Thursday 28 May 2009

Meeting in Castleford, Sagar Gallery, 28.May 2009

The following meeting notes were prepared by Zeraslasie Shiker.

Second Rivers Meeting 
Bridge Gallery, Castleford 
28 May 2009 
Zeraslasie Shiker

The Second Rivers Meeting held at Bridge Gallery, Castleford on 28 May 2009 was the continuation of the First Rivers Meeting which was held in Wakefield on 18 May. Professional Artists who participated at the meeting in Wakefield and other interested artists were present. The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss in the ideas of the artists involved in the project.
Brian Lewis introduced the participants with the agenda of the meeting. The agenda include:

  • Blog about this project: Voices from Gujarat and Yorkshire Rivers at http://gujarat-yorkshire.blogspot.com/
  • rivers project progress talk - Brian Lewis
  • project financing email - Roger Head
  • workshops - Brian
  • Northern College Conference on Global Perspectives in Adult Education - Jane Weatherby
  • possible Rivers Project exhibitions


Brian and Reinhold Behringer explained to the meeting that written materials and pictures in the rivers project are posted in the ‘Voices from Gujarati and Yorkshire Rivers’ at http://gujarat-yorkshire.blogspot.com/. Reinhold in addition showed sample pictures of rivers and the importance of the blog to the idea of the rivers project. 
In continuation to the work on the project, Brian on 25 May met with Ahmed Lunat, an Indian poet from Gujarat in Batley to collect more information, stories and poems of Gujarat. In addition, he spoke on the phone with interested artists about the project, among others, he discussed with Roger Head on how to finance the project. A document containing Roger’s ideas on how to fund the project is distributed in the meeting.

A form on the dates and venue of future workshops related to the Rivers Project was circulated in the meeting so that each participant could look on which event to attend. The events include:

  • Hebden/ Calderdale artists meeting, Monday, 8 June 2009, 3 pm to 7pm
  • workshop Cooper Gallery Bansely, Saturday, 27 June 
  • Hebden Artists meeting, 28 June
  • Hebden Boat Trip, 28 June
  • First Dearne Meeting; Riverside event River Dearne, Sunday, 2 July
  • Conference on Global Perspectives in Adult Learning, 3 - 5 July
  • Malham Meeting

The Participants of the meeting ticked the event(s) they are interested in. The artists who did not come in to the meeting will be contacted.
Discussion was held on what the participants could contribute to the project. Each participant spoke about his/her ideas or plan. Many of the participants want to work with others. The points are as follows:

Susan and her husband travelled to Calder River, took some pictures which circulated at the meeting. She produced DVD from the pictures and motion of the river that was played in the meeting. She proposed joint efforts to develop her idea.
There is an idea of organising exhibitions that could be related with the rivers project at Cooper in Barnsley, York, and Castleford Bridge.
David Wilders is planning to pull together stories and poems of Aire river and work on the idea of collect clay for Calder river
David/ Harry has an idea of a sculpture on the Aire river related with the rivers project and applying his painting skills.
Brian is working on a river paintings in India, epic poems in Indian goddess, and a poem about Yorkshire. Brian wants to know any one who likes to contribute.
Zeraslasie has started collecting and documenting stories on rivers, wells, and water in Eritrea.
Bob has an idea of making a map of Calder River, and pictures of the 50 bridges of the Calder river.

Reinhold has an idea of creating Google group on the rivers project and to further develop the rivers blog. The group is at http://groups.google.com/group/the-rivers-project. Members are invited, but can also ask for group access.

Roger Head has idea of working in getting a fund for the project. A document containing his idea is distributed on the meeting.
Rosie and Liz have not developed their idea but are interested in contributing something in the project. Liz showed interest in Harry’s idea of collecting clay from Calder River. She told the meeting that she might consider her painting skills in the development of the idea.
Rachel with her husband, mother and father will produce a number of pockets involving small books and pictures covered with glass. Other participants are interested in her ideas and spoke of joint development.

One of the mottos of the Rivers Project is: "Every administrator is an artist and every artist is an administrator."

Other emails will follow in the next few days. These will include:

  • More on Workshops and Showcasing
  • Links with other artists
  • Conferences

Tuesday 26 May 2009

Summary of Meeting on 18.May 2009, Art House Wakefield

Records of the Rivers Project Meeting
First Meeting of the Calder Group
Art House, Wakefield
18 May 2009

Author: Zeraslasie Shiker

A workshop on the Rivers Project was held on 18 May 2009 at the Art House in Wakefield. Nineteen people who have varied professions including writers, translators and interpreters, poets, artists, musicians, scientists, and academics participated at the meeting. At present, the project includes Yorkshire, India, and Eritrea.

Brian Lewis, author of the project, coordinated the meeting together with Prof. Reinhold Behringer from Leeds Metropolitan University. This meeting was intended to move quickly into an operational phase, following the Environmental Award 2009 from the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Post.
In his opening presentation Brian introduced the meeting to the Rivers Project and outlined the visit of a group of professionals from Yorkshire to India. Brian spoke about the tour made by a team of UK professionals into India, and experience shared and lessons learned from the visit. The presentation was supported by pictures of rivers and other events captured during the tour in India. Reinhold supported Brian with the PowerPoint presentation and explanation.

