bitethehand.org

Insect Carnival in The Peace Press!

Posted on October 4th, 2008 by The Captain.
Categories: The Boogie Room and Gardens, The Peace and Justice Center, Music, Events, Philosophy, The Pharmakon.

Here is an the article that Bite the Hand and The Boogie Room and Gardens composed for The Peace Press.  Enjoy!

The Insect Carnival
An Experiment Towards Sustainability and Peace
by Bite the Hand Productions &
The Boogie Room and Gardens

On Labor Day weekend, a group of young artists and activists worked together to create an event called “The Insect Carnival.”  For three days and three nights, this do-it-yourself festival celebrated the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. People from all around biked and carpooled to the small farm where The Carnival was held, and shared in a lively and inspired weekend with over 30 music acts, public workshops on poetry and farming, a huge mud pit, bonfires, storytelling, and theater.  It was an event that embraced local art and was created by a local consciousness.

The young people of Sonoma County have been working together for quite some time to create a strong underground community.  We are seriously discussing and implementing principles of sustainability, peace, and self-sufficiency. The time we are living in can be discouraging and fearful, and we are responding to a population that is feeling hopeless and bored.  Events like The Insect Carnival are hopeful expressions of our intention for sustainability through creative expression.

This strong new community has been forming out of the creativity and courage of artists and activists.  The two groups who put on The Carnival have been working hard to steward this growth.  They are called Bite the Hand Productions and The Boogie Room and Gardens…

Bite the Hand Productions is the group that organized the Insect Carnival.  It is a collective of artists who put on local events and produce a monthly publication called “The Pharmakon.”  Bite the Hand works to publicize and comment on local activity, and to help artists and activists connect.  According to their manifesto, “‘Bite the Hand’ means to refuse to be led into a life you had no part in creating and instead find real sustenance in the world around you… to feed yourself.”

The Boogie Room and Gardens is the group that hosted The Insect Carnival.  They are a small group of people who believe that there is beauty in self-reliance and self-representation.  They encourage people to provide for themselves and find the balance between work and play, teaching and learning, under the umbrella of artistic expression.  By creating a space to share arts and skill The Boogie Room encourages others to recreate their own culture.

The Insect Carnival was the product of these two groups and a community that was willing to evolve a simple musical event into something greater. It was an effort to look beyond the huge and costly mega-festivals that seem to dominate the summer and to create a rewarding experience that is more about inspiration than inebriation.  At the Insect Carnival, the performers were part of the community: workers, neighbors, and friends

If you want to stay informed on what we are doing, you can pick up The Pharmakon at coffee shops for free.  There will also be a film coming out titled “Pharmakon” which documents some of Bite the Hand and The Boogie Room.  Now, more than ever, we need to reach out, participate, and make connections with each other.  We hope to inspire others, as we have been inspired.

This is a crucial time to be active in Sonoma County. We are standing at a point of great decision and it will take a sustained effort and an open heart from everyone in order to change our course and protect our future.  The Insect Carnival is a gesture in that direction.  Now, it is time to settle into the dirt, find our roots, and rise up.  It is time to learn how to work together.

To learn more about Bite the Hand Productions, go to www.bitethehand.org or e-mail thepharmakon@gmail.com

To learn more about The Boogie Room and Gardens, go to www.myspace.com/theboogieroom

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