June 11th, 2010 Published by: News and Media Republic

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the Devon Week issue 1: wk 21: 2010The Devon Week is published bynot-for-profit social entrepriseNews and Media Republic Ltd.

We believe communication helpsbuild confident communities.

These stories are taken fromthe Devon Week, the People'sRepublic of South Devon,D+CFilm, ArtsCulture andSouthWestShows.

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Herald Expressweatherman saysif you don’t likeChristian ways,you ’should go andlive somewhereelse’

Prayers at the start of Torbay Councilmeetings have been defended byFreeman of the Borough, Ernest Freed.

The Jewish Mr Freed, who is alsothe Herald Express weatherman, said:“If someone who lives in this country

doesn’t like Christian ways they shouldgo and live somewhere else.”

Devon Humanists have respondedby saying: “The inference isthat ‘outsiders’ or ‘foreigners’ areresponsible for questioning thedominance of the Christian faith in theCouncil Chamber. This does need to bechallenged.

“It is local people who feel that theinsistence on prayers is a barrier toinvolvement in our democracy. We allpay for the council, so we should all feelthat the Council represents us equally.

“Around half of Torbay’s populationare not Christians. We are a society ofmany faiths and – increasingly – ofno religion at all. Indeed, some localChristians are uneasy about such aclose relationship between councillorsand the established church.

“Some of us believe that anythingthat contributes to an impression thatlocal government is centered around aparticular gender, age, ethnicity, socialclass or faith should be challenged.

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“This isn’t about banning or rejectingChristianity, but in embracing allbeliefs across our community. Wewould object just as strongly if itwere prayers from a faith otherthan Christianity, or if there were adominant party political ritual. Therehave been councils where they sang theRed Flag before meetings, for example.

“Understandably, there will be somewho resent how Torbay is changing.They may also react with hostility, hurtand bemusement when asked to giveup a privilege they have held for manyyears. But times move on. The Bayis no longer the setting of an AgathaChristie novel – which incidentally alsodisplayed a fear of change.

“Suggesting that non-Christiansshould keep quiet or leave the Bay willnot help to achieve harmony amongthose faiths and beliefs that we shouldbe proud to have represented in ourthree towns.

“To their credit, local inter-faith groupshave a compromise solution thatworks well. They have a few minutesundirected silence where all faiths andbeliefs can pray if they so wish, or justgather their thoughts.

“Is such a level playing field for allnot a reasonable way forward? Or willsome councillors continue to deny thereality of our modern Torbay, untilperhaps compelled to do so by thecurrent action in the High Court?”

• The High Court Judicial Review isdescribed in this Independent article,which also mentions Torbay Council

The Exeter LibDems who havejoined Labourwon’t be thelast, says BenBradshaw

The two Exeter Liberal Democratcouncillors who have left the party tojoin Labour may be the first since theCon-Lib coalition was formed but theywon’t be the last.

It’s always welcome whenLabour representation is bolstered,particularly so when Rob andAdrian Hannaford, the two councillorsconcerned, have reputations for beinghard-working and represent Exwickand St Thomas on the city and countycouncils – wards that traditionallywere Labour.

But in terms of Lib Dem discomfortwith the Con-Lib Government theyare just the tip of the iceberg.Many Lib Dems, including SouthWest MPs, feel deeply ambivalentabout Nick Clegg’s decision to propup a Conservative Government. Thedecisions already taken to cut 10,000university places immediately andscrap Labour’s Future Jobs fund –which was proving highly successful athelping young people into work andtraining – have only added to thedismay of the progressive wing of theLib-Dems.

A lot of people who voted Lib Demare horrified to find the Governmentis prioritising a vote to bring backhunting and, while preaching local

democracy and devolution, is actuallybusy taking new powers away fromplaces like Exeter and handing them tovast unaccountable county councils.

Tivvy teens shareviews on bullying

Young people in Tiverton were ableto give their views on bullying ina series of roadshows during YrSayWeek, according the Bullying UK site.

The idea was from Tiverton policeand covered concerns about smoking,drinking and the lack of activities.

Some 230 questionnaires were filled inby young people aged between six to 19.

To find out more about the issuessurrounding bullying, pop along to theBullying UK site.

June 11th, 2010 Published by: News and Media Republic

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Living Coastspenguin patrolleroff to World Cup…for the penguins

Jane Walker is off to South Africa thissummer. But she’s not going to followthe England football team in the WorldCup or going on safari. She’s going forthe penguins.

Jane loves penguins. She works atLiving Coasts, Torquay’s coastal zoo,where, as one of the penguin patrollers,it’s her job to make sure visitorsmix happily with the free-rangingpenguins, which now number over 100.

Jane told the Devon Week: “I startedcollecting all sorts of things to do withpenguins when I was about 10 yearsold and I have loved them ever since.I find penguins completely fascinating.They are amazing creatures – and theysurvive in such a wide range of habitatsand climates. They are not just birdsof ice and snow – people are oftensurprised when they find that there arepenguins at Living Coasts that comefrom Africa.

“I’ve seen them in the wild before –yellow eyed penguins in New Zealandand little penguins in both NewZealand and Australia. My ambition isto see all 17 species in the wild.”

Jane, from Newton Abbot, is makingthe 9,600km (6,000 mile) trip with herhusband Chaz.

“I am going with him to three ofthe World Cup matches, although I

don’t like football that much,” shesaid. “While we are out there I amtaking the opportunity to spend timeat the South African Foundation forthe Conservation of Coastal Birds –SANCCOB – to find out more aboutthe work they do, in particular, ProjectPenguin. We started to plan the tripas soon as it was announced that theWorld Cup was going to be held inSouth Africa.”

SANCCOB, is a non-profit seabirdrehabilitation centre based in CapeTown. Living Coasts, itself a registeredcharity, helps to support SANCCOBwith donations. The two wildlife bodiesworked together to rescue the eggs ofendangered bank cormorants.

Living Coasts contributes to ProjectPenguin, a conservation and researchprogramme set up by BristolZoo Gardens in collaboration withSANCCOB, the University of CapeTown’s Animal Demography Unit,the South African government,Cape Nature and other local andinternational partners. It aims to finda way to artificially establish newpenguin colonies in places closer to thefish stocks, and thus more suitable forthe penguins’ long-term survival.

Living Coasts is also part of theEuropean Stud Book for Africanpenguins, which means that breedingis coordinated with collections acrossEurope. African penguin colonies aredeclining at an alarming rate, mainlydue to a lack of food caused by over-fishing and by the movement of fishstocks away from the colonies – thelatter quite possibly as a result of globalclimate change.

For more information pop along to theLiving Coasts website or ring 01803202470.

(from a press release)

(image: Jane Walker on penguinpatrol)

Tips on howto adapt toclimate changefor Adapting toClimate Changeweek

It’s Adapting to Climate Change week,which is run by Climate SouthWest,and there’s a whole host of eventstaking place throughout the regionlooking at changing behaviour to lessenthe impact of climate change here inthe South West. So what can you do toadapt to climate change?

Here are some tips from ClimateSouthWest

• If you run a business, make sureyou are aware of the risks andopportunities. Get advice on howto ensure your business remainsprofitable from the Tools page ofClimate SouthWest’s website

• Use water more efficiently –with increasing pressure on waterresources in summer install awater hippo in your cisternand a water butt for collectingrainwater.

• Plant your garden with climatechange in mind – plant drought-tolerant varieties and shade-giving trees; and avoid pavingover lawns, which help to slowwater run-off in heavy rain.

• Grow your own fruit andvegetables or buy local andseasonal produce. As theclimate warms, try growingMediterranean crops such aspeaches, bell peppers or olives.

• Protect yourself from the risksof skin cancer and heatstroke

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by drinking plenty of water andwearing sunscreen and a hat.

• Prepare as much as you can forextreme weather events – e.g.check your flood risk and findadvice on protecting your homeor business on the EnvironmentAgency’s website

Teignbridgepromotes WorldCup recycling withEngland bin

Teignbridge District Council isintroducing a limited-edition Englandrecycling bin for the World Cup.

The red and white twin-bin can be usedfor tin cans and plastic bottles as well asgeneral waste, and they intend it to bea visual reminder for footy fans aroundTeignbridge to recycle their emptiesthroughout the tournament.

It’s one of only 11 bins of its typein the country, and was producedespecially for the World Cup by LinpacEnvironmental. The company madethe bin available to local authoritiesthrough a prize draw, of whichTeignbridge was one of the 11 winners.The council will take the bin on tourwhile the tournament is on, visitingdifferent locations around the districtwhere footfall is likely to be heavier.

And to encourage more people torecycle ‘on-the-go’ while they’re outand about, Teignbridge will also be

running a competition open only tothose who are seen using the bin duringthe World Cup. Staff will be keepingan eye on the bin throughout its tour,and anybody spotted using it will beoffered the chance to be entered in to adraw to win a pair of tickets to see theirfavourite Devon-based football teamplay.

(Image, from left to right: VinceWright, area sales manager for LinpacEnvironmental, Cllr Gordon Hook,Teignbridge Executive member forEnvironmental Services, Ben Lang(aged 2), Anna Lang from TeignbridgeDistrict Council’s waste and recyclingteam Josh Lang (aged 4))

MEP warns ofmarketing scamSouth West MEP Graham Watson hasissued a warning about a potentialscam that has left hundreds of peopleacross the South West facing bills ofthousands of pounds, after he himselfreceived an invitation to take part.

The European City Guide sends outapproximately 6.5m forms offeringto advertise small companies in abusiness directory, seemingly for free.On responding, these businesses startreceiving invoices for a costly contracthidden in the small print.

Graham urged local businesses tobe aware of the European CityGuide and similar scams. He said:“These invitations are designed tobe misleading and rip-off smallbusinesses. Anyone who receives oneshould exercise caution. If in doubt,they should contact the Scambustersteam at the Office of Fair Trading.

“I have been contacted by hundredsof constituents about such scamsand I am pleased to say that tomy knowledge, no-one has ever beenforced to pay out. However, the threatand worry that they cause businesses atan already stressful time is appalling.”

Companies like the European CityGuide exploit a loophole in fairadvertising laws by operating acrossborders. Watson has led calls in theEuropean Parliament for EU action tocrack down on these scamsters.

He said: “This is another example ofhow European cooperation can benefitus here in the South West. I wantthe EU to take action to protect smallbusinesses in my constituency andaround Europe. We must not let thesecowboys turn ride roughshod over fairadvertising rules.”

June 11th, 2010 Published by: News and Media Republic

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Detached house inBideford on salefor £6,500

A North Devon estate agent hasdescribed a gloried garden shed as adetached house, and is selling it for£6,500.

Devonshire Dumpling, who found thelink, said: “My parents had one of thesein their Braunton garden. It’s known asa ’summer house’ which is an upmarketversion of a garden shed.”

