The Shameless Lions Writing Circle: Lion 5 - Absolute Vanilla...(&Atyllah)

What Is This All About ?

The writers gathered here have adopted one of the 48 lions that appeared in "The Lions Of Lyon" series on the writing blog Shameless Words. By adopting a lion, the writers have become a member of this new writing circle. The lions have been posted in the sidebars of the writers' individual blogs, accompanied by a poem or piece of prose. Of course, it is hoped that the strength, luck and prestige of these mighty beasts will rub off on their owners! (Keep scrolling down to see the full listings of all members and their lions).

Lion 5:

Kashgar.

Artist behind the lion:

José Arcé (French visual artist).

Adoptive Writer:

Absolute Vanilla at Absolute Vanilla... (&Atyllah).

Blog Description:

This is a vibrant and thought-provoking blog from South Africa. Absolute Vanilla produces stunning photographs and words. The topics covered are varied and poignant. AV's writing is sharp and moving. It is no wonder that this blog has developed a large following. AV welcomes people to her site with these words: "Who am I? I am. And I happen to love vanilla. And so, this blog's about...? This and that. Witterings and warblings - from here and there - you'll find out soon enough."

Poem or piece of prose inspired by the lion:

Stride, noble Kashgar through all the worlds

Worlds within worlds
one linked to another
paths connecting
holding together.

Never alone,
separate,
yet part
of a far greater
whole.

Colours that ripple
eyes that gleam
words draw us forward
and
interconnected
we follow the dream.

Atyllah also wrote this longer piece:

Interconnection & Impermanence

A hand rises...

Pebble plops
ripples shimmer
towards the shore.
A droplet splashes
the earth
moistens the seed
resting below.
Shoot rises up
to meet the sun.
Flower blooms
and is kissed
by the honeybee.
All is One
and
constantly changing.

A hand rises...

Words form on a page
the present
shifts
to the future...
The world alters
and
they're not just words
anymore.

The Lions' History

The lions in the writing circle were born as part of a public exhibition in 2004 in Lyon, France: "60 lions, 60 places, 60 artists". La Biennale des Lions and Emma Productions are behind the project, headed by Doctor Mohamed Attia, and it is now an event that takes place every two years. Emma Productions has kindly given permission for images of the artists' work to be used in this writing circle. (Only 48 of the 60 lions are featured here). The details of the artists behind the lions can be found in the individual member listings. The sculptures were placed in public places across Lyon and at the end of the exhibition they were sold off, with the money going to the artists and charities. In 2006, Lyon linked up with the Italian city of Turin and produced 69 sculptures: 30 lions and 39 bulls. In 2008 the project will see Lyon linked up with Montreal. In 2010 it'll be the turn of Lyon-Canton and in 2012 Lyon-Frankfurt.

The individual members of the writing circle hold all rights to all of their original material published on this blog. Material may not be copied or reproduced in any form without their express permission. Seamus Kearney holds the copyright to the photos of the lions, but he has given the members explicit permission to make copies onto their own blogs. As the photos are considered in some countries (eg, France, USA) to be derivatives of the actual art work, and issues of intellectual property rights may come into play, Seamus Kearney has been given the kind permission of the organisers of the lions exhibition, and the holder of all related rights (Emma Productions/La Biennale des Lions), to use the images in this writing circle. The understanding is that this project is non-commercial, which means that members also agree not to use the lion images for commercial purposes.

6 comments:

Unknown said...: I like that, Aty. Good to see you here.; 28 May 2007 at 02:16
Unknown said...: Hope Kashgar encourages you to produce some more Aty!; 28 May 2007 at 08:43
Debi said...: And in that day, the chickens shall lie down with the lions ...; 13 June 2007 at 09:30
S. Kearney said...: Hi there,
Things looking great here. You need to send through a poem/prose piece of 48 words or under if you want to be eligible for the writing circle contest. Judging starts this Wednesday. Check out the circle site. Email me or post your piece into the comments section of your listing. :); 24 June 2007 at 19:25
Unknown said...: Just back from the UK and too late to shorten the piece - mind you, I did look at it and the thought of shortening it gave both Kashgar and me the shivers so we figured we'd rather stick with breaking the rules and not being eligible - artistic integrity and all that, y'know :-); 27 June 2007 at 00:51
Unknown said...: Okay, since Kashgar and I aren't about to challenge our literary and artistic integrity with the original poem, we have however decided to submit a second poem that meets the rules - ie is under 48 words.

Here it is:

Stride, noble Kashgar through all the worlds

Worlds within worlds
one linked to another
paths connecting
holding together.

Never alone,
separate,
yet part
of a far greater
whole.

Colours that ripple
eyes that gleam
words draw us forward
and
interconnected
we follow the dream.; 27 June 2007 at 02:26

The Shameless Lions Writing Circle

What Is This All About ?

Lion 5 - Absolute Vanilla...(&Atyllah)

6 comments:

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