Gaia: What is Prosperous Play? - CF-Project: what is peace?

CFProject:what-is-peace? ICT Project -Update

http://culturalfusion.gaia.com — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:11:34 GMT

ICTech Inclusion

There is an IT component of this Project and one goal is to create an online repository as a unique Portfolio type function for nonprofit or community organizations that seek membership at Comfusion or Hotel_Infinity. This Historical Initiative will be the one for which these features and technologies are developed but once completed they'll be available for all at no cost for basic features. WebAntiphon Corporation is working with partners Organization:iFOSSF, and collaborating artists to manage the technical planning, development, implementation, technical support and maintenance to ensure free basice services for nonprofits and community groups.

The basic features will be designed to give the global community easy acess to historical and cultural information that would otherwise be lost. The emphasis is on inclusion of the previously excluded or under represented cultures in local and regional museums around the globe.

For example--

the Storyteller painting was inspired by summer evenings at my Grandma Lottie's house on the front porch where she'd read various books to us. My favorite was The Negro Caravan which was full of old stories. My Grandma lived on Cemetery Street where there was an old graveyard hidden in the woods where some of our family are buried. Years later when my Auntie began collecting information on who was buried down there, because many of our ancestors were among them, she discovered that someone at the county office had burned the records. Apparently not seeing the value of retaining such information for one of the oldest, if not the oldest, "colored cemetery" in the county. That is now a wealth of historical information that predated the Civil War, lost...to create a dead end for those seeking to find and connect with their family history. This worsens the situation created by slavery that makes it extremely difficult to trace one's family lineage.

My goal is to create a repository that provides an alternative to local preservation institutions that continue to be tainted by the history of discrimination. This repository would be independent and ownership shared by the global community. Best of all it ensures that the valuable information my Auntie (and the others like her) have collected is preserved and easily shared with those seeking such to learn about local histories, including but not limited to oral histories.

There are a very limited number of resources for that region and history must not be revised by excluding important information that played vital role in shaping the community.

Upate: 6/22/07

While visiting the Brattonsville Plantation (York County, S.C.) we learned some interesting facts, that though known by some locals and historians, was not included in written history accounts. One example of how valuable oral histories are in preserving honest histories of the region.

During the tour as we walked out of the woodshop the slaves used my Aunt Yvette shared with us a story handed down by my Grandma Lottie who was told by Caleb Craig, a former neighbor born into slavery who was also the son of the plantation owner. He was a slave in Fairfield County, S.C. and although he is included in the collected slave narratives, the story about to be shared was not included.

You can read the rest of that here

Blog note:
The slave narratives referenced were part of the writers projects so interviews were not with people the interviewee was familar with and likely to confide in based on previous experiences . Considering the context, it is logical to conclude they were not going to discuss things that would have been viewed as confrontative or unflattering of white society. Information documented in the narratives consist mostly of basic biographical information (age, place of birth, and where they worked) It reveals very little about the reality of their lives on an intimate level.
Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and assembled and microfilmed in 1941 as the seventeen-volume Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves.

This project will create a solution to this problem for many others around the world that they can easily plug into and help create a virtual annex for other cultural and historical preservation resources, as well as a cultural portal for the global community. This is an innovative application of ICT to inclusively benefit historically oppressed groups and developing countries using an approach similar to that employed by wikipedia. Consider a future where history welcomes the voices of many to better inform understanding of complex realities.

Who benefits?

The resulting product will benefit many, including Organization:NGO_Art_Studio and other Nonprofit and community organizations like it who are interested in cultural and historical preservation, as well as art/creativity/knowledge/dialogue applied to advance the causes of peace.

In addition to Private Sponsorship we will apply research funding to the creation and maintence of this repository and eLearning portal to cover technical support cost, hosting, etc.

Yvette Dubel says:

oh i got an idea w-r-t the historical preservation repository idea for what-is-peace?

i want a wikipedia styled searchable repository that could include media content, especially oral history narrative collections...documentaries, art, and historical day to day items as artifacts

that experts and students from around the globe can study online

and contribute to a "book"of knowledge on those items using a system of peer review like wikipedia to ensure quality of content

and focusing on historical preservation of those people currently excluded or marginally included in institutional collections (museums, universities, etc)

What is the next step in creating information and communication technology products that result in such a resource that is freely available?

That is the quesiton the artworks in progress and those to come will explore.

Event_Three: Performance Peace- Our Story

http://culturalfusion.gaia.com — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 21:47:00 GMT

Creation and Performance of a piece inspired by my family's history in South Carolina and the broader historical community context. (read the story at the Event_Three link below)

This is an example representing how the history of people from different cultural legacies are interconnected and sometimes clash. (click the Event Three link above to view more about this project)

Demonstrating why historical preservation that includes multiple perspectives and experiences is vital to understanding the path followed to reach the present...and consideration of how it can honestly and progressively inform the future.

