Belfast East (Davy's Blog)

10/06/09 C.F.C.

2009-07-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

The 10th June saw us pay a visit to the 'Merge Centre' based in the C.F.C. church on the Belmont Road. The centre gives young people an opportunity to 'hang out' after school. Facilities include pool tables, table tennis, Tv, internet and gaming facilities. A lot of stuff to amuse most teenagers. However the relative 'peace and tranquality' of the afternoon was soon to be shattered, the Motion Project were in town!!!!! The instruments were unpacked, assembled and brought into action. Before too long the room was jumping with the sound of drums....Great fun. The musical interaction has become a great 'ice-breaker', removing the barriers between the musicians and those attending. A great way to set up a Q&A session which is what happened next. The musicians really enjoy answering questions about their homeland (India, Poland,Zimbabwe and S. Africa), removing myths that may exist. These sessions can bring up many issues, and generally help to create a better understanding about different cultures, and the many reasons why someone from a different country would want to come and live in the province. The session lasted approximately 2 hours, hopefully those who attended found it both informative and fun.

27/05/09 Elmgrove Community Group

2009-07-01T07:39:00.000-07:00

This was day one of what became a five week program. We met with the Elmgrove Community Group and discussed how we could explore the culture of East Belfast and in what way we could represent it visually. We brought along Emma-Louise Hutchinson (local artist) to facilitate the project. It was generally agreed that it was important to draw from the 'industrial history' of the area, whilst trying to find a way to show the changes that are taking place. The group wanted to find a way to show a link between the past, the present and the future. Quite a few concepts were discussed but the one that proved to be most popular was the idea of dressing/decorating an elmgrove tree, situated within the grounds of the school. It was felt that the tree was a perfect platform from which to begin. The 'roots' could represent both the parents of the pupils and also the community, the trunk of the tree was the link to the leaves, which represented the children/future.

The next step was to determine what materials would be suitable. They had to be able to withstand the 'elements' (outdoors), and hopefully be durable, as the group would be keen to develope the project on an ongoing basis. After much discussion it was decided to create a mosaic to represent the 'roots'. White tiles were chosen and each person in the group painted something that they felt represented the culture of East Belfast (Titanic, Shorts, H&W, Sunblest etc:) After carefully painting the tiles, they were baked in the oven, and then 'Smashed' with a hammer (some people seemed to enjoy this more than they should!!!!!). Roots were created using wooden boards. The broken tiles were then stuck to the boards, creating the mosaic. The pupils of the P7 classes became involved by creating leaves using plastics and fine wire. Nuts, bolts and various other small objects were entwined into the leaves. Very colourful and creative. All that was left was to hang the leaves from the branches of the tree, and to place the mosaic 'roots' upon the ground. No prizes for guessing who had to climb the ladder!!!!

The end result was colourful and creative. I believe it captured many aspects of East Belfast culture, both past and present. The materials used will last quite a while, a 'creative legacy'. A big 'thank you' to all those who took part.

31/03/09 R.N.I.B. Poetry/Homely Planet

2009-04-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

Today we met up with a group of 'senior citizens', who meet regularly through the Royal National Institute Blind (RNIB). The topic of this morning's discussion was 'sectarianism and racism' in N.I. We were using both poetry and music to address the various issues that might arise. Once again we had Gordon Hewitt from 'Scream Blue Murmur' in the hot seat, the music was provided by Wilson and Binu from 'Beyond Skin'. Skye was in charge of'technical duties'. There were approximately 14 'senior citizens' in attendance.

After initial introductions, Gordon got the show up and running by reading a 'light hearted' poem which took a look at the conflict in N.I. This started a very interesting debate regarding the use of comedy to address serious issues. It was generally accepted that one of the strengths of our culture was the ability to laugh at ourselves, and that humour was an another way to deal with atrocity. The group had strong opinions on how we should move forward, and as was to be expected, not every one shared the same point of view. Concerns were expressed about the number of people moving here. Understandably, fears were expressed about jobs, housing, benefits etc. However most agreed that a lot could be learnt from meeting and talking to people from foreign countries. Poems were written, drums were played and (I think) a good time was had by all.

