RELATIONSHIPS & POWER

Over the last week or so we've had a bumper film viewing. We've seen The Imitation Game, Theory of Everything and Whiplash.

The Imitation Game is a 2014 historical thriller film about British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing who was a key figure in cracking Nazi Germany's naval Enigma code which helped the Allies win the Second World War, only to later be criminally prosecuted for his homosexuality. The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing, and is directed by Morten Tyldum, with a screenplay by Graham Moore based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges.

 

The Theory of Everything is a 2014 British biographical romantic drama film directed by James Marsh and adapted by Anthony McCarten from the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking, which deals with her relationship with her ex-husband, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, his diagnosis of motor neuron disease, and his success in physics

 

.

Whiplash is a 2014 American drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. The film stars Miles Teller as a young jazz drummer who attends one of the best music schools in the country under the tutelage of the school’s fearsome maestro of jazz. It also stars Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist, Austin Stowell, Jayson Blair, and Kavita Patil.

       The three films are outstanding in their own way as they explore the complexities of brilliance and the relationship of the man to his superiors and colleagues, the husband and wife, and the maestro and student. All positions of power in their own way.

       The Imitation Game's portrayal of the man Alan Turing is fully rounded, showing his complex personality, his love for a fellow student who dies in childhood, and after whom he names his invention, the first computer essentially, called Chris; his brilliance as an adult mathematician, the impact of his autism on his social relationships, and the tragedy of being prosecuted for homosexual behaviour at a time when it was still illegal and linked to this, his suicide, before what he achieved in cracking the Enigma Code could be made public. (the 50 year secrecy laws).

       Contrast this The Theory of Everything, the story of another scientist, Stephen Hawkins, from the point of view of Jane, his wife. The story is primarily her story of their relationship. I heard her interviewed on Woman's Hour recently, and she said that she became utterly exhausted in looking after her husband, as his motor neuron disease worsened. She had to sit up night after night with him as he had a tendency to choke. The only respite she got was when her mother occasionally came to stay. He refused outside help.This grind of exhaustion and personal sacrifice is only hinted at in the film. She to me is the hero, the heroine of this relationship.

        Contrast again Whiplash the story of the relationship of a teacher to his student, studying jazz and drums at an American college. This is a story of misplaced intention, bullying, abuse of power, revenge, loneliness and suffering, but also of outstanding courage, overwhelming determination and hard, hard work in the desire to win and seek approval from the maestro tutor. This relationship, to me, was the most disturbing of the three films we saw.

      What price, brilliance?

All films currently on general release. All recommended.

 

CALCITE OF TAFFS WELL

She took me by surprise before I entered the main minerals gallery. Reclining in a Henry Moore sort- of -way in a glass case; her fecund flesh, flushed, ripe for reproduction, multi-nippled, like a Greek goddess, available for a thousand babies to suck chemistry and strength from her breasts.

           Taffs Well, the place of my home for 35 years and only now do I discover her.  Calcite gets its name from ‘chalix’ the Greek word for lime, one of the most common minerals on the face of the earth, comprising about 4% by weight of the Earth’s crust. In Taffs Well, there is a Calcite Wall, where the babies of Chalix, climbers and aspiring mountaineers, play and practice before they fly the nest to Yosemite, to climb El Capitan, to Nepal, to ascend Everest, or to Chile to scale the heights of Ojos del Salado.   

           Chalix’s wall stands over Junction 32 of the M4 where it meets the south-bound carriageway of the A470 between Tongwynlais and Taffs Well.  Behind her sits Castell Coch, the Red Castle, once Lord Bute’s summer home; fairy turrets house her babies’ books, their stories, tales of adventures on The Shield, Cowpoke, The Melty Man Cometh, Crow Man, Kings of New York, LA Confidential, Ghengis Khan, Bulbus Tara and Hirsuit Ulvula.

       ‘Retro- bolting is permissible with the first ascensionist’s permission.’ Have they performed proper rituals before their mother, appeased her before inflicting pain of bolts, screws, ropes?  Chalix withstands her pain, pulls it tightly within like a gastric band, proud of her babies’ crawling and climbing. Soon they will be walking.

A MURMURATION

This has been a good week. On January 10th 2015 my first poem to be published appeared on a website-a good website-where lots of published poets have their poems. It's called www.thestaresnest.com. It is their aim to publish poems for a hopeful world, one a day until the General Election in May. Check it out if you have a moment. I'd really appreciate any feedback on the website as the more comments there are the more likely it is that it will be read widely.

