An Interesting Note on Warrior Culture.

I'm here in Wales to create Cast Iron sculpture and share in an environment with people from around the US and the U.K. Classic. If you know me though, you know I've got a million things on my mind. One of the things I've been thinking about of late is warrior tradition and marital culture. Most people seem to have these things and well, if you've ever had to fight to protect yourself you've developed part of your culture and tradition around such things.

Fighting men and women move different ways in different parts of the world, some with very quick even acrobatic movements, other with low heavy movements and these are based on the people. If your people fought with heavy armor, falling down, or knocking someone down was very significant, because if you fell with heavy armor, you could drown in shallow water, be killed easily etc. Some people developed flying kicks and jumping motions, high sword fighting motions, long poles and heavy weapons for fight people invading on horseback. There were are are different types of movement philosophy etc.

Wales and the U.K. have their own interesting martial traditions. One thing I've heard in my first day here is that all the oak in the land was owned by the crown. It was that important because they needed the extremely strong wood for the Navy. Being an island people in a land with a history of quite a bit of war obviously your navy is taken quite seriously. Another thing I'd heard before coming, but that was just reiterated to me was that at a certain point, one of the Kings Henry mandated that all boys and men learn to use and practice a certain number of hours daily with the longbow, the quarterstaff, and the shortsword. One of the woods, said to be the best for making the bow, was Yew. I was just told it was planted in churchyards. One of the King Henrys designated the eastern part of the church yard to not be used for burial, but for archery competitions for boys after church. So Yew was grown at the church, used for bow making, archery was held in the church yard near the graveyard and apparently Yew is poisonous and keeps the animals out. An interesting blend of martial and religious tradition I'd say. I'd also say it's a remarkably practical and function idea of a group of people interested in martial capacity.

Clarence In Wales!

In so many ways I've not yet returned from Africa. Seeing the way people live oversees changed me. I was not struck by the poverty, or lack of opportunity, or any cliche observance. I did not see a world so much better than my own that I wished I could stay. There was something more subtle that I experienced. Something spiritual I suppose you could say, but only because there may be no better name for it. My return to America saw me quite wobbly. Bills I hadn't thought to address before leaving, were waiting for my return, and the money assured to me by school to be ready and waiting for my arrival was non-existant. It felt as if the old worn and comfortable shoe that had been my life had been stolen while I was away. I thought I could go to Africa, return and continue with my life. But upon returning it seemed that one can never truly return home. At least that I could not. I am still quite uncomfortable. Life has been very difficult for me since returning, though I am in bright spirits. Just as it seemed the financial woes, academic bureaucracy, and all other manner of bugbear and boogeyman may just win the day (thought never the war) an interesting opportunity arose. I am on my way out of the country yet again, this time to Wales to participate in the International Conference of Contemporary Cast Iron Art.

At first this seemed like a good idea. Forge ahead and meet your dreams at the horizon right? One can rest when one is dead and resting without having achieved one's dreams is not truly rest at all. Right? Well I thought so. I heard about an opportunity for a student in my department to travel overseas to the U.K. to do Ironwork there. I told the powers that be I wanted to be considered almost immediately. I was accepted, but had to put together a proposal to be accepted by my would-be/soon-to-be host in Wales. Shortly after submitting the proposal I was accepted and the race was on. I planned my trip to Mali for seven months before traveling to live there for three. This time I had about a month and a half to prepare. Several fundraising events and attempts latter, skirmishes with school regarding graduation, and too many 24, and 48hour days and I'm on my way to Wales.







Where is Wales? Don't feel bad if your asking yourself, it's a question I had to research early on in the process myself. It turns out Wales is a beautiful and mythic land. You've heard of it before. It is the land of King Aurthur and Merlin the Magician, of an early Celtic resistance to the wave of conquest in Europe that would later engulf the world, and it is a place of green rolling hills and farmland. I will be staying at Berllanderi in Wales and then attending the 6th International Conference of Contemporary Cast Iron Art. I'll be making Cast Iron Sculpture there amongst established artists, and professors from around the world. I'm kinda nervous actually, beyond tired and worn out, not expecting rest anytime soon, but I'm living in a brilliant world of magic. It does not slip past me that simply being a young Black man from where I grew up could have easily secured me an early death. Even more likely than that all to possible destiny I should by all means know little about my heritage, history, and all those things that root people around the world in themselves who have not been slaves. There are a slew of reasons I could not be here, and yet I am, and am deeply in love with the beauty this life is bringing me. I'll be blogging while in Wales, though I'm not sure I'll have internet where I'll be. Shortly I'll post my stories and thoughts from this leg of my continued journeys. Stay tunned for Clarence In Wales!

Berllanderi
http://www.berllanderi.freeserve.co.uk/scultpure.htm

6th Internation Conference of Contemporary Cast Iron Art
http://www.internationalfe10.com