25/03/09 Orangefield Primary School

2009-03-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

Today saw us return to Orangefield P.S. (my old school), to pay a visit to one of the P7 classes. The purpose of the visit was to record a program for Homely Planet radio. The content of the program was based on the pupils understanding of 'diversity'. We spent approximately 1.5 hrs with the pupils and it proved to be one of the most successful visits to date.

The pupils were well prepared for our visit. They sang songs about foreign countries, they had written poems, told stories and asked loads of questions to members of our team (Skye, Wilson & Vincente). The material just kept coming. We were continually surprised by their knowledge, and willingness to express themselves. They had brought several traditional costumes in (very colourful). All in all a terrific morning finished off with a good old blatter on the hand drums.

A specia l'thank you' must go to Mrs Luney (teacher) who had obviously worked very hard on preparing the pupils for our visit.

11/03/09 Homely Planet/Connecting Cultures

2009-03-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

This morning we returned to Elmgrove Primary School to record a radio program for Homely Planet . We met with the community group who meet at the school every Wednesday morning, the purpose of the program was to create an opportunity for the group to learn a little bit more about life in a different country. The program was facilitated by Zora Molyneaux of Connecting Cultures, and on the panel we had Skye Bompas (South Africa), Yueping Fang (China), and Vincente Ziritt (Venezuela).

The morning got off to a great start, the usual hospitality had been provided (coffee, cake, buns !!!). Yeuping played a 'traditional piece' of music on his chinese violin (Ehru) followed by a rousing rendition of Tell Me Ma!!!!! This eased us in to the debate. Skye, Yueping and Vincente enlightened us about life back home in their native land. They explained how they came to be living in Belfast and how they have found living here. All three felt very comfortable living in Belfast, they felt welcome (the people are very friendly) and, surprisingly, very safe. In fact they felt the streets of Belfast were much safer than the streets of their homelands. One explaination for this was that the standard of living here was higher than back home. They each described stories of violence linked to poverty (muggings, murder , etc;). Lack of social benefits in S. Africa creates many problems. The questions started to come thick and fast. Topics such as employment, social welfare, religion, education all were discussed. Some myths were answered and I think it is fair to say that everyone left with a better understanding of life in these particular countries. It was also significant that all three speakers stated that they had no plans to return to their homeland within the near future, they felt that life here had more to offer!!!!

10/02/09 iME @ Ashfield Girls School

2009-02-11T03:10:00.000-08:00

Today we were given an opportunity to visit Ashfield Girls School and it goes without saying that once again, we had a blast. For one of our team (Erin) it was an emotional return to her old school. Of course this gave me the chance to embarrass her to the max!!!! Unfortunately we were unable to find any of her former teachers who would say anything against her, a model pupil (we expected nothing less).

Upon arrival we hi-jacked the music room, a tight squeeze considering there were approximately 20 pupils, 2 teachers, 6 musicians, 2 photographer's, loads of musical equipment and Erin!!! Cosy to say the least. Within a few minutes we were up and running. The music room was vibrating with the sound of instruments from all around the world. The pupils very quickly got into the spirit of the occassion, joining in enthuastically. Any opportunity to make as much noise as possible!!!

The day belonged to Ganesh. Let me explain. He has just returned from a visit to his homeland (India) and whilst out there he purchased several new drums. Today was his first opportunity to put them to the test, and he did not hold back. I have being known to play the drums quite loudly, but nothing prepared me for the 'crack' that exploded from the 'chenda'. I think one or two of us jumped out of our skins. Thanks Ganesh!!!!

Apart from talking about, and playing the instruments, the pupils were given the opportunity to ask questions to the musicians about life 'back home', (India, Zimbabwe, South Africa....Ardglass!!!) It's amazing what can be learnt from these sessions.

