Challenge Anneka
So I felt a bit down today. A combination of things I think. I had some spouse withdrawal and then was tired and confused by time difference which resulted in me missing our appointed skype time. Due to Mr B. being away this weekend it meant it looked like we wouldn’t speak until Monday. Up to now skype has helped keep some of the missing at bay and I was so thankful we caught a few minutes ‘together’ later on…
I think as well that some of the emotions from our intense trip to the north to see the disaster areas are catching up with me. To see destruction on that maginitude is something you can’t really compute. For some of my japanese friends on the trip they were encouraged as it was so much improved since the early chaotic and terrible days of March 11. However, it was my first experience of the area and it is actually very apolcalyptic still.
I had loads of things I wanted to do (include work on some critical writing due in soon for the MA, apply for an opportunity and get to see a new bit of Tokyo). Instead I found myself feeling really quite apathetic. I’m normally a go-go person. I just about managed to do some laundry and post a package to the UK. Even those things felt a bit challenge anneka if you know what I mean! Thankfully I got talked into putting some lipstick on and going to an arts-communication-food laboratory (ie. artists cooking and eating together). It was good to wear lipstick and to be with people.
The On-Site Lab we are taking part in starts tomorrow. It’s an intensive 7 day project with the 10 of us from the UK and 20 Japanese artists. This is the 6th collaborative workshop TWS have run like this and the ‘theme’ of this one is ‘Building New Communities’. It is very much responding to the context of March 11 and the Japanese questionning how their current society functions. I hope we can navigate this ‘theme’ in an interesting way together. I’m anticipating a lot of politeness tomorrow!
Info on the On-Site Lab:
http://www.tokyo-ws.org/english/archive/2012/02/on…