South West Waterchased to repairKenton holeSouth West Water is being chasedto repair a hole in Torrington Place,Kenton. The hole was the result of thewater company repairing a water leak.

Devon Highways officers say they arechasing the water company and itscontractors to finish the job and get theroad open again, writes Teignbridgecouncillor Alan Connett on his blog.

Charity mascotrace for PaigntonZoo’s conservationprojectsMascots from all over Devon willgather to see who is top dog – or topcrocodile, or top panther, as mascotsfrom charities, sports teams, leisureattractions and colleges take part ina charity Mascot race at GoodringtonSands at 3pm on Saturday, June 12.

It is part of a day of fun andgames to raise funds for PaigntonZoo’s conservation projects. The dayalso includes a charity duck race atSplashdown@Quaywest.

The line-up for the mascotrace includes Cuba the Crocodile(from Paignton Zoo), Mac thePenguin (Living Coasts), Gilbertthe Gull (Torquay United), News-hound (Herald Express), PilgrimPete (Plymouth Argyle), Cavog(Kents Cavern), Slush Puppie(Splashdown@Quaywest), PurplePanther (South Devon College),Dinosaur from Dinosaur World and

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Spike the Hedgehog Torbay CouncilRoad Safety Department.

Lynne Parker, fundraising and eventsofficer for Paignton Zoo, said: “Wehave mascots from rival sports teamsand competing tourist attractions, sothere’s a real competitive edge to this.Which is the fastest animal? Will Cavogoutrun Pilgrim Pete? We are hopingthe panther and the crocodile don’tfight – or worse, attack the penguin!Any other mascots in the area are verywelcome to join in – they just need tocontact me.”

To sponsor a duck at £1 a go, pop into either the waterpark or the zoo ortelephone Paignton Zoo reception on01803 697500.

(from a press release)

Psychic saysthere’s a dog inTivertonA psychic has told Lauren Hatton thather missing dog is in the Tiverton area.

Lauren, from Cornwall, who is offeringa £1,000 reward for the pet – a lightbrown female border terrier calledPebbles – got in touch with psychicMaureen Rolls when all her ownsearches had drawn a blank.

Lauren told the Mid-Devon Star:“Nothing had come out of oursearch and in desperation, because wethought someone had run her over,we rang Maureen. She’s found lostanimals before. She can communicatewith animals.

“She got the character of our Labradorwho was with Pebbles absolutelycorrect. She’s spoken to both of thedogs and they’ve both come up withexactly the same description of the manwho took Pebbles.”

“About two or three weeks after she hadgone missing we had a phone call from

an Irish man who said he believed hehad been sold our dog.

“Then on the Gum Tree websiterecently, there was a border terrier forsale with six puppies. When the charityDogs Lost contacted the seller on ourbehalf they said the man had an Irishaccent.

“Maureen also said Pebbles has had sixpuppies.”

June 11th, 2010 Published by: News and Media Republic

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30 asylumseekers claimingsubsistence-only inSouth West

There are twice as many asylumseekers in Westminster as there arein the entire South West, according tonew Home Office figures.

Statistics from April 2010 show a mere30 asylum seekers (1 per cent of theUK’s total) are claiming subsistence-only benefits of £35.52 a week inthe region, fewer than many partsof London, Leeds, Manchester, Luton,Slough and Brighton.

And those claiming assistance withaccommodation number only 635in the South West (Bristol 190,Gloucester 95, Plymouth 225, SouthGloucestershire 40, Swindon 85) – just3.4 per cent of the UK total.

Speaking in the run-up to RefugeeWeek, Katie Pratt, Equality SouthWest’s deputy chief executive, haswritten to new home secretary TheresaMay calling on her to let asylum seekerswork.

Katie said: “Asylum seekers, who fledpersecution in their own countrieslooking for a place of safety, are amongthe most vulnerable people in the UK.While they are here, they want towork, to support themselves and theirfamilies, to pay taxes and to contributeto the economy.

“In hard times society expects everyoneto pull their weight where they can,yet asylum seekers are forced to liveon hand-outs or sometimes nothing atall. We should give them the chanceto work so that they can supportthemselves.”

ESW has also asked the HomeSecretary to reconsider plans to deportunaccompanied child asylum seekersfrom the UK to Afghanistan.

Katie said: “The government saideverything it did would be governed byfairness, but what’s fair about sendinga child to a war zone on their own?”

(from a press release)

More delays likelyon Kingskerwellbypass scheme

The controversial Kingskerswellbypass, which has been an issue inSouth Devon for nearly 60 years,cannot be guaranteed the funds to goahead, says the government.

Torbay’s Lib Dem Adrian Sanders,supported by the Newton Abbotand Totnes Tory MPs Anne MarieMorris and Sarah Wollaston, held aWestminster Hall debate, which theyhoped would offer reassurances for the£130 million bypass plan.

The bypass is seen by many as vitalto the economic growth of SouthDevon, while reducing congestion andimproving air quality. But detractorssay the scheme would adverselyaffect the surrounding countryside anddestroy Kingskerswell village.

Transport Minister Norman Bakersaid: “The department can offer noguarantees, however I can give mypersonal assurance that I will considercarefully the case for the funding of theKingskerswell bypass.”

Ivybridge cyclistreaches half waypoint on Eurochallenge

Last week Graham Wilson fromIvybridge in South Devon, reached thehalf way point of his epic journeyaround the North Sea Cycle Route toraise money for the Devon WildlifeTrust.

Graham left from Harwich on April24 and has been circumnavigating theNorth Sea coastline, keeping in touchwith the Devon Wildlife Trust, thecharity he has chosen to support forhis latest cycling challenge, via his blog,email and by phone.

He reached the half way point atKristiansand in Norway last week so ison course to finish in the 70 days if theweather holds.

Graham said: “It has been an adventureup to the half way stage and I hopethe remainder of the journey is justas exciting. The scenery has been justfantastic, and the wildlife must surelythrive in these natural habitats that Iam going through. One thing I havenoticed is the more positive attitudetowards cyclists, where motorists giveway to bike riders and young childrencycle to school.”

Cat Loudwill, corporate andcommunity relations officer fromDevon Wildlife Trust, said: ‘It’s beengreat to hear from Graham and to knowhe’s safely reached the half way point,must be down hill from now on in.

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He’s doing such a great job helpingto raise thousands of pounds for localwildlife projects and his blog is full ofhis exploits and great photos! Thereis still time to support him so pleasedonate!’

You can follow Graham’s exploits onhis blog and sponsor him at hischallenge website.

The ExeterPicturehouse toclose for a major2010 facelift

The Exeter Picturehouse will close fortwo weeks later in the year for a majorrefurbishment.

The independent two screen cinemain Bartholomew Street West, Exeter,is scheduled to be shut from Monday,September 20 while builders carry outmajor upgrade work to the building.

A gala re-opening is then planned forWednesday, October 7, to be attendedby leading local figures in the arts andentertainments industries.

The proposed facelift will incorporatenew seating for both screens, includingplush new luxury sofa style seatingfor the rear area of the larger ScreenOne. The bar will also be getting amake over with a new serving counterand furniture, while the toilets willbe modernised and the outside of thebuilding painted.

City Screen Ltd, based in London andSuffolk, which owns the Picturehouse,are carrying out the work after enjoyingseveral years’ of excellent profitabilityacross the company.

“It’s really exciting,” ExeterPicturehouse general manager AndyBotterill told D+CFilm. “Judging bythe plans, the cinema is going tolook really outstanding, a facility thewhole city can be proud of. It trulywill be the best place in the SouthWest to view films and will bringthe whole building up to the samestandard as the cinema’s state of theart digital projection facilities. I’m sureour members, as well as customersold and new, will be delighted to hearof the proposed refurbishment. Weanticipate our new luxury sofas willprove particularly popular with themand will be the first seats to be sold formost screenings.”

The Exeter Picturehouse is the onlycinema in the area to have full digitalprojection facilities in all its screens,and recently also had 3D installed inscreen one.

The Exeter Picturehouse openedin 1996, showing the best inquality mainstream, arthouse, foreignlanguage and classic cinema. It hassince also established itself as thepremier local venue for the screeningof live satellite events like TheMetropolitan Opera and NationalTheatre Live. While other leisurefacilities have come and gone in the cityin that time, the Exeter Picturehousehas proved consistently popular andone of the best nights out in Exeter.

For further information on therefurbishment work contact ExeterPicturehouse general manager AndyBotterill on 01392 285960 or emailandy.b@picturehouses.co.uk

(image: Exeter Picturehouse by byGlamhag)

Food to Shareprogramme onSoundart Radio aspart of RefugeeWeek

As part of Refugee Week, SoundartRadio will be broadcasting its Food toShare programme, which looks at howpeople can come together through foodand their traditional dishes. As oneparticipant described it, it is ‘a way ofseeing how people can come togetherthrough the unity and love that weshare in food’.

Food to Share was made by womenfrom throughout the Middle East,Africa, the Caribbean and EasternEurope, who gathered to sharetheir specially prepared dishes andinterview and record each other asthey described the origin of theirrecipes, and the special ingredients andtraditions associated with their dishes.

The women are part of Dovetales,the Refugee and Asylum SeekerWomen’s Group, who meet regularly atPlymouth’s TR2.

“We had a brilliant day and met womenfrom Cameroon, Iraq, Sierra Leone,Uganda, Tunisia, Jamaica to name buta few countries. The variety of tastes,smells and stories told were magical –food undeniably brings out the warmthin everyone, said Nell Harrison, oneSoundart Radio’s organisers.

Funded by Well UK and the LearningTransformation Fund, this workshopformed part of a series of communityworkshops run by Soundart Radio.

Food to Share will be on at 2pmon Monday, June 14 at 6.30pm onThursday, June 17.

June 11th, 2010 Published by: News and Media Republic

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Cycle around A laRonde for NationalBike Week

There’s a cycle around A la Ronde (theproperty not the house) – plus a freeglass of squash – as part of NationalBike Week on Saturday, June 12.

As well as the cycling and squashthere’s a reduced entry to the NationalTrust’s roundhouse near Exmouth,which means for just a little pedalpower you can enjoy the wildlifespotter sheets, sculpture trail and brassrubbing posts at a fraction of the cost,and the meadow is alive with a myriadof butterflies at this time of the year.

You can also try out the garden gamesand there is no charge for you to usethem.

The cycle starts at 10.30am when youmeet at the rear of Exmouth Railwaystation. On the way you can lookout for the views of the Exe Estuary,Devon Red Ruby cattle and DorsetDown sheep grazing on National Trustfarmland at Lower Halsdon.

And when you arrive, you’re rewardedwith a free glass of squash and reducedentry to the house.