A big 'thank you' to all at Ashfield who made our visit possible. We had a great time, we hope you did too!!!!!!

27/01/09 Short Strand Community Centre

2009-02-11T02:53:00.000-08:00

Today saw us visit the Short Strand Community Centre, to create the usual chaos, disguised in the form of an iME. The purpose of the event was to work with two groups of young people, one from the Newtownards Road and the other from Short Strand addressing diversity in the community. Unfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances, one group could not attend. However those that were there willingly joined in, creating a lot of noise, fun and laughter. They met musicians from Iran, Switzerland, Zimbabwe as well as a couple of local artists. A good time had by all.

6/01/09 Ime @ Orangefield P.S.

2009-01-08T04:40:00.000-08:00

This was a truly momentous day in my life. For years I had been wanting revenge for my primary school days and this was the day!!!! Let me explain. I am a former pupil of Orangefield P.S. Surprise surprise, the school is still there, (alas not for long), although none of my teachers were still teaching... it was a long time ago after all. Teachers telling me to be QUIET haunts me. Line up in an orderly fashion, walk don't run, rules and more rules, you get the picture!!!!! I had managed to convince Mr Long (principle) that we would respect the school and that they wouldn't know we were in the building. Within a few minutes the rule book was ripped up. To make sure we made a lasting impact I had gathered the heavy artillery, eight of us arrived at the school for battle!!!
The gym was allocated for our use, the last time I remember being in that room I was playing basketball. The musical instruments were set up and we waited for the first P7 class to arrive. It wasn't too long before they joined in the spirit of the moment and we proceeded to make as much noise as possible. Brilliant!!! It did my heart good to be creating controlled havoc in this environment. We played drums, chatted and had fun, whilst learning a little about diversity. The pattern was repeated for the other P7 classes. The pupils, teachers and Principle were really positive about the experience. I hope they got as much out of the morning as I (we) did. A great start to the New Year.

Mr Long (Principle) had the last laugh, at my expense!!! He was able to pull my file confirming that I attended the school. Unfortunately it also confirmed my D.O.B. (a well kept secret) and the fact that I had failed to attend school on quite a number of days!!! Thanks for a great morning.

7/12/08 Recording Session @ Shabby Rd

2009-01-08T03:58:00.000-08:00

On the 7/12/08 a collection of our multi-talented, multi-cultured musicians, gathered at Shabby Rd Studio's, giving there services free of charge (thanks guys) to record a song (Take it Easy) written by Jonny Nixon. Darren had heard Jonny perform the song when he was recording a singer/songwriter session for Homely Planet and instantly felt that the track would be great to represent the Belfast East Program. We managed to convince Jonny that we would treat his song with tender loving care, we lied!!!! Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control (yeah, yeah) I couldn't make the session but I have seen the video!!! It would appear that a great time was had by all, although poor Jonny had to stand by and listen to his acoustic guitar song being attacked with drums, bass, electric guitars, clarinet, djembe, violin and the finishing touch.... tambourine!!!! Thanks to Davy McCullough's expertise behind the controls we have ended up with a track that we feel captures the purpose of our campaign. It is our intention to use the track to promote the Belfast East program through mainstream media and community networks. Take It Easy can be heard on the Belfast East website. Thanks to everyone who took part.

12/12/08 Radio Debate/Education By Choice

2008-12-17T04:51:00.000-08:00

Friday morning saw us return to Education By Choice, the purpose being to discuss and record attitudes regarding racial issues. The students were invited to ask any questions to our musicians, Donald (Zimbadwe), Chris (Poland), Skye (S.Africa), Binu (India), Darren (local). The meeting was chaired by Zora (Connecting Cultures). The kids went straight for the 'jugular', first question; do you smoke dope? This developed into a very interesting conversation. Different cultures have obviously different attitudes to the use of recreational drugs. The questions started to come thick and fast. Donald was asked had he suffered any racism since moving to Belfast. He informed the group that he had been beaten up recently on the Newtownards Rd. Surprisingly, he now finds himself living in the area. The discussion lasted approximately one hour, give or take a smoke break!!! The show will be broadcasted in the near future (Homely Planet). This was a great opportunity to take away some of the 'mystery" regarding diversity, one which the young people took full advantage of. Many thanks for taking part.

