The Big Blue Fence

Despite reading the current crop of synchromystic blogs about the "Blue Entity". It was only last week that I realised the connection with The Big Blue Fence. The Big Blue Fence is a project I have had a fairly close relationship with for the past few years. It started out as part of a larger community engagement project in East London.The idea of which was to hear the voice of ordinary Londoners. Some talked of London hosting of the olympics in 2012 . How would it effect them? had they been consulted ? What change would it bring to their communities? One such change was the Big Blue Fence that had been erected around the perimeter of the olympic site. 

I had a personal resonance with the Big Blue Fence as I used to live in a housing cooperative at "Clays Lane" which was demolished to make way for the olympic village. Some of my friends were still living there when the compulsory purchase orders came through, some were rehoused, some were still waiting to be rehoused as the diggers began rolling in. Clays Lane had special memories for me.It was while living at Clays Lane that I experienced an awakening of sorts to a more personal understanding of my psychology & spirituality. At times I questioned whether this experience was healthy or detrimental to my mental health, but thanks to some good friends who reaasured me I was not alone, just an psychik youth awakening. My martial arts school that ensured I was physically grounded. I was encouraged to sing, dance , to meditate and find balance and I took some crucial steps forward along my life path.

The Big Blue Fence had now encircled my old home at Clays Lane / Temple Mills this was now the hallowed ground of the olympic site, and the Big Blue fence would serve keep the public out. My days at Clays Lane and the glimpses of paranioa I experienced there are mostly forgotten. Occasionally something reminds me of those days. A recent interview with Rik Clay about his take on the 2012 olympics and the olympics site reminded me that digging too deeply too quickly into the waters of magic and conspiracy can be a dangerous game. Rik sadly took his life earlier this year. The Big Blue Fence came to represent a blank canvas on which we could express our thoughts about life in Hackney. I felt like going down to the real Big Blue Fence and doing somme graffitii but I'm far too upstanding a cityzen to do that,better to use the group work sessions of the Big Blue fence Project. The project evolved and an installation was produced for display at a local community festival, on Well Street common E9 , this developed further to the Interactive Installation displayed at Hackney Museum and the group work sessions that accompanied it . The installation is now on display at Walthstow Library where its continues to explore the wealth of Heritage in East London past and future . The real Big Blue Fence has now largely been painted over with corporate art & advertising. The installation is on the move and constantly changing just like the trains that the writers in New York used to develop there "art" in the 80's 

Where will the Blue Conciousness take us next?

Click the links for more on 

The Blue Dragon

The Blue Ray Circle Story

Blue and Green Doors

Blue and Yellow

Blue Five

Blue Helicopters

Deep Blue

The Big Chill

Sometimes you forget how much your behaviour is programmed by external factors e.g. advertising / marketing strategies. For most of 2009 I was working in community development on various projects including the Big Blue Fence which I've also blogged about.

The "Big Delivery Project"  was a corporate partnership between the Big Issue and various other organisations ( my company included ) which involved me distributing copies of the Big Issue to selected outlets. During this time I of course read the weekly copies of the Big Issue  and the regular articles on the Big Chill, but when my friend suggested we attend this year I assumed it was my decision ( I've known about the Big Chill since its early days but never been to the festival ), I hadn't registered the tie in between the Big Issue and The Big Chill until the week before last, when I read that it was Big Issue sellers that were to be the selling the official programs at the Big Chill. Despite embarrasssment at my realisation that I'm just another programmed drone I was looking forward to the Big Chill festival 2009.

I hadn't been to a festival since the early nineties. The last time was Glastonbury the year "The Shamen" were at number one with "Ebenezer Goode" despite their  later pop success they played a sublime set of their classics and finished with "Re-evolution" a partnership with Terrance Mckenna whose voice echoed across the Vale of Avalon while a lazer hologram circle above us. 

 As I was looking forward to the Big Chill Festival 2009 I remembered all those years ago when the "Big Chill" was an underground party in London on a sunday afternoon designed for ravers to chill out at. I went a few times and remember "Angels of Disorder" (aerial art) , DJ's "Nelson Dilation and the Pupils of Dilation" , Coldcut (live) , Hexstatic and the Global Communication/Jedi Knights. There were always lots of Acid headz and some ruff jungle but good vibez. Now London has the big Chill House , the Big Chill Bar (In a venue previously known as the Cross bar where I used to attend the hip hop / Electro nights "Scratch"  and "Electrocuted" ) and the Big Chill  record label ! Highlights of this years Big Chill Festival were Orbital (the reunion) Bassment Jaxx ,Tom "The Jedi" Middleton playing one of his legendary "one more tune sets" & the Next Men. My discovery of the festival (and one I only recommend to the extremely broadminded) was Chris Cunnigham the A.V. artist behind Aphex Twins "Window licker" , "Rubber Johnny" and "Flex" videos