‘Gaia – the Cabaret!’

“The Gaia cabaret is the most fun you can have with science. Peter Horton covers 14 billion years in the space of an hour and a half, and shows us that we humans take ourselves far too seriously: as far as Gaia is concerned, the bacteria are far more important than we are, and they are the ones having the last laugh!”

Prof Andrew Watson FRS Royal Society Research Professor

University of East Anglia

Originally commissioned for James Lovelock’s 90th birthday party in July 2009, ‘Gaia – the Cabaret!’ has since been performed in Norwich, Purbeck, Plymouth, Exeter, Bath, Bristol, Cheltenham and the Science Museum in London.

The cabaret is an interactive celebration of the scientific world view of Gaia Theory. With songs, sketches and surprises, it takes an entertaining and provocative look at how the dynamic systems of planet Earth work and evolve, and where we as a species really fit in.

The cabaret is suitable for:

•  Science and Arts Festivals and Conferences

•  students and teachers in further and higher education studying environmental or

sustainability issues

•  groups or organisations with a direct involvement in developing local environment

initiatives, such as allotment associations and transition groups

“Peter Horton’s ‘Gaia -the Cabaret’ gives us easy access to complexity and systems theory and introduces a ‘Gaian vocabulary’, through which we are entertained, amused, involved and put in our place. The history of the universe is unlocked through the Cosmic Calendar. Our flatulence is translated into the laughter of bacteria, still evolving and dominating the planet after aeons of time. Considering microbes, the role of mitochondria, single celled organisms… strangely forces us to pose the question: How can we move towards a more viable way of being?”

Henry Liebling  ESCalate ESD consultant  http://esd.ecalate.ac.uk

The cabaret is suitable for acoustic venues, needs no special staging, and can be enjoyed by all ages from 12 yrs upwards. It can also be booked as a package with ‘The Gaia Eye Game’, a one day interactive workshop which examines, in more depth, the vital importance of the implications of the science of Gaia Theory for current environmental thinking.

Peter Horton’s work on ‘Gaia – the Cabaret’ and ‘The Gaia Eye Game’ has grown from the following experiences:

- 30 years working as a writer, musician and performer, a lecturer in Theatre Studies and Communication Skills, and a Theatre Workshop director in schools, colleges and the community

- 20 years researching and producing educational and performance material on the cultural implications of Gaia Theory, working closely with James Lovelock and other leading Gaia scientists

- spending the last 12 years as a family developing a 5 hectare site in south west France using permaculture design principles and exploring on a practical, day to day basis, what ‘living in a right relationship with Gaia’ might mean…this is on-going…

“Peter Horton’s lyrical, musical and interactive performance ‘Gaia – The Cabaret’ is not only a fun and fitting tribute to the scientific work of Professor James Lovelock, it is also a surreal journey through time from the very beginnings of life on our planet to our own arrival at the eleventh hour on the cosmic calendar. Viewers beware, Peter Horton is in danger of rousing your inner algae!”

Nick Breeze : Producer :  ‘A Hitchhiker’s Guide To Gaia’  (Guide to Gaia Ltd)

for further information on:

‘Gaia – the Cabaret!’

and

‘The Gaia Eye Game’ Workshop

please contact : Gaia’s Company

gaiascompany@free.fr •   tel: +33.5.62.59.01.83

Gaia – the Cabaret!

songs, sketches and surprises

an Interactive Entertainment inspired by the Science of Gaia Theory

…in all the media hype about climate change you rarely hear mentioned the science which first opened our eyes to what was happening on the planet…

so here is your chance to discover how the planet really works through the startling, strangely attractive world view of Gaia Theory,

a view which is at once both revolutionary and re-assuring!…

• hear the true story of how James Lovelock first glimpsed Gaia and why NASA wouldn’t believe him!…

• hold your breath as you delve into the murky microbial world uncovered by Lynn Margulis…

• make friends with the mighty mitochondria…

• thrill to the unexpected delights of the Human Circus…

• lose yourself in the self-organising wonder of the Do-Be-Do Chorus…

• find the answers to these mysterious questions: Who is Mr Gill? What is his secret? What is he trying to tell us?…

• follow the trail of the researchers who dared to ask: ‘Do bacteria have a voice?’ and, if so, ‘What could they possibly have to say?’…

…as Lynn Margulis puts it:

‘In the inherently expansive, subtle, aesthetic, ancient and exquisitely resilient world of Gaia, at least one thing is certain….once you have seen Gaia in all her symbiogenetic glory, you’ll never see yourself in the same way again!’

