The acorn is happy to become an oak
We have had 3 fashion shows to present over 6 weeks. The final show is in Paris this Saturday – we are calling it ‘London’ and we want to link it to saving the planet by asking, why do all the empty buildings in London have their lights switched on all night?
I don’t have time to comment on your letters so, instead, I thought I’d just step back and give an overview of what this website is about – a resume of what I care about.
“The acorn is happy to become an oak.” Each individual has a right to fulfil his human potential and to become himself. This cannot come about by being self-absorbed but by freedom; freedom to follow one’s deep interest and to engage with the world. I have learnt that the art lover is a freedom fighter. Through art we have a profound way to understand the world. True art gives culture; we are dangerously short of culture – culture is the antidote to propaganda. Our motto is: You get out what you put in.
The only sane view is the view that questions, “Can we make the world a better place?” This view gives us knowledge. All human beings care about justice. We normally get very upset and angry about injustice. We have empathy; we can each put ourselves in somebody else’s shoes: it could happen to me. This is why I became political. I first cared about death and torture, and war. Then I came to realize how, through links with their secret services and through propaganda (to mislead and pacify the public) the political powers sequester and manipulate the law to their own ends – always serving the monopoly interests of business.
These interests have burgeoned into such colossal waste of resources including human life that now our whole planet is threatened. The first, most urgent, thing to do is to try to save the rainforest.
Besides the fashion shows there have, of course, been many other things happening. Here are just a few that might interest you:
Cool Earth update:
the No Fun Being Extinct campaign launched 28th November to raise £7 million to kick start the rescue of 3 of the world’s most endangered rainforest. As of 15th February, £1,150.000 was raised.
The Times, Guardian and Telegraph interviewed me and covered the Cool Earth story which went viral in the national media. As a result, the World Bank contacted us and Cool Earth has just met with them in Washington DC.
Storm model agency has backed the project enthusiastically. Stephen Fry tweeted to Save an Acre – within an hour the Cool Earth site received nearly 2,000 hits. A party was thrown for Cool Earth by Daniel Lismore to raise money for the campaign. So many of you, our AR supporters, have contributed generously to the campaign.
The funds raised have enabled Cool Earth to extend its work: A new Green Teen Philanthropy project was started to teach students how to use their skills to protect rainforest. Matthew Owen, Director of Cool Earth, visited the Aguaruna communities in Northern Peru to scale up the conservation project and include more communities fighting against logging.
The Ashaninka communities in the Amazon received a clean water supply. A joyous moment for families who have had to cope with polluted water and walking several hours over arduous terrain to collect fresh supplies. Each village received a medical out post. Now there is medicine to deal with venomous bites and malaria.
The New Year started with a record number of people donating to Cool Earth with more supporters committing to be regular donors to the charity than ever before.
Matthew met with an NGO working in Papua New Guinea – the largest remaining rainforest in Asia Pacific region. The communities there wish to stand up against loggers and a plan is currently being discussed.
Ovo Energy is protecting an acre of rainforest for each of their customers with Cool Earth. This number increases to 70,000.
Storm models and Harper’s Bazaar support the project with a 2-page spread helping us to promote the cause. We are planning further activities with them in the autumn.
James Lovelock update:
I donated the original artwork for my Family Tree to help save James Lovelock’s archives for posterity. It was auctioned to great success at the Science Museum’s fundraising dinner last week. Together with other funds raised, it will make it possible for the museum to become the perfect permanent home for these invaluable records of a lifetime’s work.
I went to a book launch and signing for Dispatches from the Dark Side, by Gareth Peirce, the famous human rights lawyer. The book is on ‘torture and the death of justice’ and the political misuse of the law in England and America that has accompanied the war on terror.
