Friday 26 August 2011

Riots...Consumer Culture...Violence and RSPH Awards

Bonjour à tous nos amis en France et bienvenue!
Amidst the bleakness of this social landscape, squinting all the while in the glare of a culture that radiates ultraviolet consumerism and infrared celebrity.

Hello again and welcome back. The year continues to progress with startling changes across society. There's been lots in the press about where we should apportion blame following the 'riots', but very little that links greed and consumerism. I was suprised to read article by Russell Brand that does make this connection and  links the unfolding unrest to banking. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28835.htm


m a n i f e s t o
The first manifestation of our ideas and passion will be published this September and just thinking about how our arts and health agenda is increasingly being affected by politics and affecting politics, its worth reminding ourselves of the way the arts question society. Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat, has this week, been seriously assaulted for his provocative work. Like Ai Weiwei and many that have come before them, artists give voice to this experience of being human. Like Augusto Boal, many have been imprisoned for enabling debate, some have lost their lives.

Ali Ferzat
Who Cares? Big congratualations to all those involved in the Who Cares? programme that has won the RSPH Arts and Health Practice and Research awards.
http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/programmes/renaissance/regions/north_west/news/~/media/North_West/Files/2011/Who%20Cares%20Report%20FINAL%20w%20revisions.ashx 
http://newlightmanchester.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/whocares_final_midres.pdf

4 comments:

  1. be the change..........
    rioters - they are makers of change

    what's new - rioters have done their work - their made a change (personal, which they are happy about) what does this made for society - no change?....

    they send impulse - and now they recieved a change - they are called as rubbishes, some call them as bravers or naive..... because they do believed in a change of our society.. now they will have to get what they done - ...to be punished and also they will be educated of what to do .. when you have no rights how to live in silence and be blind.

    human values sadly are too low in a political level

    no society is alive- money world-

    spirtitual things does not exist in a our money world

    ... money make animals so far away from a spiritual society.

    ...but all the animals do have spirit.

    treat our spirit - with not a blind political thiking.

    open your eyes - for people - people make a change - people create societies...

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  2. dehumanisation will destroy everything (topic of arts and politics).

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  3. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas and thoughts. Today I have revisited a film from my childhood: Soylent Green...strangely prescient.

    Reading what you've written, I'm also reminded of the Situationists and the May 68 cry, 'Do not adjust your mind, there is a fault with reality.'

    Thank you again...C

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  4. Why do we have history? Mostly - to learn from mistakes, but does everyone like learning, no.
    Hope that biger fails will not come. Example of France - if such would happen in United Kingdom, maybe this riot - won't happen. Maybe.. but now when there is a gap with reality,let's start learning.

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