The Yoda Guy and Conductive Education

Motivating words 

We had been looking forward for weeks to the visit to the afternoon conductive group of the creative-effects, make-up artist Nick Maley, or as he is called by Star Wars fans The Yoda Guy.

I had once again received one of those phone calls that needed a prompt, on-the-spot reply – ‘Can the Yoda Guy visit your afternoon group, Susie?’

I must admit at that point I had no idea who the Yoda Guy was and had little idea about Star Wars. Star Wars fever seemed to have passed me by the first time round and almost the second time round too. But nevertheless I said YES!

The event was looked forward to by all, thanks to the enthusiasm of the few children in the afternoon group whose parents had been bitten by the bug the first time around. Now, with the second series of films, these parents have sparked thier children's interest in Star Wars and together they enjoy this world of fantasy. 

Mr Yoda Guy

Yoda Guy, Nick Maley, is a Londoner who went off to Hollywood and stardom as the special-effects man on many films, not only Star Wars –

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Nick_Maley

 

He has a museum of film paraphernalia in the Caribbean and is looking for a location in Germany to open another. He was in Nürnberg for a couple of weeks meeting fans and possible supporters of his project and taking part in activities in the streets and at the local cinema.

He also visited a couple of charities. As the Nürnberg Star Wars Fan-Club has chosen the conductive department of our association as their charity of the year they suggested that the Yoda Guy should visit us, which he did, with Yoda travelling with him in a suitcase.

It was difficult to manage this 2pm visit as all our children turn up at different times from different schools and arrive very hungry. We had invited a few other children and teenagers to join us so the room was soon filled up with guests. As one by one our children arrived they sneaked in, were given a hot meal to tuck into and in between times introduced themselves to Yoda and Nick Maley.

I had been a bit nervous about how it would all fit together but it turned out to be just like a big family lunch. We all sat around a long table with eats and drinks and lots of merriment while Nick talked to us about life, about motivation and about having high expectations of ourselves, about rising high above what others think that we can achieve. He talked about being creative and inventive and trying to produce something creative every day. He suggested that we should always try to stretch ourselves, to move onwards and upwards, and to learn through doing, through being active. He was really inspiring for both the adults and the children alike. 

We should have had this wonderful Yoda Guy with us at the World Conference last year as a keynote speaker!

After the ‘lunch’ was finished, and the home-made Star Wars muffins eaten, the guests started to drift away and left space for the conductive group to show Nick a bit of what we do every day. It was lovely for me to be the translator, especially as the Yoda Guy’s philosophy to life seemed to fit in so well with ours. There was not a lot of explaining for me to do about our work, Nick seemed to understood spontaneously what conductive upbringing is about.

It was certainly a very motivating occasion and I am glad that I said Yes so spontaneously when I received that initial phone call asking whether we would like the visit organised for us.

Inspiration to create

Before Nick Maley and Yoda arrived for their visit the children drew Star Wars pictures while they waited and they presented these to Nick as he arrived. These were small and drab in comparison to the lively pictures that they drew immediately after he had left. The difference was enormous.

Unfortunately I was so busy with my host hat on that I have no photographs of the day! No picture of Nick, Yoda, no picture of the two huge white wolf twins, no picture of the Darth Vader wheelchair conversion and no pictures of the drawings. I do have a few pictures of the post-visit drawings though! You will just have to take my word for it that they were better than those created pre-visit.

The children were so quiet over lunch, livening up just a little when we were alone with our guests, but later when all the guests had left they began to discuss the Star Wars characters and it was clear to see in the artwork that they then produced that Nick Maley’s motivating talk really had inspired the children to be creative.

We hope that as the plans for the new film paraphernalia museum in Nürnberg develop we will meet Nick again so we can enjoy another family style lunch with him and be inspired and motivated once more. 

PS

There are lots of photographs of the visit and the Star Wars events in Nürnberg to be seen here –

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.779961955356947.1073741855.192006587485823&type=1

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.643359905748880.1073741836.592761687475369&type=1

 

Reading

Swallow-tail butterfly in Norfolk, May 2014 by Adam Tuttle

Recently when I was visiting England I was determined to get a few of my unread-books read. I was pleased when I managed two as usually I spend my days in the garden helping my Dad and my evenings with him watching the television or chatting about old times, then I collapsed into my bed and sleep.

On my most recent visit home I was surprised on my arrival by a newly decorated bedroom. It was so lovely that I was determined to spend at least part of the evenings using it, doing some reading. It was the room that had been my childhood bedroom, shared for a few years with my sister before she moved out to be alone in her own room, the room that over the past twenty-five years I have used when visiting. During of those twenty-five years own room became the lumber-room, a dumping ground for wanted, yet unwanted objects, until I cleared it out two summers ago, but still it remained a dusty, empty space.

Six months ago my Dad decided that it was time to replace the draughty windows in our three-hundred-years old house and when they were completed and the decorating and cleaning in the rest of the house all done, my sister, her husband and my Dad decided to surprise me with a ‘new’ room – something I have dreamed of for many years. It is not only the room that I have missed but also the view over the garden and the brightness streaming in through the huge windows each morning. I have missed painting there, using the space to be creative in and just sitting there to read and write.

So for a few weeks, after the gardening, cooking, chatting and visiting family, I did some reading. I read the catalogue to a recent Grayson Perry exhibition, I read my favourite magazines including Best of British, New Scientist, The Oldie and Big Issue, and I read a couple of books. The first was A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn which I was determined to get to the end of but I cannot say it was one of my best reads, and I read Do no Harm, Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh, which definitely was one of my best reads.