WRITERS IN THE PARK

Well, it actually happened.  We distributed leaflets, Rhys went out at night in the rain and put up laminated posters on lamp posts in the village and we waited. Eight women have signed up for the creative writing workshops I'll be facilitating-am facilitating- in the park opposite my house.
       Last year I participated in a course, run by the Orchard Foundation for writers who want to facilitate creative 'writing for well-being' groups. This writing has an emphasis on process rather than product. It is writing for personal exploration, development and reflection, used to think into or differently about issues, communities, organisations ,projects, values, intentions, and writing creatively in ways that can influence wellbeing.
       As I walked down the path to the pavilion pulling the new shopping trolley with the Aztec design  that Rhys had  got me cheap at the cobbler/keymaker's in Whitchurch, I wondered what people might think I'm doing. I thought rather wistfully as myself as the little old lady who carries her words round in a trolley. My trolley was full of my files and books, but also coffee cups and all the domestic paraphernalia you need when you're setting up a group in a park. I also thought something could go wrong right now, like I might go over on my ankle, fall,  lose control of my trolley-off my trolley so to speak- so when I arrived to find the pavilion in darkness I wasn't totally unprepared. No electricity. The park keeper didn't have a torch and neither of us could think of the words  'fuse box.' 'What's it called? That thing you press down like switches?' 'I know what you mean. Er,er?'  When we did, it was too dark to find it. No electricity means no heating and no hot water. No coffee or tea. Calamity!
          One member was already walking down to meet me, so I headed her off at the pass, told her I'd be back and to keep her coat on. We could be adjoining the workshop to our dining room.
          I sped back to our house, almost getting run over in the process, when I spied three more members of the group. I quickly explained and ushered them in to my dining room, while Rhys tried to open up the dining room table and find nine chairs.
       I ran back to the pavilion with a torch and by this time the park keeper had found the word and the actual fuse box. And we had light... and heating and hot water. What we didn't have was indoor toilets, so it was an adventure going out in the chilling sleet for a pee. Wouldn't have been so bad if you could see where you were peeing but the electricity was off there too. They also looked like they hadn't been cleaned since the summer. I made a mental note to bring bleach and soap next time in my words trolley. Off to a flying start. don't you think?


PS The lovely group rallied round, made me coffee, settled me down and eventually we had a good morning writing for well being.
       

CHRISTMAS BRASS BAND CONCERT

A permanent wave of silver hair rippled across the auditorium on Friday marking the start of the Christmas season for us. It was the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama's annual brass band concert at St David's Hall. A very jolly programme included Santa Claus-Trophobia, by Sandy Smith, A Christmas Fantasy by Gordon Langford, and tunes by James Last, Leroy Anderson and others with audience participation singing the usual popular carols. 
     All the students dressed up, decorated their instruments with gold and red tinsel, some wore santa  hats and reindeer ears. There were outstanding solo performances by Megan Alexander, Matthew Fletcher and Grant Jameson, conducted by Dr Robert Childs, a leading figure in the world of brass music. It was a really fun hour of entertainment.  The band will be playing again at the RWCMD this Friday, 12 December at 1.15pm. If you want cheering up, don't miss it!

REMEMBERING AUGUST

On Friday we saw the duo Remembering August at Acapela Studios in Pentyrch. Jesse Hallett (vox piano and Luke Searle (vox, acoustic guitar and mouth organ) are both 19 and met studying music at Bridgend College. Although they were the support group to singer-songwriter Louise Latham, their original sounds, genuine emotions and beautiful harmonies made the evening special for us. They were launching their first EP, 'Brother.'  On the cover they state,
      'This is a collection of songs that express our emotions and feelings over the past six months. From loss of friendship, love and our relationship with each other. Through these songs we hope you will understand us a little more.'
     We wish them good luck. Acapela has an instinct for promoting quality and I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more from them in the future. Where's Jools Holland's scout?

TREE AID AFRICA

 A couple of weeks ago Rhys, my husband, took part in a local arts and craft market, selling his art work and raising money for Tree Aid Africa. He sold three paintings and a print, and donated 50% (£160) of the proceeds to this charity. We used to donate to the National Trust to offset our carbon foot print, then visited one of their Cardiff sites and found that it was a in a place of outstanding natural beauty. So, we looked for another smaller charity where our small donations may have more impact.
The following describes the organisation and is taken from their website.

TREE AID helps villagers living in the drylands of Africa unlock the potential of trees to reduce poverty and protect the environment.

“Two for One” – the TREE AID Philosophy

At TREE AID, we believe that tackling poverty and environmental protection are inseparable.

We help villagers in the drylands of Africa unlock the potential of trees to break this cycle of environmental decline and poverty. We help create self-reliance for poor communities building not only their chances of survival but also their dignity and respect.

At the same time, we help poor people invest in their environment, building its richness and health not just for today but for generations to come.

It’s what we call a “two for one” solution that breaks the cycle of poverty and environmental decline and offers a sustainable way forward for people across the Sahel.

Themes:

What we do – there are four key themes to our work which all our projects incorporate.

Access and rights

Securing long-term access to natural resources for the poor and making rules and regulations clear and enforceable ensures that they have confidence in and can benefit from protecting and enhancing those resources.

Looking after the environment

Building a greater understanding of how best to manage natural resources in order to protect and improve the environment, and making the benefits clear.