Visit to India


The Yorkshire group who visited India included Brian Lewis, publisher, author, and painter; Reinhold Behringer, Professor of Creative Technology at Leeds Metropolitan University; Ms. Beccy Stirrup, WEA creative writer; Jane Weatherby, photographer and Overseas Development Northern College; Ruth Dass, inter-culture expert; and Jenny Marsden, writer at Pontefract Press.

The group visited different parts of India including the Narmada river, and gave a presentation in a conference held at the Institute of English Training Academy where 11 universities and about 300 students participated. They also visited a Hindu Temple, and attended a folk festival event.

The Rivers Project


The meeting discussed that the mission of the Rivers Project is to pull together people of different regions or countries of the world because of a shared responsibility. "We believe that the talents of artists, poets, film makers, musicians, and writers are major influence in this broad radical programme," said Brian.

We already have links between communities of English, Indian and Eritrean through the work in the Rivers Project. Brian's books on rivers and floods including "The Toll Bar Floods", and "Yorkshire Speaks to Gujarati Rivers" were shown in the meeting. The books are of high quality and affordable.

Discussion took place in the meeting, and David Wilders, a poet from Castleford, read his poem 'Aire River – Source to Castleford'. Its Tigrigna translation by Zeraslasie Shiker was read to signify the importance of inter-cultural communication in the environmental project. Tigrigna is a major working language in Eritrea.
Brian during the discussion asked each participant in the meeting to describe the Colder river in few words. Here are the collections we made:

it flows down Calder dale
it is navigable
it used to be mucky now it's clean
a heron sits regularly on the weir
leeches are present
it is known to flood every 10 years
it is a canal
I have studied on it
food originally
now mucky
a source of Transport
flows through Lancashire
has six legs
have channels
crosses a river
is erosive
source of pollution
learned about it in school
runs through traditional industrial area
canal boats
changes colour
close to its source
smelly
runs parallel to train line
wheel in the river
flows through Kirklees
fast flowing
source of food
driving over M62
environment Agency will not let you in
canalized


State of Progress


India - documentation of stories, songs, and perceptions on ecology, water and climate change developing by Kiran, Mitali, and Falguni.
Eritrea - documentation of stories on rivers, wells, and water in Eritrea began by Z. Shiker.

Forthcoming Events



26 May: Brian Lewis and Paul Medlock Meets Ahmed Lunat (Gul) in Batley (Gujarat Assoc)

28 May: Castleford Second Calder Meeting in Wakefield

8 June, Meet Hebden/ Calderdale artist/activists; Third Carder Meeting, the Centre for Alternative Technology, Hebden Bridge
Brian Lewis – 2 Sessions The Rivers Project (First 3 pm and Second 7:00 pm)

22 June: Gujurati colleagues (Falguni et al) arrive

27 June: Workshop Cooper Gallery Bansley.
Rivers Project (The Dearne) – Ian Clayton First Dearne Meeting

28 June: Big Riverside event River Calder, Hebden Bridge. Meeting starts at 11:00 am at the Centre for Alternative Technology. Train, Leeds to Hebden Bridge departs at 9.13 am arrives at 9.51 am; or departs at 9.45 am and arrives at 10.14 am.

29 June: Toll Bar School and Toll Bar Floods

2 July: Riverside event River Dearne, Bansely. Second Dearne Meeting at 10:30 am. Car park Mill of Black Monks, Grange Lane Lundwood Barnsley.
July, Mystery Plays starts at 7.4 pm

3 July: Harrogate at 2.00 am university of the third Age.
Northern College Conference, three days. Global Perspectives in Adult learning, start at 6:00 pm. Some residential places.
4 July: Global Perspectives in Adult Learning. All day. Being mindful of the Globe – The Rivers Project. Books in an Afternoon – Pontefract Press
5 July: Launching of Global perspectives in Adult Learning


Arising from the discussion


Funding:
How is the project financed?
The rivers project has no funding
Project looks very important so it could get funding
Should Brian put more effort into searching funds

India Visit:
should we travel to India on plain without good reason? Brian's response was 'The visit was important. We met and spoke and listened to the views of people of varied professions: artists, poets, academics, students and community heads. A link or contact point between the two peoples is established.'

Contribution to the Project


The professionals who came to the meeting asked how to contribute to the Rivers Project. Most of them showed readiness to contribute to the work of the project. Points collected include:
I want to involve the general public performance film poetry, general painting etc.
All of my work is made for the average person in the street to enjoy.
What effect will this project have on climate change?
Is there a limit of participants?
How will this connect to India?
How long is the commitment to the project – beyond 3rd July?
Does it have a physical impact?
Why not research the original meaning of the river names and their origins?
what level of independent involvement be expected?

Thursday 7 May 2009

Award from Yorkshire Post


This project, also known shortly as "The Rivers Project", has been presented with an Environment Award by the Yorkshire Post in the category "Climate Change". Brian Lewis and Jane Weatherby accepted the award from the hands of the Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband, at an awards dinner at the Queens Hotel in Leeds. The evening was moderated by TV presenter Julia Bradbury.