I am a great fan of Oliver Sacks’ books that are filled with his amazingly detailed case studies and Henry Marsh’s book is in the same genre. It is not a book for the faint-hearted though, as he goes into quite a lot of detail in his descriptions of his work as a brain surgeon, but I highly recommend it for those who are less squeamish.

"Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery", a 2014 book by Henry Marsh, ISBN 978-0297869870

Notes

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/mar/19/do-no-harm-brain-surgery-henry-marsh-review

The swallow-tail butterfly can still be seen in Norfolk. I have never seen one but I remember well how late in her life my mother was so joyful when she at last spotted one. My nephew was out and about with his family at Strumpshaw Fen last week and was thrilled to have had his new camera at the ready when he spotted the butterfly in the picture above.  

 

Learning

'A place to draw'

Thinking about when the process of learning to draw began

After my sister had scrubbed down the bookcase in my newly decorated room I sorted through the books with the aim to take some to the charity shop, I think I took about 3 in the end). The books included those that I had been given from birth through my childhood many with inscriptions in the inside cover, and those, mostly non-fiction that I had bought at art school and during teacher training, all of them dated when bought. There were some school exercise and project books amongst them and also lots of packets with old photographs. 

It took me a long time to sort through the shelves as there were my illustrated poems to read (from the 1960s), my artistic descriptions of geographical features seen on field trips to be looked at ( from the 1970s) and many memories to be recalled and stories to be retold from photographs dating back to the 1800s.

Amongst these photographs I found some oversize slides. These slides were of my A Level Art pieces, A1 size works that where sent away to the Cambridge Examining Board be marked never to be seen again, yes, it was all burnt! Thousands of pieces of art work from budding artist destroyed because it was too expensive to send it back.

'Tree stump' by Susie Mallett 1974

Those were the days before digital cameras, there was still a year to go before I was surprised to find a slim-line, Boots instamatic camera in my Christmas stocking. So what were we to do? A fellow sixth-former and I were determined to have a record of our, to us very valuable, works of art so we persuaded my friend’s brother to do this. He hung them on the shed wall and snapped away. I think this is why there are shadows across the pictures although it could be deterioration of the quality of the slides, they are 40 years old!

We were determined to keep our pictures for prosperity, but my slides got put on the shelf were promptly forgotten and left there on the shelf for 40 years! Last week I took them to the photographer around the corner and this is what was printed.

I was overwhelmed by the prints when I first saw them. When I realised that I had prodused these drawings before I went to art school for four years so I had obviously learnt quite a lot at school, although I have always believed I learnt to draw at art school. I have more pictures at home from school days that I shall have to dig out, in another cupboard at the top of the house I discovered rolls of drawings from first-form through till fifth-form at grammar school that my Mum had saved for me to find one day.

  'Reflections' by Susie Mallett, 1974

While I was still in the photographers last week looking at the prints from the slides I suddenly remembered as if it was yesterday. Images filled my mind of sitting in the art room at school, for five hours at a time, to take the exams that produced these.

I loved my art lessons. I had four different art teachers during my A Level course all of whom were an inspiration to us all. There were only five pupils in my art group and each double lesson, of which there were several each week, we were taught by a different artist. Yes, all of our teachers were practicing artists who showed us their own work. There it certainly was not a case of those who can't, teach!

'Plate with cutlery' by Susie Mallett 1974

I loved the long exams even more than the lessons. We were given exam subjects before hand and were allowed to prepare sketches on the chosen theme, then on the given day we would sit in silence in the art room to draw or paint for a whole school day – what bliss. 

'Rubbish' by Susie Mallett, 1974

I remember the teacher who built the still-life with the dustbin and boxes. He asked us how we wanted them all placed. I remembered that as I drew I was almost tempted to add the tail of a mouse disappearing behind one of the boxes.

Prints of these pictures now hang in my hall and already one of my friends has asked for copies of two of them.

I think it is time to start drawing again.

An inspiration while transforming my kitchen

'Tree stump' by Susie Mallett, 1974

Wobbly

It was time for a rest from tidying up in the half-finished, nearly-new kitchen. So I sat down at the new oak table to listen to Clive Anderson and his guests on Loose Ends –

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b043w51j

One of those guests was Francesca Martinez – comedian, actress and campaigner. I remember her from Grange Hill days but have not been very aware of what she has been up to in recent years, until now.

I am looking forward to reading her book that will be published next month – What The **** Is Normal? – and, perhaps when she starts touring again now the book is completed, I will be able to catch one of her shows sometime soon when I am in England.

You can listen to her here talking about her life as a comedian and actress –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBe9gqCcahc

and here you can hear her talking with her campaigners hat on –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmDkL6iwhnk

She is an inspiration and deservedly has been named as one of Britain's most influential women in the BBC Woman's Hour power list 2014.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03zy4m5/profiles

I hope that you all enjoy listening to her as much as I have during my break from transforming my kitchen.  

Wishing for a Doctor Who police box!

A snap-dragon on my balcony

Rowland Emett

Sometimes I am almost tempted to nip home to England for the weekend just to see an exhibition, meet a friend or to attend a family party. It is not often possible, I have only done it twice, once for a Golden Wedding party and once to attend a family wedding. 

It would be impossible at the moment however tempting it is as I have only just got back to work having spent the last three weeks in England with my Dad, and of course with my family and friends.

I am a bit sad that I will not see what I think will turn out to be a brilliant exhibition of the wierd and wonderful creations of Rowland Emett. These are crazy objects that I have spent most of my life admiring, at least since I saw Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but I think I remember them from earlier days, from pictures in books and jigsaw puzzle images.

Perhaps someone out there in Birmingham will enjoy this once in a lifetime exhibition for me and have time to send me a postcard!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2620488/From-lunar-bicycles-aftershave-fuelled-car-The-marvellous-mechanical-visions-future-household-items.html