There is no charge for joining the ride,which is a round trip of approximatelyfive miles, and you can either joinNational Trust staff to cycle back toExmouth or make your own way home.

Call 01395 265514 for details

Meet the ExeterCommunity SafetyPartnershipExeter residents can quiz theorganisations who make up the ExeterCommunity Safety Partnership at apublic drop-in event on Monday, June14 in Bedford Square from 11.30am to2pm.

Senior representatives fromorganistions such as the police, citycouncil, county council, probation, fireand rescue, police authority, tradingstandrads and road safety will be onhand to answer queries. There will alsobe a number of displays.

This is an opportunity for anyone wholives in, works in or visits Exeter to findout about the work of the partnershipand to raise any concerns they haveabout community safety in Exeter,directly with the people who makedecisions about priorities in the city.

East Devon’sWalk This Wayscheme achievesNatural Englandaccreditation

East Devon’s Walk This Way scheme,which encourages people of all agesand abilities to walk for theirhealth, has gained Natural Englandaccreditation in recognition of its highstandard of guided health walks.

Stella Goddard, Walk for Healthprogramme manager, told theDevon Week: “The new accreditationwill inform supporters, participants,partners and funders alike that theindividual scheme is worth beinginvolved with and is part of a biggerwhole that is properly and robustlyevaluated.”

The Walk for Health programme inDevon and Cornwall has gone fromstrength-to-strength, and the workof its volunteers enables over 2,000people each year to walk regularlyand enjoy the benefits of accessing thenatural environment.

Leisure East Devon introduced theWalk This Way scheme in 2001, andnow offers four health walks per weekin the Exmouth, Axe Valley and SidValley areas.

People of all ages and abilitiesare welcome to go along, andanyone interested should contactAndrew Dare, the walk manager,on 01404 814317, or e-mailotterysportscentre@ledleisure.co.uk

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(image: the East Devon Walk This Waygroup)

(from a press release)

Not Bad For a Girl:Katie Marie makesher drums soundlike new and lookpretty swanky

Howdy lovely peeps! Hope you’ve hada bloomin brill week. Mine has beentaken up with a job that most willagree is pretty dull but non-the-lessvery necessary – yes, I’m talking about*cleaning*. But fear not, it does have amusical theme as I’ve been clearing upmy lovely studio.

First things first, I wanted to tacklethe live room and get it all clear andready for recording my new CD (whichI’ll be starting very soon, excitingstuff!!). As mentioned in previousarticles I’m planning on making thisnext CD as raw and acoustical aspossible. I really love ‘roomy’ soundingrecordings which use the naturalreverb that a room provides. Withthis in mind I’ve always left mylive room pretty empty as when I’mrecording drums the overheads androom mics always sound absolutelygorgeous! Normally I have my lovelyYamaha Stage Custom kit set up forwhenever I need to record, but thishas had to be all packed away in orderto make oodles of room for recordingKaron Cajon (boooo!!! hissss!), but heyit’s only temporary.

Before I packed my kits away I decidedit would be a great opportunity to dosome maintenance and cleaning workto each of the drums. It’s a prettydull task (especially if you’re like meand you have more than one kit togo through!) but once it’s all done thedrums sound like new and look prettyswanky too.

So my drum cleaning process consistedof me taking the skins off, cleaningthe shells, polishing the hoops, puttinggrease on the tension rods (which alsoinvolved me getting grease all over the

bloomin’ place!) and then tuning all theskins up. It took me most of the day,but it was well worth it as they all soundbeautiful, yay!

Hard at work!

Greasing the tension rods, eeeeew!

All packed away neat and tidy, horrah!

Boba Fett overseeing things…

So now my live room is all readyto go, Karon Cajon sounds absolutelygorgeous in there with the naturalroom reverb – can’t wait to startrecording!

Talking of Karon, I’ve been havinganother go at some better mic positionsafter our gig at Exmouth Festy whereshe was micked up using threedifferent mics and it sounded amazing.I’d love to be able to get as close tothat sound as possible and I thinkwe’ve finally cracked it. Unfortunatelyit involves me using six (yes, six)different microphones dotted aroundKaron and I have to say it’s turning herinto a bit of a Diva!

Our latest combo of mics is as follows:* SM57 slightly in the sound hole

* AKG D-112 Kick Drum mic about 10″away from the back of the sound hole

* Sony ECM 22P on the side

* Rode NT1000 Vocal Mic about 10″away from the front

* 2 Behringer C-2 mics Either side (Left& Right) to give a stereo sound

…seems excessive, but she soundsreally cool

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SM57 & D-112

Front & Side, NT1000, C-2 and mySony ECM 22P

Sony ECM 22P, if you see one get it!!

So after a hard day’s work cleaning outthe live room and getting all my drumslooking and sounding super duper, Ithought it only fair that I treat myselfto a jam. Ever since I’ve had Karon mypoor Conga drums have been sat in thecorner of my mixing room looking verysorry for themselves. So I thought itwould be fun to try and come up withsome grooves that feature both Karon

and my Conga drums… at the sametime! After a bit of practice I managedto find a couple of really fun thingsto play, but bloomin eck it made mypoor little brain hurt! I’m hoping I’ll geta chance to record my noodlings thisweek and hopefully play em to ya innext week’s article

Karon hanging out with Carla andCarlos Conga Drum

Well that’s it for this week, big thankiesto all who came along to Mama Stone’slast night. I was gigging with MiquidLicks and it was a really good funevening, hope you enjoyed it too!

June 11th, 2010 Published by: News and Media Republic

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Clem So searchesfor indentity inPortrait from theAfterlife, the Arts+Culture magazinePlymouth issuecover

Clem So’s Portrait from the Afterlifeis the cover picture to the latest Arts+Culture magazine which focuses onPlymouth’s art and culture scene

Clem, who is taking part in thePlymouth University Arts DegreeShow, which opens on Friday, June 11at the university’s Roland Levinsky andScott buildings, investigates his ownChinese identity.

His parents settled in Liverpool in1957, the city he was born and grewup in, and it is that link betweenhis Chinese heritage and growing upin England that he explores. Throughhis work Clem invites you to meethis ancestors. Images of food, ghostmoney and terracotta worriers mergeas his memory and culture connectwith thoughts of the afterlife.

Clem told Arts+Culture: “I amportraying my ancestors, but alsothrough my genealogy, they are also areportraying themselves. Portraying myancestors and questioning my Chineseidentity are not separate. By portrayingmy ancestors, I am questioning thevery core of how I came about.”

Part of Clem’s work is the film Tracingthe Intangible.

He said: “I use the notion ofChinese ink as a metaphor for myforever changing state, the expansivepossibility of being and for somethingancient, before my time that coursesthrough my veins now, but reflectinglike a mirror to my inseparableenvironment.

“Tracing the intangible is an sensation,a yearning, seeking, a sense that I canfeel, but cannot touch.”

• Read the Clem So’s feature in the Arts+Culture Plymouth magazine.

For more on Clem and to check out hisother work, visit his website.

You can also win a signed, limitededition print of one of Clem So’sworks. Check out the Plymouth Issue ofthe Arts+Culture magazine for how toenter.

Plymouth University Arts Degree Showruns from Friday, June 11 to Thursday,June 24, from 10am until 6pm.

June 11th, 2010 Published by: News and Media Republic

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Pixie Lott comingto PlymouthPavilions (news)

Pixie Lott is set to visit PlymouthPavilions this winter as part of her firstever headline tour.

Since the release of her first single,Mama Do, in June 2009, Pixie hasreceived three Brit nominations, soldtwo million singles (two of whichwere number ones), had three numberone airplay hits, sold almost onemillion albums globally and is quicklyapproaching Double Platinum status inthe UK.

Pixie recently supported Rihanna onher huge UK tour, did her biggestTV performance to date on Britain’sGot Talent (viewed by over 10 millionpeople), graced the covers of variousmagazines and even filmed her firstmovie.

Her current single, called Turn It Upfrom the album of the same name, wasreleased this week.

Pixie told SouthWestShows: “I am soexcited for my first headline tour. I am happiest when I am on stageperforming so I can’t wait to get out onthe road with my band and sing everynight for all my fans.

“I am planning a very special show – Iwant everyone to leave smiling.”

Plymouth Pavilions marketing officerRobert Maltby said: “After supportingThe Saturdays last July, it is great to seePixie return to Plymouth as a headlinerin her own right.

“Pixie has had a fantastic year andnotched up so many hits - she’scertainly one of the biggest female popartists around at the moment and weare delighted to have her back.”

Pixie Lott hits Plymouth Pavilionson December 3. Tickets cost £23.50and go on sale at 10am on June 12from 0845 146 1460 and the Pavilionswebsite.

Ayanna Witter-Johnson premiereat Dartington(news)

Cellist and jazz vocalist Ayanna Witter-Johnson, billed by Courtney Pine as‘one of our rising stars of the future’,will premiere her new compositions atDartington’s Ship Studio this month.

Ayanna, along with her supportingduo of Fraser Fifield and RobertMitchell, will write and develop thenew compositions during a week-long residency at Dartington, beforeperforming them live for the first timeon June 11.

The one-night-only concert isproduced in collaboration withinternational jazz and contemporarymusic producers SERIOUS and willfeature the artist’s laidback style andincredible vocals.

Witter-Johnson, a former student ofprestigious music schools, is a vocalist,cellist, composer and pianist, whosedistinctive and diverse work embracesjazz, classical and contemporarygenres.

Her work includes creations for RadioTwo, Three and the Asian Network, aswell as collaborations with both theBBC Concert and London SymphonyOrchestras.

The residency at Dartington Hallis one of an on-going series oflocal, national and international artistresidencies taking place at the charityas part of Dartington’s commitment toestablishing a centre for the creation ofnew artistic work.

Ayanna Witter-Johnson is at the ShipStudio on the Dartington Estate from8pm on June 11. Fraser Fifield willprovide support on pipes, whistles andsoprano saxophone, while the RobertMitchell will be on the piano. Ticketscost £12 on 01803 847070 and theDartington website.

Brian Capron andAnita Harris to starin Stepping Out(news)

Brian Capron and Anita Harris areset to star in Stepping Out, writtenby award-winning playwright RichardHarris, at the Theatre Royal Plymouththis summer.

For twenty-five years, Stepping Outhas delighted audiences with itsheart-warming story, proving that indancing, as in life, it’s always better tofollow your own tune.

In a dusty church hall, ex-professionaldancer Mavis Turner holds her weeklytap class – featuring the awkwardbut hugely enthusiastic Lynne, snootyVera, streetwise Maxine and the rest ofthe group.

Can this plucky bunch of amateurs pulltogether and put on the performance ofa lifetime at a charity gala?

Brian Capron, pictured, knownto millions for his award-winningportrayal of the sinister RichardHillman in Coronation Street, plays thebumbling but lovable Geoffrey, whosemid-life crisis might just bring with itsome mid-life reward.

