Exploding me out of my stupor have been two on-going projects from two excellent friends of mine that I have had the privilege of witnessing in recent days and, to be honest, it would have been outright rude of me to not have mentioned them on here.
The first is the Oikos Project, which is currently still taking shape on a playground down near London Bridge as Martin Kaltwasser and his team of hardy volunteers put the last touches to a unique building in London, a theatre made entirely from reused and salvaged materials.
Project-managed by our very own Ben Melchiors, this is one of the most beautiful projects I have seen in recent memory. The idea is a holistic one as builders, playwrights and producers all collaborate to make the whole concept bloom as one.
Once this ode to the humble pallet crate is complete it will house two plays and an audience of around 120 people at each performance. The two plays by Simon Wu and Kay Adshead, Oikos and Protozoa, both examine the ways our society would adapt and survive if or when the worst happens. As a juxtaposition to the landscape and buildings around it, both the theatre and the plays should be a stark reminder of the unsustainability of current times and the dangers lurking should we ignore this.
Oikos will run from 26th August - 18th September with Protozoa on from the 23rd September - 9th October. Tickety things here...
Talking of stark reminders, there are few people out there at the moment more passionate to hold that mirror up to us or more lyrically equipped to get her message across, than the incredible Kate Tempest.
Possibly the hardest working poet/MC in London at the moment, every performance I catch of hers touches a nerve and fills the heart. Having travelled the country playing pretty much every British festival known to mankind, she is returned and has just released an accompanying video to her poem, Line In The Sand, which premiered at Rich Mix this week.
Despite her nervousness at how the words would deliver on film rather than through her electric live performances, the tone of both the direction of Joe Roberts and the aesthetic atmosphere matched the touching truth and passionate belief of her poem and I am reminded one more of her awesome talent and how it deserves a wider and wider audience.
The film will hopefully gain a small release around about the same time as the much anticipated Sound of Rum album. The world generally will feel a slightly better place when they do...
Update: Some Deep Throat style, anonymous reader has given us the link to Kate's film so without further ado...
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