I am living in the 18th Arrodissement in Paris near the metro Guy Moquet. In the mornings I take dance classes at Menagerie de Verre. A two hour class only cost 6 euro here. In the afternoons I go to my nannying job. I live with Kéwé, who is dancing with me in the above photos. On the weekends we explore different parts of Paris and dance in the spaces where we feel inspired. We do this in order to combat against the cold greyness that is this city. We do this so that Paris is not only limited to this greyness because really it so much more.
But it is hard. Sometimes at nighttime we look at my videos from Ecole des Sables and practice the choreography we learned there. Sometimes we just look at the pictures of our beautiful friends and the stunning landscape. Sometimes we just listen to the drums.
But the secret is not in Ecole or Sénégal. The secret is in these difficult times. How do we find the creative space? How do we tap into the texture of this landscape?
From the beginning I was taken by the metro. My mind seems to wake up when I'm on it alive with observations and theoretical pensées. In the beginning I couldn't stop moving, always choreographing something. I couldn't stop writing, always making a poem. I thought about what the metro represents. where it takes us. Who is on it. What it means to be on the inside and what it means to be on the outside. And then, I began to take the train to work. I could see above ground. Everywhere in Paris, from every form of public transportation, graffiti can be seen. Various levels of property defacement range from simple tagging to incredible mural art work.
I wonder why I am so taken by this form of artwork. Partially it is my inner rejection of authority. My anger issues cause me to want to deface property. And while I am riding a train that ultimately takes me to market, I watch the remnants of a person at work, working against the grain of money. This artist does not get paid for her work. And this artist is often making commentary about who has access and who does not have access to working for money.
I told a man in a bar the other night that I was choreographing a dance inspired by the metro. What I took from the varied and stimulating conversation was a question I had not asked myself. What is capitalism? Because I have been accusing Paris of being more capitalistic than L.A. or the Bay. And when I went to Edinburgh, I couldn't stop thinking about Adam Smith and my money minded people. I use the word as an adjective as if to explain a way of thinking, a group mentality reified in the murky undergrounds of the metro. There isn't room enough for all during the rush hour craze. Some must be left out. This Parisian ethos tugs at my core possibly because in this, I see where I come from. And yet, I must clarify capitalism. Because like every 'ism,' "individualism,' ect. there are multiple facets to the definition. Entire books are written about this one word.
I looked up the wikipedia definition and it said, Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production and capital goods, and the production of goods and services for profit in a market economy.[1][2] Central characteristics of capitalism include the process of capital accumulation, competitive markets, and wage labor.[3] In a capitalist economy, the parties to a transaction typically determine the prices at which assets, goods, and services are exchanged. (wikipedia)
It then goes on to say that there are varying degrees of regulation on the competition and this is where one of the problems occurs. But of course nothing is so simple. From what I observe when I go to the super market, there is very little competition. The same products ranging from Ariel laundry detergent to Nestle everything, exist in the markets of Sénégal. Perhaps there is a model of capitalism that isn't so terrible with proper regulation. It wouldn't be a bad thing to pay an artisan what they are worth. In other words, I don't think it is private ownership and means of production that I object to because as we have seen without proper check, communism can turn into totalitarianism. And this is what we have today, totalitarianism, with Monsanto, Nestle, Disney, Dupont, ect. ruling the world!
These are just my thoughts on something I am beginning to scratch at the surface of.
No comments:
Post a Comment