Torture today is easier to read about because most of it is of a kind that doesn’t leave physical marks – when it does, the victims are killed. Today, the agony of torture is prolonged; it destroys people over an indefinite length of time. I’ve only just begun to read the book but I’m already shocked that things have got so much worse because of the US need to ‘win the war on terrorism’, e.g. Guilty pleas resolve 97% of (all) US trials, an extraordinary statistic inevitably achieved by the defendants’ apprehension of what lies ahead … and a desire to avoid, at any cost, the US law’s most extreme applications… The lawyers of one young man, Gary MacKinnon (alleged to have hacked into Pentagon computers), offered the opportunity of a guilty plea, were told that should he refuse… he would ‘fry’. (p81)
Your work is close to my heart and as a first generation punk (now 48) you have firmly passed the torch to me and I have nearly completed my MSc Environmental Governance.
Thank you for being such an inspiration to me (and countless others), you encourage me to keep going even in the face of discrimination (for being a woman and a pink-haired loud-mouthed punk).
Comment by Candace James on 29/02/2012 at 2:19 pm
Dear Vivienne,
Professor James Lovelock has inspired me greatly!
I am currently studying Applied Chemistry and I intend to initiate my Biochar Production Project.
I would be happy to get more news about Sandy and Jim. Are they still in USA? How are they keeping?
Thank you in advance!
My admirations for the support that Jim receives from you!
Kind regards!
Daniel : )
Comment by Daniel Dimitrov on 29/02/2012 at 6:32 pm
Dear Vivienne,
I’m so pleased that the No Fun Being Extinct is doing well, I just hope it can keep some momentum! We’re making a coin collector for our Eco-Corner at school, where people can donate their loose change, which will then be donated to the campaign. We’ve also implemented a print credits scheme reducing the number of printouts that people can have within school, and if they need more they will have to pay for them (and this money will be going to Cool Earth too!)
I’m glad, also, to hear that you have been helping fundraise to protect James Lovelock’s work. The very idea of such a prolific scientists work being somehow lost scares me quite a bit!
Glad to hear everything is going so well, best wishes to you and Cynthia and, of course, best of luck for the show in Paris!
James x
Comment by James Emmett on 29/02/2012 at 10:22 pm
Just wanted to share this with you from International Garden photographer of the Year 2012. My entry “Punk” inspired by a photograph of you at the Queens Silver Jubilee, Monochrome, http://www.igpoty.com/competition05/winners_4S_Winter_11.asp?parent=winners
hope you like. Vive le Rock
x Stephen
Comment by Stephen Studd Photography on 02/03/2012 at 5:31 pm
Already a fan but on reading this I am even more enamoured. The political stuff goes deeper than you think in preventing people from achieving their potential and it harms us all – it is all so limiting for the human race. I wish you were my mentor and I love your fragrance ads, I would like to dress and walkaround as ‘Naughty Alice’ just to show that women of a certain age are not to be limited as you yourself are a tremendous example.
Comment by su sullivan on 06/03/2012 at 11:43 am
Dear Vivienne,
at first i wonna make you great compliments for your great creative work, you are my favourite stylist, i’m a punk from the first times ( now 47 ) and i currently wear one of your wonderful striped sweater that i buy to you at Worlds End for my 18 birthday… that happens in the same date of yours :))) so every year when i celebrate my a big greeting thought is always for you, also i’m proud about your real ( not only for having a better scene for a commercial label ) social commitment, instead i makes in mylife some very good working experience as grafician, as monster designer at all… , than jewels and now leather accessories designer, also with high care in quality and environment safe finishing, if you like to take a look about my web site… http://www.silviahassert.it obviously not all about my works is published, i worked also for more italian famous stylist and i give my guarantee of confidentiality, my wish is to meet you again, all the best, Take Care ! Punks real creativity will never dead ! LOVE Silvia
Comment by Silvia Hassert on 06/03/2012 at 7:46 pm
Dear Vivienne,
I’m so sorry to contact you on the back of this blog post, which is NOT about Bradley Manning…. but I can’t find any other way of getting in touch with you to let you know what we are doing in Wales to raise awareness of Bradley’s situation and all the issues it raises, such as war, torture, human rights etc. See: http://wiseupforbradleymanning.wordpress.com/get-involved-events-for-bradley-manning-in-wales-11-28-april/
I read your interview with Jemimah Khan in New Statesman in which you expressed support for both Bradley and Julian, and hoped you would read the comment I left there in the on-line version, and I’ve been puzzling about how I might get in touch ever since….Originally, I felt I couldn’t post a comment on here to get in touch – it seemed really inappropriate…but I just can’t think what else to do, sorry.
