fruits idea. I'm now cultivating the seed of the Rare Fruits idea, and hope to see it grow into something absolutely beautiful, in time.
-Lisa
Who’s Lisa Devaney?
I head the Hai Media Group, a multimedia communications company based in London, offering client’s traditional public relations, combined with new technology marketing strategies. I also perform, creating original Cabaret-style comedy skits for festivals, theatre and parties. Find out more about me, and the talented entrepreneurs I collaborate with, by visiting: www.haimediagroup.com
