#bell foundry

Speaking of our tour guide today

[Video description: A video of people surrounding a huge, overturned bell, which has been filled almost entirely with water and rests on the floor. The tour guide, an elderly woman with an Austrian-German accent, speaks.

Guide: "--thank you. Everybody who is close to me, touch the finger in, and then you will feel the tones. And when you've felt it, then you go over to the old foundry."

[Sounds of the guide pounding a rubber mallet against the outside of the metal bell. People stick their fingers in the water as a strange, white, lattice-like pattern spreads over the water's surface in response to the vibrations.]

Guide: "Can you see? Not the metal, don't touch the metal, just inside." [begins pounding again, then gestures for people to get out of the way of her mallet-swinging] "But I don't want to kill you!" [laughter, more clanging]

Abused & Tired

Book Review: Ben Aaronovitch’s Lies Sleeping

Please donate. The Baltimore Rock Opera Society is neat. It celebrates one of my favorite pursuits, what Wagner called “Gesamtkunstwerk”- the all-media, the total synthesis of all art forms into a whole more perfect than any individual element. It knits together some 400 volunteers with focuses that range across costumes, props, sets, acting, soldering, lights, crew, marketing, brewing, music, craft services, puppets, front of house hospitality and entertainment, etc.  We do our best to keep ticket prices affordable to folks from all walks of life and anyone is welcome to volunteer. All you have to do is show up ready to work and you will instantly be invited into a consortium of diversely talented folks ready to give you the shirt off their back if you need it.

We are an all-volunteer company that makes all-original rock operas that members of the community pitch, vote on, write, and then create all aspects of while working hard to maintain an upbeat and welcoming environment, and the spirit of collaboration present when you get that many like-minded people moving in the same direction allows you to accomplish some pretty exciting things. When I decided a month ago that I really wanted to plan a block party for kids in Station North, for instance, I could immediately reach out for logistical support, set pieces and an audio system for a kickass stage, puppeteers and homemade-instrument makers to teach mini-workshops, and a super rad dj to run karaoke and air guitar battles for the kids.  We’re still in early planning stages for it but so far it’s been simple with BROS at my back.  The collaborative energy is amazing.

On December 5th city officials shut down our shop space/club house the Bell Foundry in a reaction (I would say an overreaction) to the Oakland artist fire, citing code violations on the floor above us, and our upstairs neighbors were evicted from their homes and studios into the cold with only an hours’ notice and then only six hours the next day to remove all their belongings.  We remain unable to utilize our headquarters in prep for either or New Year’s Eve show or our next rock opera. In any case even if/when we are eventually allowed to return we won’t be there long: our lease will run out at the end of this year.