Much-loved British star Anita Harris,famed for film roles in Carry On Doctorand Follow That Camel and on stage inMy Cousin Rachel, Stepping Out, BellBook and Ruth Rendell’s dark dramaHouse of Stairs, plays the snooty Vera.

Stepping Out is at the Theatre RoyalPlymouth from July 5-10. For moreinformation or to book tickets call(01752) 230447 or visit the website.

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Ray Reardonto join SnookerLegends atPavilions (news)

Six-time former World SnookerChampion Ray Reardon will join awhole host of world class playersfor Snooker Legends at the PlymouthPavilions this summer.

Ray, pictured, will be joined by Jimmy‘Whirlwind’ White, Dennis Taylor,John ‘The Entertainer’ Parrott, andCliff ‘The Grinder’ Thorburn for anevening of Snooker and nostalgia.

A Snooker Legends spokesman toldSouthWestShows: “Ray has agreed topick up his cue again for the first timein many years to play in front of thePlymouth crowd.

“We are delighted that Ray has chosenPlymouth as his one and only Legendsappearance this year and it shouldensure a fantastic night for all snookerfans.

“As a result of this announcementwe have decided to release moreVIP tickets which will enable fans tomeet Ray at the pre-event champagnereception.”

The Snooker Legends will visitPlymouth Pavilions on July 10. Ticketscost £20 (VIP tickets cost £60) on 0845146 1460 and the Pavilions website.

Darwin Deezcoming to theExeter Cavern(news)

Lo-fi popster Darwin Deez and hisband are set to visit Exeter this autumnas part of a 15-date UK tour.

Darwin Deez (aka Darwin Smith)writes, records, produces and arrangeshis music using a four-string electricguitar in his own invented, secrettuning.

Five years ago, he left WesleyanUniversity (and friends MGMT andBoy Crisis) to start a band in New YorkCity.

The combo began to receive publicattention in the UK late last yearfollowing the release of debut single,Constellations.

In April this year, the band releasedtheir second single, Radar Detector,which reached number 62 in the UKSingles Chart and number five on theUK Indie Chart.

The band’s excellent self-titled debutalbum, Darwin Deez, is out now.

Their current live set apparentlyfeatures Darwin Deez’s original songs,harsh electronic noise, and bouts ofsynchronized dancing.

Indeed Darwin has even been dubbedthe Michael Jackson of indie rock.

Find out for yourself when DarwinDeez visits the Exeter Cavern onOctober 20. Tickets go on sale at 9amon June 11. Call 01392 495370 fordetails.

Salmonella Dubwill be comingback to NewquayWalkabout (news)

New Zealand’s Salmonella Dub are setto return to Cornwall this autumn.

The group will play the Walkabout inNewquay – a venue they packed to therafters when they last visited the regionin 2006.

Expect tracks from the band’s lateststudio album, Freak Controller, whichis a medley of roots, rock and electronicdance styles.

The record also features the guys’ lastsingle, Freak Local, which boasts Maorivocalist Whirimako Black.

Salmonella Dub began in 1992 whenAndrew Penman, David Deakins andMark Tyler applied reggae rhythmsand bowel stirring basstones to ahandful of bad taste covers.

In the early days they lacked money forproper equipment and used inventivesolutions such as creating a samplerby hooking up a cassette player to aswitch pedal from Penman’s guitar sothey could create live samples.

Since then, they’ve released sevenstudio albums, toured with the NewZealand Symphony Orchestra,andshared stages with the likes of the MadProfessor, African Headcharge, AlexPatterson and Infectious Grooves.

Salmonella Dub hit Walkabout inNewquay on September 20. Supportfor the night is yet to be announced.Tickets cost £12 in advance fromSee Tickets / 0871 2200260 and theHall For Cornwall box office 018722200260. The show is for over 18s only.

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Exeter Universitystudents topresent WestSide Story at theNorthcott (news)

Exeter University will join forces withExeter Northcott to present classicmusical West Side Story this month.

Based on Shakespeare’s Romeo andJuliet, the production brings to life thetragic tale of forbidden love and gangrivalry between the New York Jets andPuerto Rican Sharks.

Tony, a member of the Jets, falls forMaria, sister of the Sharks’ leader in1950s New York. The young loversare caught in a bitter fued which isshared through such well-known songsas Somewhere, I Feel Pretty, America,and Tonight.

Over 80 Exeter students have joinedforces with University and Northcottstaff to perform the show.

Director of Music at the University,Marion Wood, told SouthWestShows:“There is so much talent in theUniversity and this joint venture withthe Exeter Northcott is a massivecollaboration.

“A high calibre cast and orchestra havecome forward to produce somethingtruly unique.”

The third term at the University istraditionally a quiet one – so it wasthe ideal opportunity to showcase thesingers, dancers, actors and musiciansthat populate a very creative campus.

Marion said: “The students have beenoutstanding. They have approachedthe material intelligently and it hasbeen a pleasure to work alongside themover the past couple of weeks.”

West Side Story is at Exeter Northcotton June 16 and 17. Tickets cost £5 forstudents/concession, £12 for all otherseats. To book, call 01392 493493 orsee the Exeter Tickets website.

Piatti StringQuartet to appearat mini chamber-music festival inCornwall (news)

Piatti String Quartet are set to appearat a two-day mini chamber-music festin South East Cornwall this month.

Finalists in the 2009 Royal OverseasLeague competition and winners ofthe Tunnell Trust Award 2010/11, thequartet, pictured, are fast emergingas one of the UK’s leading youngensembles.

Following the extremely enthusiasticresponse last year, the players arereturning to the Rame Peninsula onFriday, June 18 at Rame Church andSaturday, June 19 at the CommunityHall, Kingsand, both starting at7.30pm.

The Friday programme opens withHaydn’s Op 76 No 1, and closeswith Beethoven’s ‘Harp’, Op 74, withDebussy’s Quartet providing an idealmiddle item.

On Saturday, the quartet is joinedby violist, Jon Thorne, who recentlyappeared in the Plymouth ChamberMusic Trust series with the BadkeQuartet, for Mozart’s G minor Quintet,with a Purcell String Fantasia, andMozart’s ‘Dissonance’ Quartet also onthe menu.

Tickets cost £8 in advance fromMac’s Village Store, and Panache inKingsand, or at the door on thenight. For further information phone07813 097826, or visit the Piatti StringQuartet website.

PHILIP R BUTTALL

Project Space 11seeks to engageall Plymouth withnew contemporaryart

Five Plymouth-based artists have setup Project Space 11, which will haveas its home a small market placeunit that will act as a hub-for artist-led activity of a rolling programme ofevents, exhibition and happenings.

Coupled with this will be regularopportunities for artist networking,critical discourse and discussion.

The first of the Project Space 11 projectswill question how contemporary artcan be accessible to a non-art audience,and how artists can provide a key ortools to assist the audience in engagingwith their work. Project Space’s homein the busy Plymouth City Market isideal.

Four artists have been invited torespond to the question ‘How toLook’, and the project is intendedto investigate what has long been aconcern for visual artists – the notionthat there is an over arching ‘thing’ to‘get’, which often dissuades the viewerfrom engaging with contemporary art.

The Project Space II team areLucy Brennan, Scott Daniels, BryonyGillard, Ben Langworthy and BethEmily Richards, all emerging artistsbased in Plymouth.

The ‘How to Look’ project will takeplace from Wednesday, June 23 toThursday, July 22.

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Theatreopportunity foryoung people

Plymouth’s Strictly Collaborative, thenew professional theatre company for13-25 year olds is looking for people toget involved with its next project.

The company is specifically aimedat disabled and non-disabled youngpeople, and it is disabled led. Theproject aims to develop the talent of agroup of young people who learn fromand contribute to the developing workof the company.

Strictly Collaborative’s latest ventureis due to begin again on Monday,June 7 at The Roland LevinskyBuilding for 30 weeks culminating ina performance in Plymouth in March2011, with a possibility of it touringother venues. The first 10 workshopsis for participants to get to know thecompany and see if this is the companyfor you, after this the group wouldappreciate your commitment to thecompany.

During the 20-week period thecompany members will participate invarious workshops lead by professionalartists (also of mixed abilities) in avariety of disciplines such as physicaltheatre, movement, vocal and musicaltechniques, prop and set design. Thereis also an opportunity to learn skillssuch as marketing, publicity and eventscoordination.

Strictly Collaborative is an inclusivetheatre company this means thatdisabled and non-disabled can takepart in this project.

The group is looking for youngpeople aged 13-25 both disabledand non-disabled, to join the corecompany. The company meets aton Mondays between 5.30pm to6.30pm. To discover more about thecompany and how you can join, contactcompany director Ems Coombes(ems@strictlycollaborative.co.uk) ormanager Claire Summers(claire@strictlycollaborative.co.uk)

Brooke Gallerycelebrates adecade of fine artprints

Hot on the heels of the Brook’s Frostexhibition, the gallery celebrates thefirst decade of the noughties withnames such as David Hockney, HenryMoore and many more.

The rollercoaster ride sets off in Junewith Heidi Koenig, Sir Peter Blakeand Kathleen Caddick. In contrastwith Kathleen’s intricate landscapesof muted colours and sepia tones,Heidi’s evocative and fluid abstractscontrast with Sir Peter Blake’s iconicuse of popular culture. It’s an eclecticcombination that spans the decade andstarts the summer off in style.

In July, Mending Broken Hearts,heralds the CCA’s British HeartFoundation Portfolio, and providesthe focal point for this part of theexhibition with heart-related work byacclaimed artists and printmakers,such as Maurice Cockrill, Barbara Rae,Brad Faine, plus Tom Phillips, JohnHoyland, Bruce McLean and DeborahTreliving, among others.

All work sold from the portfolio willraise funds and generate awarenessof this worthy charity. The lateDonald Hamilton Fraser complimentsthe exhibition with beautiful vibrantlandscapes.

Professor Chris Orr, David Hockneyand Henry Moore demontrateexcellence in draughtsmanship forthe final cycle of the Brook’s2010 exhibition in August. ProfessorChris Orr’s intricate detail andclever depiction of all things Britishwill focus on his London-influenced

work through the years. HenryMoore’s unique and celebrated stylesits comfortably alongside DavidHockney’s illustrations.

It’s a combination of styles but aconsistency of talent that works andwhich keeps the energy levels high atthe Brook to see the summer through.It’s an evolving exhibition, so go tothe website or telephone the gallery fordetails of events throughout the courseof this exhibition.

