Every Monday, a set of musicians and dancers gather together at a predetermined location organized by musician Ben Brown to create and inspire each other. Some come without any prior preparation while others come with one or two ideas they would like to attempt in unstructured or structured improvisations. The participants arrive at the venue with their instruments, bodies and generous will to share and art-mate on the spot. They sit together in a circle at the beginning of each session to discuss what they will play and dance about. Each individual artist participating expresses and shares his or her personal take on a topic suggestion. Even photographers and film-makers are welcomed to put in their observations in that moment.
With the wealth of history, observations and memories shared within the group in the round robin dialogue of openness and desire, they begin improvising together. The participants leave with something new they have learned in the process of sharing together and with new enlightenment of new tools, perhaps new inspirations that lend itself to aspiring new work in progress. Often, some may choose to continue their relationships outside the weekly event pulling what they have learned during the session into their own continuing and evolving body of work. I personally feel a kind of domino effect where the fruits of art-making in a commune together start to instill seeds within each participant who then ventures out to nurture that in his or her own way or medium from interchanging pieces of each other's disciplines in an open, encouraging and safe environment together.
