‘Make me an island’
Yesterday I was standing in front of a mirror to preflect on the project To-Gather in 2010-2011. ‘Mirror mirror on the wall, will To-Gather become a DIVA-project?’ I asked.
In July the project was nominated to become a DIVA-project and experts from Brussels are now working on it. On the mirror was written ‘Relax and wait’.
I looked again in the mirror and tried to see clearly what was going on. Suddenly the mirror showed a three dimensional vision of the future and it made me feel like an avatar. Slowly the mirror turned into water with high waves and in the middle was a dragonship.
‘All hens on deck’ I thought and I stepped into the mirror and on the dragonship. The dragon was to scare people not to do wrong things in the project.
Hundred To-Gatherpeople were on board and I took the wheel. Next to the wheel the inner circle was standing and giving a helping hand. I recognised Kinda, Duygu, Burcu, Marijke, Henk, Hans, Anja, Tessa, Darja, Petra and the coördinators Sandra, Robi, Susana, Hugo. Audrey, Henrik, Iveta, Kinga, Frans and Nilufer. Beata, Florbela and Alistair from the Advisory Board had drawn a route on a big map. Lammert, Karen, Jannie, Mark and Peta were sitting in the crow’s nest to check and to focus on the horizon. ‘We should apply for something new’ Lammert shouted from above. Now everybody was on the same ship and singing: 'Make me an island'. In the distance was a beautiful island in the middle of the ocean. There were still some empty places on the island and many young people were lost. In the programmes the learning routes of To-Gather were not yet implemented. On the walls graffiti was written: ‘Come to gather right now over me’.
We landed on the beach and everybody got out of the ship. Some had heavy material with them such as stones to build new To-Gatherschools and others carried learning-routes, music-instruments, paint of multi-colours, manuscripts or a handful of ideas. In a big box was placed in the sand. On it was written: five minds for the future. It looked like the To-Gatherpeople were waiting for something.‘What should we do next’?’ they asked. ‘I realised that this was the right moment for a speech and so I went on the deck in front of the ship: ´My dear passengers in time a lot of good work has been done, but there´s still a lot of better work to do. You now have to implement and practice the learning routes in pre-primary, primary, secondary and higher education. Do it, train the teachers, improve the routes and the material, organise festivals and communicate with each other on the website. Katarina and Oliver reacted: ‘Let’s do it now. Write for the website in 300 words about To-Gather in your own language’. I continued: ‘Also activate and motivate schools to use the learning routes and the material. Send students to the minor and the summerschool in Groningen.’
All the To-Gatherpeople applauded and said:´Yes we can´. Everybody could feel the To-Gatherspirit and Zigurds and Tadej were taking pictures of it. Audiofeel and Vanderlinde were playing unplugged for a live audience. The crew of the film ‘It’s hard to become who you are’ was focussing on the script. Duygu, the leading actress was shining as ‘Europe’ on a big screen. In the distance small boats with money for the film were approaching the island. ‘Finally’, Duygu whispered.
Furthermore the To-Gatherpeople were spread over the island to do what had to be done. Some were working on the learning routes and others on the film, the festival, the minor, the book, the website or the summerschool. The island was full of activity, creativity, sound and vision. The Hanze University Groningen was the epic centre of To-Gather. In the surroundings Marijke had opened a theofiction-shop, Margarita a dance-school, Layla was teaching drama and Kinda from Damascus had designed a virtual landscape. Frans and Karin were creating beautiful things, Burcu was doing interviews, Svenja and Kate were editing, Henrik was doing good work and Hugo did some theatre-play in the streets. Leonardo da Vinci and Howard Gardner were walking around and reacted positively. From everywhere people wanted to come to the island and to gather. The multiplier was working well.
Festivals were organised in Jurmala, Istanbul, Coimbra, Kortrijk and Ljubljana. Audiofeel, Vanderlinde, Margarita, Jarno and Jeffrey ‘were stealing the show’. A splendid time was guaranteed for all.
At the end of the day when the sun was almost gone, they all came to the beach and made a big circle. They gave each other a hand while saying simultaneously: ‘the bigger the island of knowledge, the longer the shore of wondering’ . In the middle of the circle a pillar was created like a vulcano of small cristals of energy. These were spread in the sky and fell down all over the island like braindrops. Robi was happy about it. Together they were singing:‘Braindrops keep falling on my head’ and ‘We are the landscape' . The dragon smiled.
Wim Kratsborn/16-8-2010
I am a landscape
I am a landscape.mp3
(Music: Wim Kratsborn / Lyrics: Wim Kratsborn and Kinda Tabbah)
Imagine future landscapes to go
Find your way in spaces of flow
On shoulders of giants you may look far
Look farther, look farther, ‘cause you are a star
A good traveler never intends to arrive
Walk on fingertips just to survive
Use the virtuality of an event
With a little help, a little help from my friend
I am a landscape waiting for you
I am a landscape don't you know
You always know what you have to do
And the landscape finally is you
In real and hyperreality
Fill your soul with love and empathy
Live along to gather in synchronicity
As a multiple choice identity
I’m an organless body under my skin
Read your lips before I come in
And all I really want to
Is hang around, hang around with you
I am a landscape waiting for you
I am a landscape don't you know
You always know what you have to do
And the landscape is finally you
I am a landscape waiting for you
I am a landscape don't you know
You always know what you have to do
And the landscape is finally you
We are a landscape don’t you know
We are a landscape don’t you know
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