©  Peter Horton  2010  gaiascompany@free.fr

Come and have a look!

We’re getting on!

Our next workday is this Sunday the 22nd of May.

Shared Lunch (bring what you like) and cups of tea on tap.

A good social gathering interspersed with some work. What could be better!

Ian

And Now for Something Completely Different

Tickets also available on the door.

Ian

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.
The woman apologized to her and  explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my  day.”

That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day.  Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer  bottles to the store.The store sent them back to the plant to be  washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over.  So they really were recycled……  But they didn’t have the green thing back her day.

In her day, they  walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They  walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300- horsepower machine every time they  had to go two blocks.  But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing  in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby’s nappies because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line,  not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 240 volts – wind and solar power really did  dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room.  And the TV had a small screen  the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of  Scotland. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you.
When they packaged a fragile item to send in the  mail, they used scunched up newspaper to cushion it, not styrofoam or  plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didn’t fire up an  engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. They used a  push mower that ran on human power.   They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills  that operate on electricity. But she’s right, they  didn’t have the green thing back then.

They drank  from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They  refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and  they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing  away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
Back then,  people took the bus and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, instead of turning their mums into a 24-hour taxi  service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an  entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances..
And they didn’t  need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites  2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza  joint.

But that old lady is right………..
They didn’t need the green  thing back in her  day.

This Saturday.

We will be having a skip delivered so the more people to help the better. The skip is for all the dross and rubbish that was left by the previous encumbents and which has accumulated on the site in the last 25 years by people dobbing rubbish over the fence.

The scrap men have been on site today and have removed a large load of metal at no cost to us. That’s 1 less task for us.

If you have a wheelbarrow and are able to get it there please bring it along.

Ian

By Anita Harries (View from Dorchester)

Transition Town Dorchester held a delightfully traditional wassailing ceremony at their new Railway Orchard off the county town’s Monmouth Road at the weekend.

The aim of this ancient custom is to awaken the cider apple trees from their winter slumber and scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit.

A large group of people gathered around the largest tree and poured cider onto its roots. Pieces of toast soaked in cider were hung from its branches to attract robins, the guardian spirits of the trees.

The wassailing carol was sung, a traditional wassailing rhyme recited by those present, and a great deal of noise made to chase away any evil spirits whomay be lurking in the area.

A genuine three-handled wassail cup was filled with cider and handed round, and homemade Dorset apple cake and apple and cinnamon slices were enjoyed by all those who had braved the appalling weather to take part in this traditional ceremony.

Children threw cake at the tree, and a toast was drunk to the mighty apple tree and the success of the orchard.

Transition Town Dorchester’s community orchard group took over the Railway Orchard site last year from Network Rail, and work days have been held to clear the overgrown area ready for planting. They aim to demonstrate to the people of Dorchester how plots of land, however small, can help meet the town’s need for food while at the same time bringing the community together.

Transition Town Dorchester are striving to engage a significant proportion of the people in their community to work together to look Peak Oil and Climate Change squarely in the eye and address one main question: “for all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)”.

Anyone who would like to get involved in the community orchard, or indeed any of the other Transition Town projects, can call Jenny Shackleford on 07760 313305 or send an email to info@transitiontowndorchester.org.

PICTURE: Joining together for the singing of the wassail carol

This Tuesday the 4th January At Tom Browns from 7.30 pm.

It would be great if as many TTD members could come along and celebrate the New Year and review the past year.

Hopefully see you there.

Ian