The Dream of Human Harmony

The Dream of Human Harmony.

The Fire Ball Sculpture is rocking on. We rolled it this morning and cut open the top. Min and I went in to get out the scraps. It was fun to be inside for the first time but it confirmed my suspicions that a team of grinders will be necessary inside to grind off the plasma flak. We threw out the off cuts and took some pictures. The silhouettes make a great web or net work,a  guanxi maybe – Chinese family or business network !. I have put forward a final name for the committee.  “The dream of human harmony”……I admit to be playing into the political propaganda departments hands here, with a wink let’s say. The key word being dream….one of the themes  of the symposium . The ambiguity will be in the  people coming out  of the sunflower…..celebration , collective expression of joy, or is it disgruntlement , China’s spring ?.

I have decided to put a lotus flower ….another fundamental East Asian symbol of harmony, at the base of the fire ball, underneath the fans or fields pattern.It fits perfectly in the 8 pointed star that has been created.

I have determined   to term the fire ball burning party as a photo shoot….I think this will be easier for the faceless committee to digest…They have agreed in principle, but they  don’t yet know I want to use the crane to take an aerial shot. I HOPE  I can pull that one off, it would be an amazing picture.

I have detailed my friend, 7 , the smartest…and prettiest of the interpreters to seek approval.

OK positive response…since lunch ,agent 7 has worked her magic and got the necessary permission to burn the Fire Ball. By good fortune the head director had dropped in today and she got approval from the top….well as top as needs be, there seems to be endless layers to this system of authority. He even went so far as to offer some wine and beers  at the committee’s expense…now we are talking!  They want to know approximate numbers of who will attend….as I am sure it will attract a good crowd and then hotel dinner arrangements and buses will need to be co-ordinated. Yikes….another round of event management has set in…!  I plan to seek help from my Romanian friend,Bogdan,who I know has photoshop on his computer, to make a small invitation to pass around….to include workers ,translators and volunteers.

Now I must finish the fire ball sculpture completely ….there is a lot of finishing work to do. Add on the people exploding out of the top, grind the weld seems down on the outside and the inside, as well as grind separation relief lines between each person..that will be a job. Then to roll it out and load it with wood by next Saturday.

I hope all goes smoothly….no arrests are made etc!  I have booked a ticket to Beijing leaving 7.15 the following morning…..burn and run !