Tag: heart of the world

As spotted by Hank Bull, exec director of the van international centre for contemporary asian arts

Heart of the World got a mention in the Georgia Straight, Vancouver’s weekly “alternative” newspaper.

BRINGING UP HOUSE LIGHTS ON THE DRIVE

Local artistic coordinator Jhayne Holmes has launched a campaign to raise $48,000 by next Friday (December 8), as a deposit toward the purchase of the 300-seat theatre at 639 Commercial Drive (most recently the Raja Theatre, and formerly the New York). Holmes hopes to turn the cinema into a multidisciplinary art and performance space called Heart of the World, open to hosting film festivals, cabaret events, visual art, live music, and dance. Even if she makes the deadline, however, she’ll still have to come up with the $935,000 balance. Check out www.foxtongue.com/ for the complete picture.

> Brian Lynch

Link found here by Duncan

Rowan says it’s in the bottom right of the Arts Review Capsule.

And, as it stands, we have the deposit down to 25,800$CAN.

I


before the darkest hour
Originally uploaded by Foxtongue.

So except for the number bits, which Stephen Elliot is doing, and a spit polish, and some formatting, the business plan is done.

However, what with the sudden vanishment of my deposit into someone’s American medical bills, we need to raise 35,000$CAN by December 8th. (Between Scott and I, we have 14,000). That’s when my option on the building runs out. It’s a good chance we’ve got this if we can put down the deposit, but seven days isn’t enough time to finish the deal.

I’m going to look into selling shares this week. Likely at $200 each. That means if 175 people buy a share, we’ve got the deposit, and so, it looks likely, the theatre.

So, who wants to come with to a show?

hurrah torpedo have a way with appliances I can only be jealous of

ILM “work in progress”.

Writing the business plan goes alright, though slowly. I feel it should have been finished by last Tuesday. As I told Minesh, (a young men on sabbatical here who’s been helping start Heart of the World beating), at one point, somewhere close to but not quite three in the morning, a chunk of e.e. cummings spun off a word and landed determinedly in the middle of a paragraph, so that it read like this:

For commercial, profit-making theatrical performances, as in the case of hold-over’s, touring shows, etcetera, my my sweet old etcetera, aunt lucy during the recent war could and what is more did tell you just what everybody was fighting for, my sister Isabel created hundreds (and hundreds)of socks not to mention fleaproof earwarmers etcetera wristers etcetera, my mother hoped that i would die etcetera bravely of course my father used to become hoarse talking about how it was a privilege and if only he could meanwhile my self etcetera lay quietly in the deep mud et cetera (dreaming, et cetera, of Your smile eyes knees and of your Etcetera)

I didn’t actually realize until I was reading it over the next morning, after some sleep, when it occurred to me that such things offer more insight into the muzzy velvet tangle my brain occupies when it’s exhausted than feels fair.

My film of the week: 9 by Shane Acker.

there is a road that leads to my house, but I don’t live there yet

I fall in love with these people. It rains outside and I fall in love with them. The sun fights off the morning clouds like it’s kicked itself free of thick dreary blankets and I fall in love with them. This is the future. Every day this week I have shared thoughts with another country, written across an ocean, explained very carefully to a tiny video camera how I think I can make this work. I’m not chasing a shadow, I’m chasing a dream. It’s like I’m that metaphorical one girl army, one that’s fought its way off the page to actually stand. The screen in front of me is a window, as is the screen in front of you. It’s alive in the same way that mythology used to be, in the same way that thousands of people carry a cross around their neck. Slowly, we are building the next town with wires. Last time I heard, fifty percent of the human population had never made a phone call. Last time I heard, tribesmen in Africa were climbing trees to get better cell-phone reception in the middle of the bush. We can’t lock them out.

It’s because of these things, I don’t want to fail. It’s because of the choices we hold in our hands. I want to change something, not raise a glossy flag then look away. I’m tired of people being scared of the dark, deciding that because it’s not their concrete back yard that they don’t have to care.

Vancouver has a water warning on right now. Tumultuous weather has thrown an avalanche into the water supply, bringing with it possible gasto-intestinal parasites. The number of people who don’t seem to understand that we’re still obscenely rich in natural luxury in spite of this is staggering. They have to boil it first, but it won’t kill them, and they still have access to it. Compare that to the number of people in the world who have, on average, a bucket of water a day to live with. Maybe it’s too late for us to see outside ourselves, but I’d like to think that the recent inconvenience here might force some sacred hearts into flame.

I’ve been here so long it sounds wrong that people are still wishing me “good morning”

The lost NASA footage has been found. In a basement – in Australia – under some “stuff”.


protection
Originally uploaded by Tristan C.

So there’s two things that would be incredibly useful, but need to be done during regular work hours, (and though my work is surprisingly friendly about the recent twisting of my hours around working on this, its becoming a wee leery about my hours in general). They both require someone who has a 2 – 3 hour commitment.

One: A visit to the city archives to get information on the theatre spanning from 1977 to 2006. This is the place, this is the address we need researched, 639 Commercial Drive. AJ gave them a call, (she can’t go down with the baby), and says that if you haven’t been to the city archives before, that it’s best to go after 10 am to do the little orientation before you start hunting. (Everything is indexed and there’s helpful staff there).

Two: A visit to City Hall to find out anything possible regarding viable 24 hour operation, environmental studies that have been done on the property, legal capacity, licenses, etceteras. I’m not looking into getting that baroque thing that is a Vancouver Liqueur license, not yet, so that can be left alone, but it would be good to have the details of live performance permits. ($175/each, that I know).

Southwest Research Institute, UCSC researchers identify the Moon-forming impact, make nifty animated video.

holy world, I need sleep.

The project’s taking off. I’ve got Hsing Lee of FOCCED working with me; I’ve recieved an interested letter from no less than Michael Parenti; the business plan should be finished to a polish, (minus some numbers I can’t get without an inspection of the property), by late tomorrow night; both a corporation to buy the place and a society to run it should be set up ready-to-run as of Monday; and I went over to Tom Durrie’s house this evening, (the General Manager of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra Society), and was given a history of the theatre from the Save The New York Society, which means less work for whomever volunteers to hit up the Archives. *hint* It contains accurate information up to 1977.

Remember: Heart of the World has a mailing list now. It will be used primarily for sending out calls for volunteers and keeping everyone In the Loop.

In other news, I’ll be working Saturday morning at the Dance Centre, which means that for three weeks running, I won’t have had a day off. Someone needs to make me dinner. I don’t particularly care who.

they both have the same name

Ahmet Zappa is developing Fraggle Rock into a full-length feature film.

It is maddening to be able to write clearly and concisely about the frustrations attached to writing a business plan without having the instant skill to apply the same to the business plan itself. The language is entirely different, if not, possibly, the entire vocabulary. It’s like how I don’t know Dutch, though the alphabet is the same.

Mostly thanks to Warren, Foxtongue.com hits are already nearing 2000 and we’ve only been up for a little over 24 hours. (I expect it to hit 2000 by the time I get up in the morning for work). Thanks to the popularity of the website, we seem to have added a lawyer to the mix of volunteers, a few film-makers, and a neuro-scientist. I’m not sure what we’re going to do with the last one, but I’m more than certain I want to know her anyway. Over the course of yesterday and today, I broke both my mail-boxes with the sheer volume of letters going in and out. I would be amazed, except that I’m more annoyed with myself for not remembering that I kill them every time I’m working on something serious. A mailing list will be set up next, hopefully available as of tomorrow. A nice, handy, not-going-to-count-against-my-limit mailing list.

Also, I need some press releases. Also, still an artist sketch rendition of what the place will look like once we shiny it up and info and archival materials on the New York Theatre.

There’s an english language trailer for “Perfume” available.

Heart of the World (broke my mail-box)

The plan in essence is laid out here: www.foxtongue.com. I’m asking you to forward this as e-mail to absolutely everyone in your address books, to post it to every forum and mailing list you can think of, to carpet-bomb the internet with this pitch. (Even this intro bit, yes). The more people we have read this, the more chance we have to exist. We have three weeks to raise a million dollars. Please, go to.

_________________
Imagine buying a space and starting your own theatre, or your own art gallery, or your own movie theatre, or your own music hall. Imagine being able to host performances of all sorts- giving your creative friends space to perform or exhibit their work. I’ve got friends who are dancers and painters and lighting designers and actors and directors and writers and photographers and cinematographers… it would be amazing to give them a space to create what they dream of, to be seen, heard, and appreciated.

I found an old cinema in Vancouver, built in 1910 and most recently used as a Bollywood house. It used to be The New York, where Neil Young and Sonic Youth once played. And it’s up for sale.

I want to turn it into a 21st Century “multi-disciplinary arts facility featuring inspiring work from all over the globe that recaptures and surpasses its previous glory.” And I want to call it Heart Of The World.

Housed in a classic 300 seat theatre built in 1910, the heyday of theatre, before any “leaky condo” fiasco, Heart of the World is to address the contemporary artistic and creative needs of the constantly evolving geographic location in which it is situated, offering competitive rates and a multi-faceted performance space. Complete with a full sized stage, a balcony with box seats, and a fully functional projection booth, the bones of the space hold limitless promise – able to show films, dance, theatrical productions, acoustic and amplified concerts, and cabaret events. In the foyer, artists both local and international will be able to advantageously display their work, whether it is photography, painting, drawing or sculpture. As a web presence, Heart of the World will offer podcasts of performances, a gallery of streaming video of performers, the chance to chat with featured artists, and up-to-date interviews, reviews and schedule listings.

How to help Jhayne:

So you don’t have money or don’t know what to say- make it short, make it sweet, don’t say anything you don’t mean, and copy-paste pass on the word to your friends/coworkers/contacts.

If you’re contributing a few bucks, your endorsement can be merely, “My money’s worth it.” If you’re willing to contribute time/energy, your endorsement can be “I’d sweep the stage,” or “I’d stuff envelopes,” or “I’d work on the theatre’s electrics crew.” If you don’t think you can do those things, but you want to see this happen for your own entertainment purposes, your endorsement can be “I’d pay to see a performance at Heart of the World.” If you live too far away, but you think this is a good idea, write “I wish Heart of the World were in my city,” or merely “This is a great idea.”

Be honest, and don’t bite your tongue. Feel free to copy and paste, if any of these sentiments echo the words that are not coming from you.

Don’t do this because I’m telling you to, though. Do this because you want to help or because you think it’s a good idea.

Of special merit are local bands/theatre troupes/cinematographers/other performers and local entertainment patrons.

All you have to do is promise to go to a show.

Short and sweet means that potential contributors see more endorsements.