Heidi Koenig, Sir Peter Blake andKathleen Caddick: to Monday, June 28Mending Broken Hearts, DonaldHamilton Fraser: Tuesday, June 29 toThursday, July 22

Professor Chris Orr MBE, DavidHockney and Henry Moore: Friday,July 23 to Wednesday, August 25

Open 10.30am to 5pm, closed Sundaymornings. Brook Gallery, Fore Street,Budleigh Salterton, Devon, EX9 6NH.Call 01395 443 003 or emailart@brookgallery.co.uk

(images: from the top: I Love You(Black) by Peter Blake, Bare foot on theGrass by Heidi Konig)

South By SouthWest show atWhite Space Art,gallery, Totnes

White Space Art in Totnes is exhibitingpictures from the world of WendyMcBridge and Richard Stanley inthe South by South West exhibitionwhich runs from Saturday, June 5 toSaturday, June 19.

Both artists look to the West Countryfor their inspiration.

Wendy McBridge says: “For much ofmy life I have lived in the WestCountry, amid the weather and shifting

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seasons. Nothing is fixed here, not fora day, not for an hour. But somehow,particular encounters with the naturalworld get stuck in my mind, and I thinkthis is where the pictures begin.

“Back in the studio, the memory getsmixed up with mood and imaginationand the scrape of chalk on board,so that I never quite know what willhappen while the picture takes shape.

Richard Stanley grew up in NorthDevon, where he began drawing andpainting his surroundings. This wasfollowed with first class honoursdegree in Illustration from FalmouthCollege of Arts.

He says: “The West Country isthe essence of my work, thisbeautiful, ever-changing landscape ofrolling hills, valleys and pastureland.Turquoise seas, crashing waves andhedgerows, the fresh air, open space;living in such a diverse part of the worldhas had a huge impact on me as anartist.

“The landscape is always changing,every day something new to paint,changing weather, light, seasons. Youcould paint the same scene hundreds oftimes and no two would be the same.”

Press GangPrintmakers –Lie of the Landexhibition, HarbourHousePress Gang Printmakers are showingtheir annual summer exhibition ofprintmaking at Harbour House. Theartists, whose workshop is based inSalcombe, will show a varied bodyof original prints exploring the themeThe Lie of The Land. The exhibitionopens at the Kingsbridge art gallery onTuesday, June 22.

Twelve artists are involved in theshow, which features a wide rangeof traditional and contemporaryprintmaking techniques, including linoand wood cut, drypoint, etchingand collagraph, and monoprint andmonotype. Other more experimentalworks explore collage and textileembellishments.

For the last 12 years Mike Glanvillehas run a printmaking workshop atSalcombe Art Club, and the artistsinvolved form a lively group, sharingideas and techniques in the mutuallysupportive and creative environmentof the Loft Studio.

Members of Press Gang will be in thegallery throughout the fortnight, andwill be happy to explain how differentkinds of printing plates are made, andhow ink is transferred from plate topaper, creating each time an originalwork of art.

The Lie of the Land showcases the workof Press Gang Printmakers, and opensat Harbour House in Kingsbridge onTuesday 22 June 22. Opening timeswill be 10am-5pm daily, until theclose of the show on Sunday, July 4.Admission is free.

Plymouth artistSandy Wager Arts+Culture Q&A

Plymouth artist Sandy Wager is amember of the Association of BritishNaive Artists, and has exhibitions inTotnes and St Ives lined up. Sandyalso runs the Plymouth and Devonartists Facebook Group. Here’s herArts+Culture Q&A

Who are you and what do you do?Hello! My name is Sandy Wager and Iam a visual artist with disabilities. I livein Plymouth, Devon.

Why do you do what you do?I paint out of sheer pleasure. Paintingand creating art is a wonderful therapyfor the mind and the body. I haveso many ideas in my head for newpaintings, and I could probably say thatI have enough work in my mind to lastme for the next three years or evenmore!

How do you work?I use acrylic paints as my mainmedium, but also use watercolors, felt-tip pens, coloured inks, graphite, andI love to recycle items such as dress-makers webbing, food wrap, balsawood and anything else I can find touse in my paintings. I am not fortunateenough to have a studio to work in, butuse my coffee table and easle.

What’s your background?I owned and ran my own successfulhousekeeping and ironing businessuntil the spring of 2007. I had togive up my business through ill healthand became medically retired. Over thefollowing months I became depressedand would not even go outside. Thefollowing Christmas my husband gaveme an art set as a present and thatchanged my life!

What’s integral to the work of an artist?It is important for me to be out andabout in art-related establishmentsand to meet other artists. This is stillhard for me to do, but it is very

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important to be more involved withother like minded people and this isalso a great motivator. I gain new ideasand inspiration by getting out!

What role does the artist have insociety?I was recently accepted as a member ofthe juried Association of British NaiveArtists (ABNA). I have won several artawards and have recently exhibited inan art gallery in Oxfordshire. I havealso been invited to exhibit my work inTotnes and St Ives.

I am a member of DAN, Devon ArtistsNetwork.

Recently I was proud to have solda specially made art work for thePlymFest charity auction.

I run an art group in Facebookcalled Plymouth & Devon Artists. Inthis group I promote other localartists, calls for artists, exhibitions, artcontests and much much more!

What has been a seminal experience?A commisioned piece of work I finisheda few weeks ago gave me the confidenceto expand my ideas and market mywork. The feedback from just one artwork has given me new drive and newideas for forthcoming exhibitions.

Favourite or most inspirational place(in Devon)?Places where there are people! I love tophotograph people in different naturalposes and situations such as fairs,rallies, cafes, fetes, etc and use thesephotos for my paintings. The coastlineof Devon is particularly beautiful andgives me so much inspiration to paintor sketch.

What’s the best piece of advice you’vebeen given?The best piece of advice I was given wasto set up my own website to display myart.

What’s your hope for the year?My hope for the coming year is tostay mentally healthy. I hope I neverdamage my hands or my eyes.

Professionally, what’s your goal?My goal is to eventually have my ownstudio, a place big enough for me topaint more than one art piece at a time!

What’s your tip for a great day out (inDevon)?The best way to see Devon is viamotorbike with a few friends, beachhopping!

What wouldn’t you do without?

I could never go without my artequipment.

Sandy Wager, many thanks

Find out more about Sandy Wager onher website

Searching forthe ennui ofwastelands onDVD? Tom Leinsreviews the latestreleasesSex, Leins & Videotape #43. Paigntonfilm critic Tom Leins ventures out intothe DVD wasteland!

Movie vampires are firmly back invogue thanks to the ridiculouslysuccessful Twilight franchise, so itis no surprise to see all mannerof bloodsuckers queuing up for aplace on the big-screen. EschewingTwilight’s teen-romance template forsomething more leftfield, Daybreakers(Lionsgate) is a loopy dystopianaction-thriller!

Set in plague-ridden 2019,Daybreakers depicts a world wherevampires rule society and humans arehunted for their blood. The narrativefollows the quest of vampire blooddoctor Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke),a haematologist who is determined tocombat dwindling supplies of bloodby inventing an artificial replacement,thus sparing the lives of any remaininghumans. However, the waters aremuddied (or should that be bloodied?)further when Edward is approachedby Elvis (Willem Dafoe), a reformedvampire claiming he knows a fail-safecure for vampirism.

Directorial double-act Michael andPeter Spierig imbue Daybreakers witha slick, gloomy palette that suits theaction down to the ground. Regulardollops of gloopy shlock horror willkeep genre fans hooked, and thegothic intensity gives the proceedingsa darker edge. Unfortunately, theformulaic script sometimes lacksexcitement and Daybreakers doesn’tquite deliver on its arresting premise.Effectively a B-movie with an A-listcast, Daybreakers makes for a slightlydodgy spectacle, but it is still infinitely

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more appealing than the anaemicTwilight saga. Until Edward Cullen andco start farming humans for blood in asubterranean laboratory I’ll stick withDaybreakers!

Taking place in a ravagedfuture society, The Book of Eli(Entertainment In Video) follows theexploits of Eli (Denzel Washington), alone traveller heading West in searchof salvation. With nothing more than aleather-bound bible and an impressivearsenal of weapons at his disposal,Eli scavenges for food and mutilatesany bandits who try to come in hisway. Eventually he arrives in a frontiertown ruled by the sophisticated butmanipulative Carnegie (Gary Oldman),who recognises a kindred spirit in theeloquent Eli. His curiosity is piquedeven further by Eli’s bible – the lastknown book of its kind – and heinvites Eli to stay on in his ramshacklekingdom. When Eli refuses, a bullet-strewn cat ‘n’ mouse game ensues,and Carnegie and his thugs pursue Eliacross the desert, determined to gettheir grubby hands on his bible.

The Book of Eli is unlikely tobe remembered as one of DenzelWashington’s finest moments, buthe has fun with the broodinganti-hero role. Gary Oldman is inscenery-chewing form as the villainousCarnegie, but the eclectic supportingcast – including Mila Kunis, RayStevenson and Tom Waits – give thefilm a refreshing edge. The bleached-out production design is stylized butstunning and reinforces the HughesBrothers’ (Menace II Society, FromHell) visual flair, even if the heavydebt towards the Mad Max Trilogysometimes threatens to swallow thefilm whole. Some viewers may baulk atthe overt religiosity and cheesy Denzel-centric twist, but The Book of Eli is apassable action movie that offers morehits than misses. Flawed but appealing.

Bringing up the rear this week isThe Graves (Anchor Bay), a slap-dashhorror movie written and producedby award-winning comic book creatorBrian Pulido. Before self-assuredMegan Graves relocates to New Yorkshe takes a road-trip with her pop-culture loving sister Abby. Determinedto scour the deepest, darkest corners ofthe Arizona desert for kitsch roadsideattractions, the intrepid duo stumbleacross Skull City, an abandonedmining town, rumoured to be haunted.However, their first steps on the touristtrail don’t quite go as planned, andMegan and Abby witness the slaughterof a group of fellow visitors. It soonbecomes apparent that Skull City isruled by a psychotic redneck familywith a penchant for butchery, and thesisters have to dig deep to survive.

Writer/director Pulido is clearly well-versed in the last 30 years ofhorror filmmaking, but he failsto bring anything new to theparty. In fact, The Graves doesn’teven compare favourably to thedubious assortment of Texas ChainsawMassacre sequels that leaked outafter the original. The by-numbersnarrative lacks both menace andsurprises, and The Graves feels tootame for widespread consumption.That said, horror aficionados will enjoythe involvement of genre veteransTony Todd (Candyman) and BillMoseley (Devil’s Rejects), who star asa demented preacher and a savageredneck respectively. Coming soon to abargain bin near you…

Free event forteachers to bringanimation to theclassroom fromAnimated Exeter

Animated Exeter and Isca Collegeof Media Arts have got togetherfor a free teacher event aimed atthose pedagogs who are interested inbringing animation into the classroom.

The event, sponsored by Stop MotionPro, btw, looks at ‘creative andinnovative’ approaches to education.

