This last week has been very much about coming out of the comfort zone of my own thinking (or co-thinking/ planning with Andrew, the producer) and expanding into the next phase. This has meant a series of meetings, some intense but always exciting for me as now our planning to take the idea out into different contexts starts to solidify.
So I have now finally met in person Laura and Harun from the inspiring Fierce Festival, who will be the presenting partners for the project in Birmingham. It was great for me to see how broad and lateral their thinking is about the potential contexts other than the festival itself, that could best serve the project over an extended period of time. And to talk in depth around the themes of the work in a way which left me buzzing and feeling like it has a will of its own to land in spaces beyond anything I could have possibly imagined after that first intervention. Key to this has been Andrew’s connections and thinking and now giving over part-custody of the well being of the work to partners.
Next up was another meeting with Jason and Duponte and Simon Allen of The Swarm, who devise and conjure some really stunning multi-platform storytelling projects. They have taken my idea for how The Book of Debts might work online, extensively cross-examined me on my aims and visions, suggested totally alternative ways of approaching it digitally and reminded me of how I used to think when I worked in this field over 15 years ago. I have gotten over identified with the physical aspects of public work, and attached to my Book- as a book- and they reminded me that what is needed is to create a compelling space, through which potential contributors to the project can safely reach the book- and reflect on the wider aspects of debt through the lens of their own personal experiences along the way. As our budget is small and we are hoping to achieve a lot digitally and they feel a resonance with the project, they will become co-producers on the digital, and I am hoping if we get touring funding that there will be a lot more cross-platform work we can do to follow on from this phase. I have given them a script for a trailer, which they will produce as a ‘first stop’ on entry to the site, and to be put out on YouTube etc. I had feedback on this from three of my ‘Circle of Investors’ (of time and attention rather than money!) who are writers /directors. Interesting to see how a few words can change the tone of a 30 second script and also how much you can communicate in such a short time. Have now given Jason and Simon the script to do with what they will and will get to feedback when it comes back in draft trailer form. Can’t wait.
Also, this week I am starting to get in some requested debt stories and feedback from some of my Circle, to be used to inform the wording and questioning process of entering the book and to stand as examples online when people first arrive at the site. I will go into more detail on this later, as already a lot of intriguing and complex questions are arising. One of the things that is clearly coming back is to drop all questions around payback, it is more powerful to leave that unspoken and to allow contributors to reflect on this themselves. By offering up the Book to be burnt we are symbolically offering instant absolution and calling into question this assumed, universal need to make good on all debts – this crushing moral obligation, despite the fact that, for example, in the financial sector – the original terms of debt agreements (some in almost invisible small-print or ridiculously esoteric language) are misleading and often illegal (see the IMF and the way it has treated developing countries over the last decade – but more on that later, with my current reading, Graeber)
Have run out of word count to finish my week, more later….
