September 2022 Newsletter from Michelle Baharier

Welcome to Michelle’s latest newsletter,

Jewish New Year - To all my Jewish friends: Shana Tovah u’metukah means “have a good and sweet year.” Happy New Year! I wish you a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year and well over the fast.

Rosh Hashanah falls from Sunday, 25 September, through Tuesday, 27 September 2022. We celebrate with apple cake and honey and wish in a new sweet year as we make peace with ourselves through contemplation. I like to think of it as a time of reflection and throwing away the past to welcome the new.

Hope you all had an excellent August and holiday season. I was fortunate I took some time out and went first to Imber (I’ll do a special newsletter about that soon.) Double-decker buses ride over Salisbury Plain, driving through army firing ranges.

After my day trip to the army camp, off I went to Cornwall, where Art is everywhere: in the rocks, the sky, and underfoot on every texture, whether it is plant or human-made.

Hire My Artworks

If you did not have time to, make it to the Sprout Gallery, 74 Moyser Road, London SW16 6SQ, where there was an exhibition of artworks for the loan scheme, you can hire one of my images by contacting me via email.

Upcoming Events

Anyway, I am feeling refreshed and ready to press on - upwards and onwards. What am I doing over the next few months?

• From 10-11 September, I aim to make it to the Art Lab Exhibition at Dean Clough, Halifax. If you’d like to meet me, let me know.

• From Friday 16 September to Sunday 26 September, I am exhibiting at the Peckham festival at B4 Studios, Bussey Building https://www.peckhamfestival.org/artists/10649/michelle-baharier/

• Cost of Living Crisis Concert:

  • On 24 September, I am the MC for this concert at Off the Cuff, Arch 645, 301-303 Railton Road, SE24 0JN.

  • The first of its kind - Cost of Living Crisis concerts, raising funds for the Healthy Living Platform in Lambeth and the Albrighton Community Fridge in Southwark. Both are needed to help those who would otherwise go hungry. Local musicians are donating their time and music for free to help raise funds for these charities.

  • DONATIONS TO THE CHARITIES WILL BE ACCEPTED ALL EVENING AND CAN BE MADE BY CASH OR CARD.

  • Introducing:-

    • HOTMOTEL is a South London 4-piece band that punches hard and loud.

    • John McClean and The Clan is known for high-energy live sets featuring John’s gritty and passionate vocals.

    • Dan Cross lives and plays in South London, writing songs from a humanist point of view.

    • The Barbarian Horde is Robert “Grand Weasel” King and Andy “El Moustachio” Cordle. They look forward to helping raise some money for the Cost of Living Crisis, as we’re all feeling the pinch.

    • Michelle Baharier (AKA Dyslexic Rant): a published performance poet and award-winning visual artist. I look forward to leading everyone through an extravaganza night of sound and spoken word. Let’s boogie! I’m a well-known member of Survivors Poets, Highgate Poets, famous Brixton Poets, and founder of charity Cooltan Arts. I’ll keep you boog·y·ing to the beat while we raise funds and awareness of over fuel vs. fuel and heat vs. eat. Sorry to say the worst is yet to come. We aim to bring people together to make music and protest alive and kicking.

• Everyone Reflects Light Exhibition - From 7 to 30 October, I will be celebrating World Mental Health Day at The Paxton Centre, 52 Anerley Hill, London, SE19 2AE. Hours are Monday to Sunday, 10 am-5 pm. Opening Night will be on 7 Oct from 7-10pm.

   

• On 8 December is Peerfest, where I am putting together acts and groups to celebrate our mental health at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. If you are interested in participating or attending, please let me know.

Conversations in the House of Annetta

Would you like to support the publication of my book created from my artist residency on Brick Lane? Fundraising for Conversations in the House of Annetta begins at:

• £15 to receive a signed copy of the book

• £25 to have your name printed in the book as a sponsor

• £35 for your name printed in the book, and get a signed copy of the book

• £50 gets you a cup of tea with me alongside everything already stated

• £100 gets you everything already said and an invitation to my exclusive book launch to meet me in conversation.

Reply to this email to pledge!

“It looks just like a kebab!”

I got to see the famous sculpture in Cornwall. Hundreds demanded the world’s tallest ceramic statue, which cost £80,000, be removed after being branded an ‘embarrassment.’

• Earth Goddess, in St Austell, Cornwall, is a ceramic creation by Sandy Brown.

• The 11.5m high statue has been relentlessly mocked since it was unveiled in June.

• The figure, which took three years to build, promised to put the town ‘on the map.’

A local man told me this should have been a famous man as all other sculptures in Cornwell are of men. LOL!

At least it’s a gimmick that will get people visiting -’ Artist Sandy Brown created earth Goddess’ to celebrate the heritage of China clay in St Austell, Cornwall. It was unveiled on 25 June this year, but locals have relentlessly mocked the 11.5m high ‘eyesore’ - and even nicknamed it ‘The Pork Sword,’ likening it to a kebab.

Well, make your own mind up – here’s my artistic reflection of it. In the flesh, it’s fun, yes, it’s a totem pole of a kind, and perhaps it can bring joy and a talking point for all.

Does it do what Art should? Make you laugh, cry, smile? It’s not a man who invented something either - no, it’s Mother Earth, the Goddess of Life, whom humans prayed to long before male gods took over.

I am looking forward to meeting you at some of my events,

Michelle