This piece will introduce the ICT system to create an online cultural repository within the envisioned 3D environment (as well as a more static form-based on the Phase1 site, for those with low speed connections). The result is intended to create a kind of online cultural museum and research center that is both a public service and a collaborative work of art.

Idea for exploration in the development of this project is the difference between heritage and culture.

More info on Event_Three: Performance Peace- Our Story

Ending Slavery Today

The artist doing this oral traditions performance piece will be developed with and performed by Lorraine Stone of M'zume to create another Event in the States that will benefit the Fairfield County Preservation Initiative ICT project. This original piece will start with history and move into the present to educate and illuminate the Abolition movement today. Yes Anti-Slavery movements that end this practice are still needed today!

American Anti-Slavery Group

Event Two:Oral Tradition Integration-Update

http://culturalfusion.gaia.com — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 21:44:06 GMT

Event Two is the documentary inspired video created from the raw content being developed. This video series will be used in installations and backdrop for performance pieces.

Update July 2007:

During the weeks of July 16th-27th 2007 we are volunteering at the history museum to assist to research and develop a contextual understanding for the history of Fairfield County. We are working on the oral history project being developed by my Aunt Yvette, which will seek to accurately include the history of those of African descent for the first time in this county. So far (6/22/07) we've (my children and i) worked along side my Aunt Yvette, history museum intern Markita Minger, and a talented artist, Michaela Brown, to install video/audio editing software, start to digitized the audio and image collections for the project, transferred the video to DVD, designed the brochure for the upcoming Catawba Native American exhibit, and assisted with some interviews. Collecting oral histories is no easy tasks as most of the people we've asked have declined. i can only wonder why. See blog post: What is Freedom?

However, this represents a firm start towards the online repository envisioned for this project. I envision it as an artistic collaboration to create a digital resource for the global community to study, analyze, contribute to and be enriched by.

July 27

I have some mixed media work in development that has been inspired by this recent trip. It will be included in the exhibition that accompanies the perform piece below. It is the basis of the installation that will provide the context for the performance piece below that includes the visual art, installation(s) and ICT as part of the artwork.

More info about "what-ispeace?"

Links

http://culturalfusion.gaia.com — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 02:24:41 GMT

SoulFood: What is peace? is a Cultural_Fusion inspired SoulFood:Meal that is cooked and shared in the SoulFood tradition.

Get involved and Get Noticed

http://culturalfusion.gaia.com — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:47:50 GMT

Do you need an excuse to gather your fan club?

Do you know of an organization or musicans and artists interested in putting together a showcase event that can be documented for inclusion in this project?

Are you interested helping to organize a small event in your area?
Is there a new restaurant or shop looking to let people know they are open for business?
We'll help provide the sponosorship package enhancements that will get international visibility for your supporters.

Perhaps you're in the organic cotton apparel business?

Do you have sales outsourcing business you need to promote?
i've been looking for you :-) i need some experts to help find the right sponsors for our partners.

You see, i've decided to attract everything that is needed to have ideal collaborators and partners for our Another little Peace 2007 events to kick off the website launch, so here's a bit information to help you figure out if you're ideal.....

The events are collaborative performance art as the documented events will become a part of CF digital artworks and installations.....some being interactive performance installations. This means more visibility for your art, music, event venue, videography services, etc because participant will be noted in the credits and organizers prominently promoted and included in all marketing.

With more teams in place we can more actively pursue sponsorships for this benefit series (35% goes to the nonprofit organizations, especially the orphanages supported by Empowerment Works and Foot Steps for Life who have contacted me recently for help)
Sponsorships will allow the means to pay for services provided.

It is in that spirit that i share this with you....if you know of someone feel free to pass this along to them.

The concept is to inspire intimate gatherings around the world where musicians and artists come together to showcase their work on Sept.21, 2007. Ideally the events are documented and available as simulcast with text chat and online interaction between venue attendees via Hotel Infinity.....is anyone in the business of providing web-simulcast services?

During the event people (attending online and offline) are asked to send messages forgiving someone or asking for forgiveness using tools like Jaxer and Twitter

There are many possiblities and it all depends on what you need and are already developing (or want to) that might be a good fit. This is just to invite you into dialogue to see what we discover.

Only the best!

Re: CFProject: Another little Peace- the green tour 2008

http://culturalfusion.gaia.com — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 20:15:05 GMT

Following the kick off in conjunction with the site launch, a green tour according to the concept that links this and Fusion Installatie Genesis is desired.

Is there anyone in the courier or moving services industry that runs a green operation? This would be a great opportunity for someone in that industry to carve out a place of distinction by creating a national green transportation service niche.

If you know of anyone in that industry that is ready to or already going national, please help connect us?

Are you someone in the tour promotions or event organizing industry looking to make a name for your company in the green market niche? i'd LOVE to connect :-)

If you see a need assocaited with pulling this off and you can provide it.....make yourself known for goodness sakes.

Genesis of CF-what is peace? project

http://culturalfusion.gaia.com — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:37:42 GMT

Genesis

What is peace?