I just sent an email to Reprieve (who I support) begging them to forward info to you, but I expect it’s just not done!
And then I came back to this site and discovered you’d actually just written about Bradley, and I just had to do this.
Please could you see if you can participate/contribute to our plans – we are few and struggling (!), but by slogging away we are being fairly successful in getting events etc organised alongside a new National Theatre of Wales production ‘The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning’ by Tim Price, http://nationaltheatrewales.org/whatson/performance/ntw18
which is going to be performed in 3 different locations in Wales between 11th and 28th April, starting with the actual school that Bradley attended as a teenager when he lived in Wales (his mum is Welsh, as you probably know).
We think this is a perfect opportunity to maximise exposure (National Theatre Wales really made a name for itself with its first season last year) and register public support for Brad just before his trial this summer, as well as promoting discussion (as he appears to have wanted), on all the really important issues connected. It may well be the last chance to do anything to support him.
Any events are of interest – any medium, any type – we want to look at these things through lots of different windows, and if you have ideas/think of some way of being involved, it would be great. Or if you can forward to anyone else you think would be interested in participating/helping etc.
NTW and the playwright are very supportive of our plans, though not directly involved, obviously, and we hope to follow the production around with an exhibition (as well as organising as many events as possible) and to create a mock up of Bradley’s cell in Quantico. We have no funding for any of this and are struggling to pay for everything ourselves, and even though we are doing everything on a shoe string, it still costs, so help with some of the costs would be really really welcomed. Plus it would mean we were not so limited.
I realise you are very busy and have to limit what you are involved in, but if you feel you can link into this in any way, please get in touch either by emailing back or via the email on the website listed above and we could explain what we have sorted out so far.
Love Lindi
xxxxxxx
Comment by Lindi Barnes on 08/03/2012 at 2:22 am
This is a PS to my previous comment, as if it wasn’t long enough!!
I just had an idea…
have a collection of PETTICOAT magazine (about 140) dating from 1968 – 1973 (mostly 71 – 73), which I can sell to raise money for Bradley – any suggestions how/where to get best price? – there are some fantastic fashion pages – I used to really look forward to the day it came out…brilliant magazine
Lindi
xxxxxxxxxxx
Comment by Lindi Barnes on 11/03/2012 at 12:51 pm
Dearest Vivienne
The theme of your Paris show inspried me to spend this past weekend investigating the empty building lighting situation ‘Up North’. I spend my time between Manchester and Nottingham. After walking round the city centre in the evenings I was very impressed with Manchester and the lack of lights on in empty buildings, (maybe we’re more careful with money up north) 🙂
There were just five landmarks/offices that stood and I have today emailed them to raise awareness of this.
In addition, I have learnt that the Highways Agency tested a ‘black out’ on a stretch of the M66 near Bury last year. The results show no additional accidents were caused and they saved £75,000 in energy costs in addition to the all important reducing CO2 emissions.
I think it important to praise such successes to encourage others to follow. Climate change affects us all and all areas of life can affect climate change.
Comment by Dominic Hourd on 12/03/2012 at 10:03 am
Dear Domenic
It’s wonderful that you’re acting so quickly on our ‘Blackout’ campaign; we’re really chuffed. We’re just getting started ourselves and are now researching the problem in London. It would be great if people like you could take up the challenge in cities and towns around the UK – and elsewhere!
Comment by Vivienne on 14/03/2012 at 4:05 pm
Dear Vivienne,
I think that it really would be a total shame and not to mention a complete disaster if we lose James Lovelocks archives ! It’s fantastic that you auctioned the drawing of the tree, – I hope it brings attention to the matter!
All my best,
loved the Paris show!
Sam
Comment by Sam on 12/03/2012 at 7:44 pm
Rattling informative and wonderful complex body part of content material , now that’s user genial (:.
Comment by Malik Boseman on 15/07/2012 at 1:23 pm