a personal reflection of the happenings....

We went to the streets meeting with the local street homeless, ingenious squatters and disenfranchised, together we were a spectacle to behold for good this day.

Antimass Portsmouth campaigners held a Good Friday Memorial outside Portsmouth Naval Bases to refresh all of our memories of the names of the dead from Iraq and Afghanistan (from a deceitful despicable and unnecessary war).

Another quad-squad swarmed and hoovered across Southampton (like busy bees) meeting and greeting strangers, meeting maybe new friends with cakes and coffee - as they worked on outdoor artifacts (not artifictions) for the people who they came across.

This nonviolent calm intervention was aimed an 'not' inconveniencing people, not throwing messages down their throats - rather at making connections, inviting and using play to offer reflection and techniques in the process. Many participated and there was interaction and friendliness, people joined in and expressed their views without the raised fist, the kettling by police or the unneeded attention from the media (Southampton) and we were thankful to the rain that assisted in most of our processes decision making, placement of art etc.

Clearly the amount of times the media (local or national) either misrepresents the facts, or overstates some aspects of the facts is mindblowing - massacres go on and most people just hear that some boring film celeb is ..... - like who cares. Additionally, TV stations struggle (as do some non-stretch peacenickers) with complex issues where there are deaths in more than one faction of an issue (where they tiptoe over sentiments that might upset another). People are afraid to have biases when harm and compassion matters are not evenly shared out/clear. Like an addiction to low quality politics - the politics perhaps of the voter and the consumer or those scared by their friends, families views or their 'incrowds' feelings. All this sometimes occurs even when there is a massive inbuilt bias in power, aggression and savagery being wreaked on the poor, or helpless or destitute.

Its hard then for some not to throw out the party-line, the ideological rant or the too used rhetorical remark in such times. Yet what do you really think about polar bears being slaughtered for $35,000 for a hunting spree? Or the amount of killings on the roads by car drivers? Or warring in the name of making peace and security by this state or another land and the .

Maybe art today matters when it reaches people and causes their expression to burst forth, when it kicks starts community sentiments. Make of it what you will - there is alot of it going on.

War waging is like a rolling stone that will not stop - it gathers no moss. A new form of graffiti settled in Southampton today - if it works pictures and recipe may follow (inshallah). Who knows whether it will settle or stay.

Thank you to the young people at the fountain for their involvement (good young people they were), Jane the artist and good finker, the philosopher, Blue (hope you get stuff sorted with work) and that we meet up again. Also to those who conspired to make this happen - roles, rolls and rollin over the next few days.

Love and hey - how do we be part of the 'good (fri)day' as well as 'lovely' and 'authentic' without being part of the un(aware)caring obedient?

Hopefully photos will follow (as i said - Inshallah).