Independent animators experienced inworking with animation in educationwill be present to give demonstrationsand guidance alongside software andtraining provider Academia.

The event will include a handson demonstrations with experiencedcreative practitioners; an introductoryworkshop using StopMotionPro v7Action software; a prize ofStopMotionPro v7 Action for bestanimation created at the event; anopportunity to purchase AnimatedExeter’s Teachers Resource Pack (£15);information on how your class canbenefit from a visit to AnimatedExeter 2011; a presentation of theExAnimation competition for yourschool’s films; and an overview of whatAnimated Exeter is providing for 14-19year olds in the region

If you, or a colleague, are interestedin attending contact SusannahShaw, Animated Exeter, c/o ExeterCity Council, Civic Centre, ParisSt. Exeter EX1 1JJ. or emailsusannah.shaw@exeter.gov.uk. Placesare strictly limited and will be offeredon a first come, first served basis. Andto ease your application, download thebooking form now.

(Image: © Copyright Derek Harperand licensed for reuse under thisCreative Commons Licence.)

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New networkingevent forfilmmakers at theExeter Phoenix

A new networking event for South Westfilmmakers is taking place at the ExeterPhoenix on Saturday, June 26 at 2pm.

Organised by Cottage Industry Films,those people who picked up theBest South West Film award atthe Appledore Arts Festival. and inconjunction with the good folk ofD+CFilm (that’s us), CINE (CottageIndustry Networking Event) aims toallow filmmakers, actors, crew, artistsor anybody interested in film to findout what is happening in the region,show their films, pitch their ideas, putout calls for cast and crew, and meetother like-minded people in a friendlyand informal atmosphere.

Ashley Wing, one of the organisers,said: “We know how hard it is toget films off the ground, and wewant to promote the region as wellas help aspiring talent get the startthey need, but also provide a forumfor established filmmakers to showcasetheir films and network.”

The event promises to be one foranyone interested in filmmaking orwatching new and exciting work.The screenings will be followed byQ&A with the filmmaker, or someoneassociated with the film, and willget under the skin of the films andfilmmaking in the South West.

There’s no entry fee, but donationsbetween £3 and £5 will be sought, withall the proceeds going towards the workD+CFilm does to support the region’sfilmmakers.

CINE will take place in the BlackBox Room at the Exeter Phoenix onSatruday, June 26 from 2pm to 4pm,continuing in the bar.

If you have a film you wouldlike to screen at CINE emailcine@cottageindustryfilms.co.uk with

a brief synopsis (up to 50 words) ofthe film/project, along with any otherrelevant information, including a stillfrom the film – films can be of anygenre, but no longer than 15 minutes.

To find out more, pop along to theCINE site or checkout the CINE eventon Facebook

A Hard Day’sKnight wins BestSouth West filmat Appledore ArtsFestival

A Hard Day’s Knight, from CottageIndustry Films, won Best South WestFilm at the Appledore Arts Festival.

The film, which was completed in2008, is a bitter-sweet mockumentaryabout Britain’s only remainingprofessional Knight in ShiningArmour. Thirty-year-old Donaldprovides a 24-hour emergency call-outservice to anybody in distress from thebedroom of his parents house, in theheart of Devon.

Hard Day’s Knight has also picked upthe Best Film at the Totnes Short FilmFestival in 2009.

Also screening at Appledore wasPoppies, another of Cottage IndustryFilm’s award-winning movies.

Ashley Wing and Clayton Fussell ofCottage Indstury Films are organisingthe filmmaking networking eventCINE (Cottage Indstury NetworkingEvents) in conjunction with D+CFilm,of which more later.

In the meantime, here’s Hard Day’sKnight.

A Hard Day’s Knight from Ashley Wingon Vimeo.

Exeter filmmakerscoops prize atAustralian filmfestival

Exeter filmmaker Ashley Thorpe’sanimated short film The ScreamingSkull has been awarded Best AnimatedShort Film at the A Night of HorrorInternational Film Festival held inSydney, Australia.

The film, based on a British myth,was nominated for Best UK Short filmat last year’s Raindance film festivaland adds to a clutch of awards alreadygarnered by Ashley and his productioncompany Carrion Film.

Ashley told D+CFilm: “It’s an absolutehonour to be awarded. I was thrilled forit to be seen by a new audience let alonethis.

“It just goes to show that there is ahunger out there for these sorts oftraditional stories and that it’s time forBritish horror to reclaim its heritage.

“I also think it’s important toremember that filmmaking is a teameffort. I rely upon a group of dedicatedand talented friends to realise thesethings and much of this film’s strengthlies in its soundtrack, an exceptionallywonderful and daring piece of workby Mick Grierson. And of course thisthing would not have been made atall if it weren’t for the Exeter Phoenixand all the dedicated staff at AnimatedExeter.”

A Night of Horror InternationalFilm Festival is Australia’s premierehorror film festival, and according thewikipedia entry has been said that as‘Australia’s first horror film festival[it] recognises the past and gives thehorror genre a platform for the future’.

• Ashley has realised a childhoodambition of becoming a columnists onthe world renown Fangoria magazine.Find out what it means to him on D+CFilm on Saturday

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Truro filmmakerfinalist inrecession filmcompetition

Truro filmmaker Nathan Briggs wasshortlisted in the video section ofthe Lifesupport: Change through artcompetition, which called on 16-25year olds to illustrate the impactof the financial crisis through film,photography or illustration.

One of the judges, actor Ed Speelerssaid: “Nathan’s film was a very cleverand innovative idea – creative from acinematography point of view and hisangle on the theme was poignant.”

The panel of judges also included artistYinka Shonibare, whose work Nelson’sShip in a Bottle is on the Fourth Plinthin Trafalgar Square, and Nigel Davies,animation director at Aardman. Thecompetition was won by Chris Vickerswith his film’Times of change’

Two Short Nightsis acceptingsubmissions

The Two Short Nights film festival,which takes place at the ExeterPhoenix, is calling for entries.

The festival, which combines filmsfrom around the world with workshopsand events and is a celebration of theSouth West’s own filmmaking talent, isalso a showcase of the Exeter PhoenixDigital Bursary films.

Basically, Two Short Nights is a greatway to get your film ‘out there’.

Over the past three years D+CFilmshas sponsored the filmmakers’ awards,which have been made by SouthWest artists and represented a superbcrossover of creative disciplines.

To submit, films must be no longerthan 10 minutes, and a panel of judgeswill select successful applications, withthe films being screened as part of theTwo Short Nights Film Festival.

Send films as HDV 1080i or DV PALon Mini DV or as QuickTime file,to Phoenix Media. Films can onlybe returned when submitted with anSAE. Send your films to BradninchPlace, Gandy Street, Exeter, EX4 3LS.Deadline Thursday, September 16.

(Image: Both nights of Two ShortNights 2090 kicked off with anaudio visual Mapping event wherevisual artist and VJ Elliott Stallionprojected a site-specific sculpturallightshow on the front of the ExeterPhoenix building, in sync to an audiosoundscape specifically produced bylocal audio artist Ju Murphy.)

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Hells Bells! Writingfor Fangoriamagazine!Exeter-based filmmaker AshleyThorpe poured over famed horrormagazine Fangoria as a youngster.Now he’s one of the magazine’snamed columnists. Here’s how it allhappened. Take it away Ash…

Writing this feels more than a littleweird.

Just over a year ago I was reelingfrom my associates and I being givena Media Innovation Award. Now Iwon’t lie to you – I’ve never been tooimpressed by ‘the media’ par se but toreceive an award for innovation – thatmeant something to me. Shortly afterthat I was stunned when my animatedshorts were subsequently screenedat Cannes, the Fangoria weekend ofhorrors in New York and then anomination at Raindance in London.

Last year, bar redundancy and regulartrips to hospital, was pretty much ablur of astonishment. It looked like ahard year to follow.

But all this somehow shrinks in thepresence of one fact, one opportunity,one golden ticket that has come outof all of this: I am now writing forFangoria magazine.

The first issue came through thepost this week – wrapped in ayellow manilla – wherein I’m actuallycredited as a Fangoria contributor.Fangoria contributor. Still soundsstrange. Especially when you bear inmind that this 30-year-old magazineis based in Brooklyn, New York City,

and here I am writing articles aboutthe esoterica of the horror genre from arented house in Exeter, Devon.

But wait – I’m getting ahead of myself.Let me take you back to where it allbegan…

My first memory of buying Fangoriais leafing through a raggedy spinnerstand at Read ‘n’ Return on Fore Streetin the mid 1980s. I’d amble in thereeither after school or at the weekendand see which thumbed imports hadthe juiciest articles. The magazineswould be all scrunched up just to fitin it and you’d have to hunt throughdog-eared copies of Starburst and Madto find those unmistakable film stripgraphics.

I was in hogs heaven just letting myfingers walk that spinner, just takingin all those lurid stills, retro postersand technicolour splatter. In retrospectI guess it had the forbidden frisson ofpornography and I loved it.

The shop has since undergonenumerous changes of management so Idon’t think they’d mind me mentioninga school-uniformed child buying thisstuff. Incidentally it’s funny to thinkthat I’d subsequently go from there toB&P Video in Cowick Street (long gonein case Whitehouse or fraud squadare watching) wherein (still in schooluniform) I’d browse the joint Horror /Porno section and then chat withthe cashier about the coolest nastiescoming out. Hell, bless the guy, he’deven save the posters for me. A goldenage. Long gone.

Horror was my worldview at 14and Fangoria was my newspaper,recounting despatches. But I’ve alwayshad an unalloyed love of the macabrein any medium, and always enjoyed theempowering aspects of creating art ofany kind. Whether writing or paintingit was always the darker aspects ofthe fantastic that I was drawn to,sometimes by choice, sometimes viacircumstance.

I suffered from night terrors whenI was a child. I’d awake in trances,fevered dreams that I quite literallycouldn’t wake from – and as I grewolder, the only place where I founda recognition of those terrors was inhorror. I remember my Nan, quiteinnocently God bless her, buying me asecond-hand copies from St George’smarket of things like Pans BookOf Horror volume ‘god-knows-what’.These stories were far too adult for me,

really quite dark deviant stuff, and yetI saw in those stories something thatevoked those intangible dreads thathad come out of my dreams with mewhen I would awake trembling as achild in my parents arms.

For all the hysterical Thatcher eraparanoia that it was corruptingchildren (following in the proudtradition of the Penny Dreadfuls andthe EC horror comics of the 1950s theytried to ban it in the UK at one point),Fangoria actually helped me sort outwhatever was going on in my head.

My nightmares dissipated the more Iread. I learned the history of horror andI learned its craft. Thus, when I startedmaking my own stories and paintingsI felt that this was a place where I hadan authority of sorts. I felt it was mine.And of course, as much as horror wasabout confronting those early fears itwas also a means to escape the day today.

