Blog - Literature
Declaration 17; Our Property No Longer Ours
October 14, 2019 - by Richard DownesThe conservation battle we waged for a community building was lost when the council signed off a lease to an organisation from Hong Kong whose accounts are registered in the Cayman Islands. Their gain being our loss. Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads: 1. Everyone has the right ...
Declaration 15 – What is nationality?
October 7, 2019 - by Richard DownesI guess we are all looking into our identities nowadays deciding which labels we choose to wear. This was written for a local campaign i was supporting in darkest Hornsey at a time when a national question engaged us all. The strategy I adopt in the campaign is to focus ...
The first frost has fallen
October 6, 2019 - by Bryony ParsonsThe first frost has fallen, The leaves have turned golden, Days are becoming shorter, Squirrels are gathering their nuts, Winter clothes are back in the wardrobe, Hats and gloves are ready to be worn, Nights are becoming colder, Birds begin to fly south, Windy, wet weather seems to be constant, Wet leaves make a slippery ground, Hot chocolates become a ...
Why waiting is an issue for Liz Bentley, while waiting for the Tesco Delivery Man (or ocassionally woman)
October 1, 2019 - by Liz BentleyIt is normal to have presents on Christmas morning but my parents made us wait until 3pm. We had to eat dinner (which I began throwing up age 16), wash up, walk the dog and then we’d sit down in the cold front room and Dad would put the Christmas ...
The Challenge; 5 Random Words
September 27, 2019 - by Richard DownesI am facilitating a poetry group at the Highgate Society on the first Monday of the month (6.30-8.30pm fact fans). It's basically an open mic. But the group also decided to set a poetry challenge at each meeting. And these will make up my latest theme on the DAO blog. The ...
Signs; (The Ecology) Of Accessible Loos – A Community Exercise
September 18, 2019 - by Richard DownesDisability Arts Online are planning a major exhibition/arts event Contested Spaces launching on 24 September at The Foundry in South London. I have been asked to curate poetry events acknowledging World Mental Health Day and the International Day of Disabled People on 9 October and 3 December respectively. I ...
It’s easy to forgive.
September 18, 2019 - by Bryony ParsonsIt is easy to forgive, Hard to forget, You had just disappeared, Without giving it a thought. You left me in the dark, When I tried to reach out to you, I was left with a broken heart, As you chose to decline my views. We were a package deal, No one said our deal expires, Nothing you said seems ...
Miss Havisham’s Wedding Dress
September 17, 2019 - by Michelle BaharierI am a multi-disciplinary artist and in 2012 I made work that celebrated the London Olympics and the Paralympics but also Charles Dickens' bi-centenary, depicting Miss Havisham's Wedding Dress. It's now being brought out of storage for a new show, Impatient! Stories of service user advocacy at Bethlem Museum of ...
Acorn; How High We Were, The Moment That We Fell
September 17, 2019 - by Richard DownesYesterday we sat talking about the times we remember when we could climb trees. We talked about the moment we knew it was time to stop. We talked hopscotch and skipping ropes, half-remembered lines. Would we ever choose to go back there? Today I read Yoko Ono’s Acorn, Sky Piece ...
Shadowlight Artists celebrate 10 years
September 17, 2019 - by Shadowlight ArtistsPhoto from left: Tom Breach (illustrator and animator), Mark Hemsworth (photographer and filmmaker), Wendy Belcher (filmmaker and performer), Chris Oakley (Creative Advisor), Russell Highsmith (playwright), Danny Smith (performer and painter), Richard Hunt (painter and mixed media artist) and Lucy Skuce (installation artist and filmmaker) Shadowlight Artists celebrate 10 years, international festival ...