Being Among Bluebells

New Amateurs and Tricksters: A manifesto for music and sound creation

“…Finally, the sound practice used to illustrate the manifesto has implications for social engagement and community strategies. The latter are explored explicitly by Ben Walters in the research described in the following (Walters 2020a) and by Diedre Heddon in her documenting of the DiY movement (Heddon 2020). Heddon understands the power of human potential released by amateur creativity in group settings, ‘it disrupts borders, resists definitions, asks awkward questions and activates audiences’ (Heddon 2020: 146).…”

“…The only question will be: what can be achieved? This draws on the approach of Ben Walters who, writing about the Slaughterhouse Club, a drop-in performance arts project ‘for people living with homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges’ in South London, asks ‘not what amateurs can do for professionals but what can professionals do for amateurs?’ (Walters 2020a: 97, 100). Acknowledges an indebtedness to anarchist ethics and political thought : individual capability, mutualism and autonomy (Brown 2011: 203–6) and is aware of the significance of autonomous creative practice for wider social and political life and the production of ‘potentially transformative ways of being’ (Walters 2020a: 101). This view mirrors Edwin Schur’s earlier suggestion that such agency ‘enhance[s] self-respect and afford[s] a new sense of purpose’ (Schur 1979: 323). Extends collaborative notions to give space to non-human partnerships : acknowledging a co-responsibility with and indebtedness not only to materials, tools and machines, but also to alter egos and characters.…”

“…The only question will be: what can be achieved? This draws on the approach of Ben Walters who, writing about the Slaughterhouse Club, a drop-in performance arts project ‘for people living with homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges’ in South London, asks ‘not what amateurs can do for professionals but what can professionals do for amateurs?’ (Walters 2020a: 97, 100).…”

“…Acknowledges an indebtedness to anarchist ethics and political thought : individual capability, mutualism and autonomy (Brown 2011: 203–6) and is aware of the significance of autonomous creative practice for wider social and political life and the production of ‘potentially transformative ways of being’ (Walters 2020a: 101). This view mirrors Edwin Schur’s earlier suggestion that such agency ‘enhance[s] self-respect and afford[s] a new sense of purpose’ (Schur 1979: 323).…”

“…Amateur musicians have clearly been long recognized and appreciated – albeit with some derogatory implications. Ben Walters refers to a ‘negative framing’, ‘the point-and-laugh’ construction of the naive, incompetent amateur (Walters 2020a: 99) and Sarah Jane Bailes characterises the amateur as ‘an often risible and endearing figure … always already bound up with the notion of failure’ (Bailes 2011: 93). Colloquial use of the term ‘amateur’ as an insult is an extension of this type of usage.…”