Yvette_Dubel writes:

It is my hope for the world. My question
has led me to see that peace is only possible in the world when we have
it within ourselves. In my journey this started with making peace with
my past because not doing so is what seems to create conflict or Resistance and this is the clearly marked path to War.
An observation i want to communicate in "what-is-peace?" is the
process, that can get uncomfortable and sticky - if not just downright
gut wrenching, on the path to peace. The reward is found in moving
through the awkwardness, not by denying it, but honoring its
message...a request for Space and Attention.

Dedication

This Project
is dedicated to the loving memory of my Grandma Lottie Tecora, my
friend Noni, the re-discovery of my father...and all the loved ones
left behind, tormented by the reverberating effects--the truth of war--
that leave them praying daily for peace.

BREATHE

CFProject:ICT Project needs name

http://culturalfusion.gaia.com — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:02:34 GMT

Event Two:Oral Tradition Integration:

Event_Two

See revisions in post below

Ending Slavery Today

The artist doing this oral traditions piece from the perspective of the man's wife, will be written and performed by Lorraine Stone of M'zume to create another Event in the States that will benefit the Fairfield County Preservation Initiative ICT project. This original piece will start with history and move into the present to educate and illuminate the Abolition movement today. Yes Anti-Slavery movements that end this practice are still needed today!

American Anti-Slavery Group

Do you have suggestions for a name for this project?

Does it relate to something you're working on and passionate about?

CFProject: Another little Peace 2007

http://culturalfusion.gaia.com — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:00:07 GMT

Another Little Peace 2007

cmrstrategy event guide2.pdf

Momentum has been building and it looks as though our upcoming Art Peace Day One event is the first testing ground for global Cultural Fusion collaborations.

This year the recipe expands because of increased interest we'll be producing multiple versions to suit your tastes. The idea is to advance radical inclusion by making it easier for more people to participate in creating culture of peace now..not as some distant future to be left in the hands of politicians.

This means starting where we are at this moment. Despite the conflicts around us, peace always starts with the self...YOU.

We intend to see Art Peace Day One be a sponsored event this year....

Event One in Macedonia 2006

Art_Peace_Day_One

This 1st event will officially introduce the Cultual Fusion collaboration series in support of the Millenium Development Goals

Visit the Art Peace Day One page to see the Press Release and invitation.

Project Guidelines

http://culturalfusion.gaia.com — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:55:08 GMT

Project Guidelines:

i will only establish the starting point, the colloborating artist will take the next steps within their realm of expertise to help develop a new fusion Art_Work.

In regard to censorship in art i'd like to direct you to Patti Smith's interview with Freemuse on this subject as she echoes my thoughts/feelings on the issue. Her life as an artist, feminist, global citizen, wife, and mother are inspirational for me as they provide a bit more insight about the path(s) to peace on both the personal and interpersonal levels.

Mission

http://culturalfusion.gaia.com — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:15:37 GMT

Mission

This Project will be one that explores the path(s) to peace with ourselves and in our Relationships to each other, history, truth, justice, the present, the planet, Comfusion: all the plants and trees waiting to be discoverd as we gather ingredients for the dishes for this banquet called what-is-peace?. When this is normalized, a world at war ceases to be an option.

In my experience, the path to peace starts with an end to abuse and
victimization and because i can only control me that is where this
quest for peace begins. It may not be an easy task, but just as i was
about to embark i was reminded that i am not alone...and this Project will remind others that they are not alone.
i also hope that it helps others in their exploration and understanding
of what peace is so that some day no one will be afraid to commit
to--invest in-- Peace.

Do i mean YOU?

As you read the following, if you or someone you know is interested in participating as an Artist or Sponsor, contact me and we'll see what develops.

The first sponsor for this project is Organization:iFOSSF
(International Free and Open Source Software Foundation) as the
technical partner for carrying out the R&D for the media network
required for Cultural_Fusion. This is a demonstration project that unites Ronald Wopereis' Theory of Attention with my SoulFood Tradition model for developing CRM Strategies that also address the needs for community renewal.

The Project Concept:

My rationale as an Artist
is that so many individuals and companies are immortalized because of
the bad they do as artist use their names and logos in protest art, or
writers and media give them free press denied so many worthy
causes...this is in some respects, a protest to that kind of protest
art and cultivate new avenues not dependent on mainstream media to
diseminate or digest information. The goal here is to Immortalize and Celebrate those who support Peace instead of those that profit from war. This includes the artist that collaborate and the organizations/businesses that sponsor.

Also the mission is to ensure that as many as possible see the Art_Work
without depending solely on the traditional media. We primarily utilize
the Internet and word of mouth, to involve as many as possible in this
as Performance_Art Collaboration
with others who want to show support for peace by helping to spread the
word. This epitomizes my concept of "radical inclusion as a CRM_strategy".

If you support Peace, pass it on!

If you find a point of convergence with one of the projects and your work post a reply :-)