Cultural Olympiad, the pimped to collapse lung

Cultural Olympiad is akin to a blinding orgy.  Excess of everything, nothing can really be taken in and then bang two weeks or two months will give way to a famine.

It reminds me of the celtic tiger. He only visited certain people in the country and they jumped on him (for who wouldn’t/doesn’t jump when the tigre comes to town) and people jumped with little regard for those who couldn’t reach his tail. Then like all tigres, bored, he moved on.

The BC government surreptitiously closing down arts funding: they make their move when they lights are bright. They’ll encounter little resistance because the artists are too busy glad ragging. Even some of the projects are all about pointless excess. Or excess with a point that’s really unremarkable. Or in the worst case a point we can absolutely do without or a point that we can do without and says nothing about the place we live.  Some of these single projects could fund an artist run centre like the displaced Helen Pitt for a year!

Another thing with bonanza is the tip top usual suspects get wheeled out … the new, the quiet, the invigorating will not be included or even invited to join in because hierarchy and connection and approval rue the day. Amidst it all there will be treats and those treats will be poorly attended the same way the more interesting stuff is usually barren. And there will be ambitious events that are rewarding, that go beyond ostentation and “because I can” and “because x person who made the funding application said I can” that may stay with viewers and listeners, but the rest, the brash clanging will give way to a silence afterwards, perhaps a detrimental one, but one that reminds us that blind conceit trips us all up and we should be careful who we get into bed with.

If the pimp’s waving dollars at you: he usually has a strong conviction of what he expects in return.

A collapsed lung comes to mind.

A collapsed lung that will not reinflate with gentle, nudging aspirating.

Self interest was the punch maybe?