I’ve been extremely lucky to havefound like-minded people with whomto share that love of all things darkand disturbing. I made many ofmy school friends via running Callof Cthulhu role-playing games (thatimprovisational ‘on the spot’ instantnarrative conjuring is fantastic practicefor any aspiring scriptwriter, a littleadvice there for anyone listening…)

I’ve always had a lot of encouragement,whether from my parents or peoplethat I would show my artwork / filmsto, but it took nearly 10 years afterleaving university to really reconnectwith those passions.

I made the inevitable mistake of ‘doingwhat I thought I should do to getsomewhere’, only to end up at theDHSS via the salt mines! As they say:‘the path to truth is neverstrewn withroses’. Perhaps I didn’t really knowwhat people expected, so possibly Imade a lot of bad choices, ‘the wrongmethod with the wrong technique’, butthe moment that I just threw it all awayand said, like the little iconoclast I usedto be as a child, ‘Bollocks to this’. That’s

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when, ironically, it all started comingtogether.

After years of circling round theperimeters of the industry, a little bitof BBC work here and a little bit ofillustration there, I moved back to myhome town, settled down and decidedthat I was going to create a seriesof animations – with whatever skills,however limited that I’d picked up upalong the way, with budgets howeversmall – and make something of allthe neglected half forgotten stories thatfascinated me as a child. And, like thereturn of a childhood imaginary friend,I started reading Fangoria again.

And that, ironically, is where it allbegins.

These short films (Scayrecrow, TheScreaming Skull and more recently TheHairy Hands) caught the attention of aCanadian film journalist by the nameof Chris Alexander. I say ‘caught theattention of’, what I actually mean is Itracked him down and sent him copiesof my films. You see, he used to writeone of my favourite columns for RueMorgue magazine before leaving to jointhe monster of horror publishing thatis Fangoria.

I knew from his delirious columnsthat this heartfelt cineaste not onlyloved Hammer horror but was alsoa connoisseur of sleaze. My kind ofjournalist. He watched them, lovedthem and did everything he couldto get others to watch them too. IfI’ve achieved any degree of successwith what I’m trying to do, after mycolleagues and long suffering fiancee,Chris certainly deserves a big share ofthe credit.

In a weird twist of fate earlier thisyear, after many years of being acontributor Chris Alexander becameEditor in Chief and one of the firstthings he did was try to get more‘film people’ involved in the magazine.Due to our shared enthusiasm in eachother’s work I was one of the lucky onesthat got the call.

That was a phone call I won’t forget ina hurry. The first thing that Chris didwas set up a number of new columns –Trash Compactor (about lesser knownB-movie nuggets) and Sound Shocks(about the rarely discussed aspectsof genre soundtracks). That that firstarticle that I pitched – a piece on UKSci-Fi nasty ‘XTRO’ – was initially hardwork.

I think the weight of what I wasabout to do crashed in on me. I wasabout to write for what was, for abouttwo decades, my favourite magazinein the whole world. Suddenly, thewords didn’t trip off the tongue quiteso readily. The follow-up came morereadily and it’s become easier article byarticle.

Chris has relayed that the articlesare getting good feedback and thatgives me more confidence as ‘a writer’.Apart from the deed of writing forthe magazine itself, the other weirdfrisson came from recently trackingdown and interviewing a couple offilm composers and signing off thecorrespondence with the Fangoriacrest. The name still opens doors andstill demands respect. It’s a dreamcome true and I’m proud to be part of it.What am I trying to say here?

It’s so difficult to gauge sometimeswhat will press peoples buttons. Youcould potentially spend the rest of yourlife trying to divine a formula. I’m notfor a second saying that I’ve found anyanswers. I still feel as if I’m making thisup as I go along.

I’ve still got a very long way to go.Still learning my craft as a filmmakerand as a writer. All I can say isthat I spent 10 years chasing mediatail, but the moment that I startedmaking something honest, somethingthat I truly wanted to see aswellas make, something ironically notmade to necessarily impress anyonebut certainly made for an audience,that’s the moment it all started togain momentum. I’m back at thatspinner again, letting my fingers do thewalking. Best advice I can give: Look towhat you love. Make it personal.

(images: top, Fangoria cover thatfeatures Ashley’s first article; middle,Ashley on set for The Hairy Hands;bottom, a vision of the future, perhaps?Fangoria cover mock up featuringAshley)

ASHLEY THORPE

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Obsessed withBetty Blue

I could say that my obsession with filmbegan with the long, static shot of thegate at the beginning of Pauline A LaPlage (Eric Rohmer, 1985). However,this would probably be a lie. AlthoughI do remember that it was certainlythe French cinema of the late 80s thatturned what was at the time an interestinto one of the dominant themes of mylife. But as with any memory, it is hardto know where it all began.

Another stand-out film was LesAmants Du Pont-Neuf (Leos Carax,1991), a sublime story of down and outsliving on the oldest bridge in Paris. Yet,by this time, I had already become aconvert to this new temple. The loveaffair had already taken place – Caraxreleased this film far, far, too late. ButI don’t really know where it all began.

I’ve ended up asking this questionbecause of the sheer boredom ofSaturday night television. The effect ofwhich has sent me reeling back to myDVD collection in the hope of findingsomething a little more stimulatingthan the awful talent shows and genrehospital dramas, which should havebeen put out of their misery years ago.

Just looking at these shelves I came tothe conclusion that the initiation couldhave happened anywhere: Subway(Luc Besson, 1985), Nikita (LucBesson, 1990), Women On The VergeOf A Nervous Breakdown (PedroAlmodovar, 1988) Delicatessen (Jean-Pierre, 1991). All of these at some pointhave made their mark, and left mewanting more. The cinematic imagebecame dominant in my life. Then, ofcourse, there was Betty.

Betty Blue (Jean-Jacques Beineix,1986) or 37.2 Le Matin, may well beone of the great French films of thelast 30 years. There’s little doubt thatit made a world-wide impact upon itsrelease, picking up a Oscar nominationfor best foreign language film. BettyBlue is a passionate film about twopeople who are in love. Betty (BeatriceDalle) is overwhelmingly attractive.Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade), her lover

and narrator of the film, says ’she waslike a flower with translucent antennaeand a mauve plastic heart’. However,beneath Betty’s beauty there lurks abeast.

I’m being a little unfair describingBetty as a beast. She is troubled by abi-polar disorder that she seems not towant to control. Betty is a women witha rage within that is more dangerous toherself than she is to others. Her beautycovers the torment that seethes inside– she is a condemned women who iscompelled to follow the voices in herhead. There is nothing that can keepthem quiet. Not even her relationshipwith Zorg can help her.

This film is a story told with pathos,sometimes humour. It follows Betty’sjourney, and Zorg’s observations ofher ups and downs, through hersometimes violent outbursts, with asublime intensity. In this sense the filmis almost beguiling. There is nothingthat can be done for this woman, andthere is one point towards the end ofthe film where her troubles are blamedon the drugs she was placed on inthe first place. But one is left with thefeeling that this may not be the fulltruth. Betty will always be on the runfrom her own demons.

So it was with Betty I spent theevening, watching her once again onher downward spiral that nothing canstop. I note that this film is now 25years old – but does not look as if it hassuffered much. Betty is as fresh now asit was when it was first released backin the mid-80s. As to the answer to thequestion of where my obsession withcinema began, then quite likely it beganhere with Betty Blue, and it is likely thatI will always be obsessed with this darkbi-polar beauty.

NICK INGRAM

Right at YourDoor and thecontemporaryterrorism film

9/11 changed the world in anunimaginable way – economically,socially and politically. Cinema hasalways been affected by social,economic and political changes andwhen the 9/11 disaster happened itgave Hollywood cause to exploit a newsense of realism that had not been seenbefore. This is not to say that theymade entertainment out of the eventsthat occurred then and subsequently,but rather that they had a new way todevelop what they already had. Thislead to the birth of a new type of film:the contemporary terrorism film.

The presence of 9/11 permeates intounsuspected movies, such as Borat

and Man on Wire . Butthe films that tackle terrorism, suchas Right at Your Door , WorldTrade Centre, Battle for Haditha, aremeant to make us reflect and becomemore socially aware of the world weinhabit.

Hollywood knows this and tackles itnot with subtly and dignity (two thingsin which Hollywood has never beenparticularly famous for) but strikingopenness and spoon-feeding.

The notion of cinematic realismcan be complicated, but in essence,it is fairly straight-forward – itseeks to create familiarity throughconstructed elements, which areentirely dependent on the spectator.Essentially it is a highly personal affairand is effective through what youperceive to be real. For example, FullMetal Jacket is a war film setin Vietnam and most of the film takesplace in what seems to be a bombedtown in Vietnam. But the scenes wereshot in London Docklands and StanleyKubrick had the town built to appearas if it was in Vietnam. It is theiconography that the landscape retains

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which makes us believe where the filmis set.

The contemporary terrorist film uses avery similar way of providing realismto lure an audience in: it uses wellestablished and familiar settings andscenarios to provide an insight into abig ‘What If…’

Right at Your Door is an interestingexample of this. It uses establishedrealism staples, such as hand-held cinematography and unknownperformers to eradicate all sensesof glorification and replaces theminstead with a ham-handed sense offamiliarity.

What is bold about the film, however,is that it never explains who hasactually dropped the ‘dirty bombs’ orthe reasons to why they have done so.That’s something that is not presentin many other films of this type,which often opt for half-baked plotspresented via stereotypical extremistgroups. This rejection is what makesRight at Your Door all the moreinteresting. The downside is that itpushes the focus of the film into thedirection of the characters, who arequite dim and not particularly well-rounded.

However, the film has a clever andunique ending which actually seemsplausible. It also has a bleak feelingto it with little or no sentiment, muchlike other films of this genre, but it isuncommon for Hollywood to be quiteso daring. I just wish that it were morefrequent.

JAMES WALKERDINE

Five theses onthe theme of lovein Vicky CristinaBarcelona

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (WoodyAllen, 2009) is a film about love. Or,to be more precise, it’s a film about thenature of love.

As we first encounter both Vicky(Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (ScarlettJohansson), the camera hovers on thepair in the back of the cab they take intothe city, and the narrator tells us thatVicky “…had no tolerance for pain andno lust for combat. She was groundedand realistic. Her requirements in aman were seriousness and stability”. Inother words Vicky wants a love that isanchored, she wants the trappings ofa successful middleclass life and a lifethat is only attainable if she is marriedwithout making any rash decisions.

Cristina, in comparison, is fiery andindecisive. She has the habit of lettingher emotions rule her head and isa romantic of the passionate kind:“She had reluctantly accepted sufferingas an inevitable component of deeppassion, and was resigned at puttingher feelings at risk. If you had askedher what she was gambling on heremotions to win, she would have notbeen able to say.”

