Hillaballoo

Without too much effort so far, we already seem to have plenty going on for Hillaballoo (July 19th 2008):

The Young Friends of the Park are organising park conservation activities, in the lower park. That’s your chance to get into the pond.

The Young Friends are also organising art activities, aiming to get more children and young people involved in park activities.

The Telegraph Hill Craft Fair will be taking place that day.

There will be a film night in the Centre that evening.

Friends of the Livesey Museum for Children will be doing creative activities, raising awareness of the campaign to reopen the Museum.

The Amazing Camera Obscura is back again by popular demand.

The Telegraph Hill Society will have a stall, with some extra activities.

There will also be some wandering joke collectors and local artists doing some ’stuff’. 

Put the date in your diary and start planning your summery outfits and contents of your picnic hamper.

2008 is the Year of the Telescope, celebrating Galileo’s inspired use of the telescope and all that came afterwards, leading to navigation of the seas and the stars. It would be great to see some activities in Hillaballoo that celebrate this occasion.  

A cloud-spotting or shadow-catching game? A strawberry stall? A giant group poem about the view? A photography challenge? Paint the view? Dress up as the invisible man? Wear a London Eye hat? Levitation? Spinning plates? A seaside-style your-face-in-the-hole portrait? A giant skipping rope? Teach people to do cartwheels? Paint your face? Dress a tree trunk? Let us know…

If Hillaballoo inspires you to do more imaginative activity to do with looking at views and the sky, why not pop down to Croydon to see this exhibition this summer. It’s called Seeing Dragons in the Clouds: the art of the imagination. On Wednesdays and Thursdays they have artist-led workshops for children too. Perhaps the theme of the exhibition will inspire you to organise an activity at Hillaballoo (drawing the clouds, seeing found objects as something else…?)

http://www.museumofcroydon.com/ixbin/indexplus?record=ART5695&session=QlMbQxCjdve

Inspiring people are signing up to be interviewed in Inspiration Cafe, taking place in Cafe Orange, and they will be inviting your ideas to help power up their projects.

Cafe Orange also plans demonstrations by their art and craft tutors, as well as exhibitions of digital photography and art, about views of the Hill old and new. They will also organise a children’s activity - chalk drawings of the view.

Around lunchtime, willing volunteers will be asked to grab a rake to help clear the pond in the lower park. When it’s clear as a mirror, we can take a photo of our reflections in the water.

Activities for younger children are to be offered by Oak Hill Nursery.

There will be face painting.

Vanessa is organising a knitting workshop - all ages and levels welcome.

Helen Moore and her band, Nouvelle Croix, have agreed to perform in the afternoon.

The Telegraph Hill Centre will be open and a display about their work put on.

There will be a Name the Landmark competition.

You will be invited to have a go at drawing clouds and shadows.

Help spread the word to people outside the hub of Hill activity. Invite your friends from afar. All welcome. Remember to bring your own sketchpads, cameras, picnics and games, music or activities to share.   

Hillaballoo will include an event in Cafe Orange, called Inspiration Cafe. Inspired and inspiring people are invited to book a ‘top of the hour’ slot to have a conversation with facilitator Sandra Gilfillan. Sandra will draw them out through questions about how they link their personal life with the community and wider world, how they feel about time, what words, art or thoughts inspire them and what specific projects they are trying to achieve. Everyone else is invited to join them at a big table, to just eavesdrop or to share thoughts. We’ll be sending an email to some particular people we know of, but if you want to be involved, please email sandra.gilfillan@gmail.com to book a slot.

Today was Farmer’s Market again, and several people agreed to consider a contribution to Hillaballoo. I won’t mention their names, until they are sure. These include three musical offerings, a children’s book stall and ’something’ to explain optics or telescopy, and at least three people saying ‘I’ll have a think’. 

There will be no fixed programme, and contributors will be responsible for their own activity (equipment, placing, timing, help needed etc). About two weeks before the event, I’ll send a group email to everyone who has signed up, describing what everyone is going to do. That way, you can see if you need to contact anyone directly if you need to share resources or work out timings (e.g. music) between you.   

Photo by Gilson Pereira

Last July, after the last day of school term, there was a great party in the Top Park to celebrate year 6 moving on to secondary school. The date of Hillaballoo, 21st of July, is the day after the end of term. So, it might be an opportunity to celebrate the moving on of this year’s 11 year olds. Any ideas for a celebration activity as part of Hillaballoo?