Nutrition and food security

Increasing crop yields and establishing an additional food supply from tree fruits helps poor communities produce more food, reducing hunger and malnutrition and increasing resilience in times of drought.

Enterprise and trade

Supporting the poor to develop income sources from the sale of non-wood tree products provides cash to spend on immediate needs and creates the means to invest in their families’ future.

Read more: http://www.treeaid.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/#ixzz3KG6Dw0ba

GUITAR DUO: OLIVIER CHASSAIN & STEIN-ERIK OLSEN

Thursday night saw us sitting in a half empty auditorium to see a world premiere. Norwegian Stein-Erik Olsen and French Olivier Chassain performed the guitar compositions of Ida Presti  (1924-1967). The programme is described as a 'homage' to her and her husband, also a guitarist, Alexandre Lagoya. The duo are described as 'the foremost guitar duo of all times., and Ida Presti as 'the princess of the guitar.'
     
 Olsen and Chassain are a brilliant duo themselves, their virtuoso performances certainly honoured Ida's legacy. Pity that more people were n't there to enjoy and appreciate the performances.

       It would be good to hear a female duo play Ida's work. I wasn't sure if the lack of emotion (apart from in the last piece 'Etude fantastique')  was due to the composition, which even in 'La Hongrosie,' in memory of her mother, seemed to lack passion, or that Olsen and Chassain's interpretation was more intellectual than emotional.  Nevertheless, it was another very enjoyable evening at the Royal Welsh College for Music and Drama.

THE IMITATION GAME

The Imitation Game is a 2014 British-American historical thriller film about British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing, a key figure in cracking Nazi Germany's Enigma code that helped the Allies win World War II, only to later be criminally prosecuted for his homosexuality. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing, Keira Knightly as Joan, and is directed by Morten Tyldum with a screenplay by Graham Moore, based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges.
     Cumberbatch's performance is awesome. He plays complex Turing with sensitivity, arrogance, a brilliant mind, and total autism in his relationships with his colleagues. 
        I'm not a fan of  Keira Knightly and I'm not sure how true the character of Joan is in the Turing story, but she is convincing as his fiancé willing to put up with Turing's homosexuality in order to  save him from criminal conviction and to enable the work of cracking the enigma code to continue. He knows it won't work. 
         There are really touching flashbacks to his childhood at boarding school, where he suffers horrendous bullying, has a close friendship (his only friend) with Christopher, who later dies of TB. Turing names the machine he creates after his friend. Later, it is called the Turing Machine, the first computer.
         Turing and his team crack the German's Enigma code, with 180 million million possible settings during the war but it was kept a secret as it was feared that the Germans would quickly invent another code just as impenetrable. In the process many lives were sacrificed to win the war. The team used calculus to help the War Office devise a strategy that would not raise the German's suspicions. It is said that cracking the Enigma code shortened the war by two years and saved 14million lives.
        Sadly, a few years after the war, Turing was convicted of indecent behaviour, and instead of prison was offered hormone treatment to cure his homosexual tendencies. This led to his eventual suicide. The Enigma code remained a secret for 50 years.

  Very highly recommended, The Imitation Game is on General Release now.

   

INTERSTELLAR & CULTURE SHIFT

Interstellar is a 2014 space adventure film directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Michael Caine, the film features a team of space travellers who journey through a wormhole in search of a new habitable planet. It was written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan; Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, whose work inspired the film, acted as both scientific consultant and executive producer.
           I saw the film the night before the launch of 'Culture Shift' and so the issues that the film raise were still floating around the following morning. The sense of 'apocalypse now' permeated the start of the launch with 'The re-enactment of art'- an interview with two artists by Suzi Goblik. In 1991 She wrote,
         "I suspect we are at the end of something-a hypermasculinised modern culture whose social projects have become increasingly unecological and nonsustainable."
         In the film, Interstellar, Michael Caine's character, the Head of NASA, says that human beings were not intended to save the planet, they were made to leave it. The film set a few decades in the future finds our planet choked by dust storms and ecological disasters, resources almost run out, the earth can no longer sustain our race. We follow explorers into space to find a place where we can all escape to, not as tourists but as emigrants. What is particularly moving to me is the exploration of what it is to be human, the attachments we need to survive, how we find our ways to adapt to loss, but the pain of separation can be unbearable. The relationship between father and daughter is especialy moving. Michael McConaughey's character, is brilliantly portrayed- an astronaut who has to leave his daughter, probably never to return-in order to save the human race.
          Topically, Caine's character quotes the Dylan Thomas poem, 'Do not go gently into that dark night,' about the death of his father, 'Rage rage against the dying of the light.'
          Coming back to the idea suggested by Suzi Gablik that we should always keep the image of apocalypse in our mind's eye, Interstellar certainly does that. To reaffirm the importance of both, here's another quote from the report, quoting Gablik.
         " It is precisely to the periphery and the margins that we must look, if we are to find the cores that will be central to our society in the future, for it is here that they will be found to be emerging."   

          Interstellar is on general release now.