Cristina wants to be engulfed by heremotions while Vicky likes to stay incontrol. The irony of the film is thatboth end up sleeping with the sameman.

Pragmatic love is the stoic middleclassreaction to life. We are born, we getan education, we get married, we havechildren, and raise them. Romanticmode of love is an attempt to livelife to the full, regardless of whereit takes you. In the case of Cristinait takes her in to the bed of JuanAntonio (Javier Bardem) – this wouldbe her gamble with her emotions –but at no point would this relationshipbe a challenge to her own values. Yet

for Vicky her relationship with JuanAntonio is a direct challenge to herpragmatic, moral framework.

This moral dilemma is represented inthe scene where Cristina and Vicky firstmeet Juan Antonio face-to-face. JuanAntonio approaches the Americanholiday makers while they are diningon a late evening in Barcelona. Hesays: “I would like to invite you bothto Oviedo… for the weekend. We leavein one hour. I go to see a sculpturewhich is very inspiring to me… I’ll showyou around the city, we’ll eat well, we’lldrink good wine, we’ll make love.”

Of course, it is Vicky who takesoffence. “Who exactly is going to makelove?” she asks. Juan Antonio answers:“Hopefully the three of us.” Vickyis challenged, not only by the sheeraudacity of Juan Antonio, but also byCristina’s romanticism.

Juan Antonio is willing to take Vicky’sscepticism with a pinch of salt. Hewants to live his life free of bourgeoisillusions. Vicky still ends up makinglove with Juan Antonio.

Unlike Vicky, Cristina and JuanAntonio, Juan Antonio’s father is asolitary man who has retreated fromthe world – because those around himhave not learnt how to love.

Vicky asks Juan Antonio: “Why won’tyour father publish his poems?” JuanAntonio sighs: “Because he hates theworld, and that’s his way of gettingback at them, to make beautifulworks, and then deny them to thepublic.” Vicky asks: “What makes himso angry towards the human race?”Juan Antonio replies: “Because afterthousands of years of civilisation theystill have not learnt to love.”

Juan Antonio’s father believes theworld could be a utopia, insteadit is an ugly place that does notdeserve his consideration. He thereforeretreats from society in the mostprofound, unrealistic, and negativeterms. By cutting himself off fromsociety and by his failure to engage,Juan Antonio’s father, has committed

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a spiritual suicide – a retreat fromsociety in the name of love is society’sloss.

Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz), JuanAntonio’s estranged wife, representsthe burning engulfment of love. Aperson so open to the world that tolive with their strength of emotion canonly bring about constant attempts todestroy one’s very existence.

Maria Elena is an extreme version ofCristina’s romantic ideal, but MariaElena’s emotions burn so great that allcontrol is lost, and the beauty of theseemotions become self destructive.

While out on a picnic with MariaElena and Juan Antonio, Cristinasays: “It’s sad really, because I feelI have a lot to express… I’m notgifted.” Maria Elena replies: “But youdo have talent.” Cristina: “What’smy talent?” Maria Elena: “You takebeautiful photographs.” Juan Antoniosays: “That’s true, she always takespictures she hides from me.” Cristina:“No that’s because they’re nothing.How do you know I take pictures?”Maria Elena: “I found them in yourluggage.” Cristina: “You went throughmy luggage?” Maria Elena: “Of courseI went through your luggage. The firstnight I was in the house I didn’t trustyou. I didn’t believe who you said youwere. I really wanted to know whowas sharing the bed of my ex-husband.Who knows what I was going to findthere? How could I be sure you werenot going to hurt me? After all I hadthoughts of killing you!”

Here the destructive impulse of lovecomes through – at the end of the filmshe fires a gun at both Juan Antonioand Vicky.

In Vicky Cristina Barcelona there arefive separate ideas of a definition oflove. Vicky’s pragmatism, facing theworld with a sceptic analytical eye.Cristina’s romanticism, the openingof the emotions to the winds of life.Then there is Juan Antonio with hischallenge to any form of bourgeoispragmatism – a challenge both to loveand the shape of the world. The reverseof this is his father’s idealistic spiritualsuicide, unwilling to commit to a worldthat he feels does not love, when allthose around him live with an intensitythat could run towards destruction –the position occupied by Maria Elena.

NICK INGRAM

PlymouthSymphonyOrchestra presentsMusic from TheMovies at theGuildhall (review)

Conductor, Anne Kimber apologisedfor having no popcorn available, but inevery other respect it would be hardto imagine anyone not enjoying such acomprehensive selection of film musicplayed by a full symphony orchestra.

True the use of brass and percussionwas often predictable, but there wasalso sufficient variety to keep allbut the most demanding audience-member entertained, and in any casethese two sections were on particularlygood form on the night.

World War Two was well representedwith The Dam Busters March, anda suitably stirring rendition of 633Squadron, which also provided a well-deserved encore, and a fitting tributeto its Devonport-born composer, RonGoodwin.

The haunting melody from Schindler’sList, and Gabriel’s Oboe provided somewelcome quieter moments, allowingKlaus Badelt’s Pirates of the Caribbeanto blow all the cobwebs away.

For the purist who doesn’t quiteequate film scores with classical music,there was always Mahler’s Adagietto,which really showed off the qualityof the orchestra’s strings, led by PaulMathews, and Bliss’s Things to ComeSuite. The Lord of the Rings, Gladiator,and Eric Wetherell’s pastiche of musicfrom Superman, Born Free, and StarWars brought this most enjoyableevening to a close.

It was lovely to see so many youngpeople present who, to their real credit,remained perfect listeners even duringany less exciting moments.

PHILIP R BUTTALL

Beanfield at theBike Shed Theatre:review

Battle of Beanfield inspiresproduction at Exeter Bike ShedTheatre

Twenty-five years ago on June 1, thePeace Convoy, made up of hundredsof new-age travellers, was on its wayto the 14th free festival at Stonehenge,Wilstshire, when it was met withviolent action from police at a road-blockage set to determine an exclusionzone that had been declared four milesaround the English Heritage site. Manyconvoy vehicles escaped through ahedge into a nearby field, and after astand-off of several hours, riot policeentered the field on foot.

What followed was described byeyewitness and ITN reporter KinSabido as: “Some of the most brutalpolice treatment of people that I’vewitnessed in my entire career as ajournalist. ”

Convoy vehicles were destroyed withthe occupants still hiding within,including pregnant women, weredragged down caravan steps bytheir hair. Nick Davies reportedfor the Observer: “There was glassbreaking, people screaming, blacksmoke towering out of burningcaravans and everywhere there seemedto be people being bashed and flattenedand pulled by the hair. Men, womenand children were led away, shivering,swearing, crying, bleeding, leavingtheir homes in pieces.”

Now, the events of that extraordinaryday have been brought back into publicconsciousness in a new play by Bristol-based playwright Shaun McCarthy.Beanfield is a powerful, emotionalnew production at Exeter’s Bike ShedTheatre, reliving the Battle of theBeanfield through the eyes of travellersand police alike.

It begins with a Shakespearean-styleprologue from convoy member andnew-age idealist Steamer, played byBen Crispin, who delivers each linewith conviction, generating a powerful

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empathy with his portrayal of ayoung man disillusioned by a harshchildhood, seeking a Utopia, which isabout to be shattered irrevocably.

Joining him on the road is Annie, ayoung woman who differs from manyother members of the procession bycoming from a wealthy, middle-classbackground. Constantly teased forbeing ‘posh’, her unstable convictionsdissolve as events unfold. Katie Villagives an authentic performance thatwill resonate with anyone torn betweentwo worlds, unable to truly belong toeither, and feels lost and drifting insearching for their reason for living.

Another genuinely responsivecharacter is that of chicken farm handDiane, whom Georgie Rennolds playswith an engaging sense of lovablewhimsy, as a young girl drawn into theworld and politics of the convoy.

Eli Thorne and Ben Simpson bothgive solid, versatile performancesas both fellow travellers and theirvillainous police-force counterparts,with a particularly impressive speechdelivered with blazing fervour byThorne on the eve of the battle.Both Rennolds and Villa also slipinto state-approved alter-egos as thepolice or members of English Heritagewithout a murmur, helped along byan inventive and mobile set designedby Phil Wyatt, depicting everythingfrom a psychedelic mini-bus to adomestic scene in Birmingham withease. Occasionally the on-set scenechanges were a little clunky, makingit hard to hear what a character wassaying as a van interior was dismantledaround them, but overall changes weremade with minimum fuss.

Beanfield has been directed byDavid Lockwood of Particular TheatreCompany with skillful precision andimpressive vision. From the subtlelighting by Rachel Duthie to thelive music from Ben Goldstone, eachaspect of Beanfield’s production hasbeen thought out and implementedwith a comprehensive understandingof what makes good theatre alongsideMcCarthy’s script.

I have not been moved to give astanding ovation since seeing Toscaat the Prague State Opera, but as thelights dimmed on the final scene myselfand many other audience membersleapt to our feet whistling, cheeringand stamping at what is certainlythe most accomplished and successfulproduction that the Bike Shed, and

possibly, Exeter, has seen so far thisyear.

Beanfield runs at the Bike ShedTheatre until the 19th June. For moreinformation go the Exeter’s Bike ShedTheatre site.

NATASZA KULER-VON-DER-LUHE

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Jonathan Delbridgeand Bianca Phillipsat EmmanuelChurch inPlymouth (review)

There’s invariably something specialabout concerts at Plymouth’sEmmanuel Church, with their widevariety of musical styles, and warm,welcoming atmosphere.

But the jewel in the crown must surelybe their use of multimedia technology,where close-up video shots of theartists, punctuated by tastefully chosenslides, are projected onto a big screen.It really brings everything to life sodramatically.

Jonathan Delbridge fitted the billto perfection. There was his naturaldelivery and highly-accomplishedpiano playing, from Debussy and JohnIreland to a Bill Evans jazz standard.

Swapping the piano stool for theorgan bench, he put the church’s fineinstrument through its paces, with anot overlong, but highly appropriateselection, culminating in an excitingperformance of Widor’s Toccata.

It was all designed to show off theorgan’s best features, and the chance towatch Jonathan’s nimble footwork upclose on the big screen was an addedbonus.

Soprano, Bianca Phillips, provided theideal vocal complement, equally athome in Franck’s Panis Angelicus,numbers from Carousel and some

delightful jazz items, which allconfirmed the clear musical empathybetween these two talented and mostpersonable young artists.

And with Britten’s Tell me the Truthabout Love, an intriguing take onJabberwocky by American art-songcomposer, Lee Hoiby, and SesameStreet’s Rubber Ducky, this was a mostenjoyable evening’s entertainment inwhich the now-legendary intervalrefreshments not surprisingly playedtheir part, too.

PHILIP R BUTTALL