5/12/08 Education By Choice

2008-12-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

Today we brought a team of muso's (sorry Tessa) into Education by Choice. Decks were set up, recording equipment plugged in and off we went. Scratching commenced (including some head scratching), rapping began (not christmas pressies) and the volume increased. The session lasted approximately two hours and at the end of it we had collected quite a lot of material. The next step is to have it mixed and the end result could be the Christmas number one, (no pressure Ganesh). Thanks to everyone who took part. See you all again next week. Davy

19/11/08 Elmgrove (Part 3)

2008-11-21T07:35:00.000-08:00

Today we were given an introduction to the power of the written word, or rather, how to create a poem. Having successfully avoided poetry since school(many many years ago), I approached this session with an element of apprehension. Poetry to me was full of flowery words, dealing with unrequited love, not for me. To my great surprise (and relief), I was introduced to what I would describe as 'street poetry'. The session was expertly facilitated by Gordon and Ellen from the poet group, Scream Blue Murmour. Thankfully they destroyed all my fears within a matter of minutes by tearing up the rule book. Given the first line only from a traditional (boring) poem, we were given free reign, the next three lines were up to us. The thought of having to read out my feeble attempt inspired me to try and use words with more than three letters and one syllable. That was tough!!!! Interestingly, the subject matter varied greatly. The next task was created by taking four random words and creating four lines of poetry. Once again the subject matter varied greatly. The session lasted approximately 1.5 hours during which time my whole perception of poetry was turned on it's head. Poetry can (and is) used to address many issues, and can make a big impact on society. I'm not saying I'm heading off to Waterstones to buy some inspiring book, but perhaps I will be more appreciative to the power of poetry in future. Thanks guys for a great session.

12/11/08 Elmgrove (Part 2)

2008-11-12T04:20:00.001-08:00

Today we returned to Elmgrove School, where I was introduced to the world of Art & Craft. The session was facilitated by Clare Childs. The theme was once again, diversity. We were given the task of making a collage, addressing the impact of the multi-cultural environment we now find ourselves living in and the ways in which this has come about. A giant jigsaw was created, using sheets of card, global posters, magazines, crayons and (best of all) scissors!!!!! The end result really brought home an awareness of how global our lives have become. Thanks again to everyone who took part.

05/11/08 Elmgrove (Part 1)

2008-11-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

Wednesday morning and our destination was Elmgrove Primary School. Our mission, to get there early as we were promised tea, coffee and food!!!!! The offical reason for our visit was the showing of our 'Journey of Equals' dvd to the Elmgrove community group. This was followed by a question and answer session and the morning was rounded off with everyone playing drums and (hopefully) having a good time. Thanks to everyone who took part.

Who is Davy Bates?

2008-11-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

"For anyone who is remotely interested, I have been playing drums for more years than I care to admit. Currently I'm playing drums for Stormzone, and in a previous life I have been associated with Sweet Savage, Emerald, Peace Frog, Ajenda, to name but a few. In addition to playing drums I also pass on what I have learnt over the years to students at Ossia Music School (Belfast). I have also become involved with a group of multi-cultural musicians, The Motion Project, which has helped to broaden my taste in music, This has led to performances and cultural education projects through music in schools and communities.
In April 2007 i became a partner in managing a social enterprise, Motion2Music (www.motion2music.com) under the management of the Charity Beyond Skin. To date, I have had the pleasure of playing with many different musicians representing many different cultures, in many different environments, all part of the learning curve.
In October 2008 I took up the role to project manage the Belfast East program.

So here is the project as it develops in my own words...