Tag Archives: Music

Engaging Power [4]: Diffusion

How do we fight, how do we conquer? In oppositional models of power, we deploy overwhelming force, to disrupt the structure. The sledgehammer solution. But when the structures of violence are held within coherent social units, the sledgehammer reinforces them. … Continue reading

Posted in Complexity, Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Be More Punk

‘Anger is an energy’, says John Lydon, as the title of his autobiography. As Johnny Rotten, that energy was always close to the surface. But energy changes over time, and i was not alone in my surprise when Rotten was … Continue reading

Posted in Leadership | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Scaffolding the Safari

The Social Age conference is at the more experimental end of the work that i do, and why not? It’s an event i run once a year to explore: to create a space that provokes discussion, exposes us to new … Continue reading

Posted in Choreography | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lost Values: The Objectification of Women

I was unclear if it was artful slow motion or simple writhing, but whichever it was, it was disconcerting. And not strictly necessary. The picture in question was in the toilets of a particularly trendy London restaurant, all exposed brick … Continue reading

Posted in Equality | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Brighton Rock: Reckless and Homeless

You can’t walk far in Brighton without finding graffiti: the sanctioned and sponsored art form type, decorating electrical boxes and shopfronts, the porto-art inhabiting alleyways and laid on hoardings, and the raw, visceral cries sprayed on garage doors, derelict rooftops … Continue reading

Posted in Exploration, Graffiti, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Brooklyn: Rough Trade and Culture

It always surprises me, the closeness of regeneration and destitution. It was with some relief that the artisan coffeeshops, dog grooming parlours and the familiar facade of Rough Trade hove into view. After twelve miles of walking through the highways … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure, Exploration | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Difference of Digital: are all Conversations Equal?

Some things feel right, some feel wrong, and some are just different. That’s what’s at the heart of my thinking today. I remember the first time i went on camera: painfully awkward, the sound of my own voice was weird, … Continue reading

Posted in Communication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Voices

Whispering in the wind, echoing through hallways, buzzing like an angry fly down a bad phone line or whispered tenderly late at night. Voices of purpose and intent, voices that implore or beg us to take action, bullying or directive … Continue reading

Posted in Communication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tempo in learning

Tempo: working to a rhythm. Finding the pace. In music, we use variety: introductions, patterns, repetition. Sometimes engagement come through discord, the use of a minor key or sudden change of. Pace. My second consecutive day of workshop delivery today … Continue reading

Posted in Agile, Learning | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Record Store: How we use our Communities

The Social Age is lived out in our communities: the varied spaces, both on and offline, where we learn things, share things, subvert the establishment and generate momentum. Or sometimes just hang out. I’m preparing for a Masterclass in Social … Continue reading

Posted in Community | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments