Slow performance art
This short film is a project by students at the Central St. Martins school in London.
If you’d like to read more there is a link on the blogroll to villainous.biz. Tea drinking really is a performance, whether it is the quick gulp, or the a leisurely and absent-minded stirring.
Our performance not only attracted many passers-by but also generated in us mixed feelings – though we felt that our actions were forcibly too slow, we felt as if we were practicing yoga: our breathing calmed down, our heart rate appeared to beat slower. Those who stopped to watch us were informed of our project and ask to contribute comments which we audio recorded. It is interesting to note that most people were pleased to watch us and almost observed us with envy, and when asked about what they thought with regards to ‘slow’ living, most responded that it was an unobtainable dream, that though they too wanted to slow down they felt that it was not possible. Few people said that they have recently made changes to their lifestyles, so as to include more quiet time or thinking time, by themselves or with their companions, but all stated that they were not yet satisfied with their quality of life. Most of those who responded positively to our questions were nevertheless in their mid-40s and they tended to stress the fact that their decision to change their lifestyles derived from years of fast-paced living.
If I understand correctly, Jeffrey (of villainous.biz) is 28, so kudos to him for doing a project about slow. In an essay on education, Bertrand Russell, said, “To endure uncertainty is difficult, but so are most of the other virtues.” I think slow is a virtue; and to come by it is not easy. Slow isn’t the same as laziness, or collapse. It’s a way of being in the world. It’s the ground of creativity. Jeffery makes a good observation about a connection between midlife and an appreciation for slow. Maybe you have to suffer from speed to appreciate slow?
This blog avoids politics like the plague. But what does Tony Blair mean when he says it is impossible to get a decent cup of tea in London? Shouldn’t he have done something about it? Will the British people with their long history of tea drinking stand for it? Surely, a good cup of tea should be at the forefront of the British political agenda?