Transcript

This is the art of foreverness | Cleo Jarvis | TEDxStroudsburgLibrary

I'm going to speak to you about the art of evanesce and forever Ness is a concept of bringing the past forward into the present and then we have the present which will utilize that thing we brought from the past and then it remains for future use and so it lives on and on and on many cultures in the world have practiced the art of foreverness through their artifacts that they leave behind many cultures would not be known of today had they not left behind some form of art for us to marvel at for us to be inspired by how many people have been to a museum how many people looked at a piece of art and wanted to cry how many people have looked at a piece of art and wanted to laugh how many people looked at a piece of art and wondered what the people were thinking when they created that so in that light we're gonna talk about music we look at music as something for me actually let's let me speak for myself music for me is completely eclectic I have left the United States of America and I have heard a piece of music here that was popular in the radio you know the time you know and then I'm gone and I've gotten them an airplane and I've landed in China and I've watched the young people walk down the street and that beat sounds familiar and then I listened and I said wait a minute that's the same song they're enjoying it in China it's not in Chinese either but they're enjoying that piece of music and then a month later I land in India and they are listening to the same piece of music and enjoying it and so I see music as a form of worldwide communication you do not need to speak the language in order to enjoy a piece of music music has its own what form of language and so I look at the time that I have seen music heal heal people's emotions heal rifts between family because you know you said remember when mama used to sing that song to us and the two sisters were arguing stop arguing anything yeah yeah yeah and they start singing it right and everybody's right so music heals then we have music inspires how many times have I been working on something and I'm so and I'm so tired and I put on some music and I'm like oh yeah I could do that I'm cleaning the house and I'm right you know music inspires you to keep going when times are hard or when things are difficult you can put on a piece of music that brings back a memory I'm and that's how we connect from the past right because your memories are attached to that piece of music grandma can tell stories we think of things that my grandma taught me through song but I still remember to this day and I don't tell you how old I am now but I'm old and I still remember what grandma told me as a little 4 year old when she sang that song to me and rocked me the lullabies our elders thing as they rock us to sleep yes the songs we sing in kindergarten yes attached memories to them and so building community music definitely is a piece of community building you see the man playing the steel pan that was created in a little island that instrument now people all over the world utilize that talk about forever mess now see the people on the beach what are they playing they're using the instrument of the voice oldest instruments on the planet as well as a guitar and they're having a great party on the beach what you think they will ever forget that yeah that's what for evidence piece and then they tell the story and you see the people on the street the people playing the music on the street and then the other folks down here these elders are surrounded by piano and they're sharing memories and they're sharing joy music is building for evidence it's the art of the net part of building the art of foreverness my mother told me that ever since even in the womb I danced she said that whenever a piece of music came on my little arms and legs will just move to the rhythm I mean exactly to the rhythm and she was always fascinated by that that an in-vitro baby in vitro could actually pick up the rhythm and then on top of that my earliest memory as a child of being praised by my elders of the smiles looking at me smiling faces looking at me was when I was dancing they told me I was the first little dance that I don't remember much of it I remember one time dancing at the carnival you know we have in the Caribbean I was born in Antigua and in the carnival we have every year and you know the band's march down the street and everybody's playing an instrument and jumping around and costumes and so on and so forth and I remember one time dancing and I remember the faces the joy that my performance as if we call it that brought to those people I will never ever forget it and I thought I was about four when that happened so talked about the art of foreverness I will never forget that so natural connections are made through rhythm so listen I know this is a talk about Ted forgive me this is me my ancestors are talking to me right now so here we go here we go everybody follow me and stop now did you feel it yeah you have often heard people say I feel that well that moved me and when it moves you when the rhythm moves you what do you want to do and everything for some people they have this definition in their minds of dance as somebody on a stage performing ballet no let me show you dancing I'm dancing right see the movement I'm dancing all right now and look at what happened she started doing the same thing and so when you bring people together when you bring groups of people together and that rhythm takes them here's your community they don't speak the same language sometimes there's some different background sometimes different races different cultures different genders different ages but when that music comes along they start to movement right and then you would do what we create new things to do to the movie right so next thing you know we have line dancing and folks are dancing to an old song but they're doing a new movement correct and sometimes we go way back thousands of years ago and we bring some movements and a rhythm back and so today people are twerking but they have no idea that that's an ancient dance from a people in Senegal West Africa called the Labe people and the lobby women and girls dance that dance and the purpose of that dance was to keep here strong your core strong and when you squat to give birth cuz we didn't lay down on our backs to give birth back then when you squat to give birth your thighs are strong because that dance requires strong thighs okay if that also keeps all your organs in place okay so those people had that purpose for doing that dance now today it's a little different all right I gave it and I admit it it's a little different today but the movement is the same okay and so that's bringing something from the past into the present I have no idea what the future holds for it but it still exists today and that's the art of her evidence they took it an ancient thing they added their creativity to it and now they express it in their own way and so we have then different dancers from different people places and you see the joy on her face they tell me that's how I look when I dance I don't know I just feel it now just go with it um then kuelen every arts you Shh you know I know this bet when people have meetings I know that you noticed that too they say let's do lunch why is that because food makes people relax a little bit and when they chat and shoot you know they're more agreeable when they chant and chew right and so you know and some and when you have your family gatherings do you have food raise your hand if you have food when you have your family gatherings and it doesn't have to be a holiday my family listen let me tell you something if you come to my family's home and you don't eat you have insulted the host okay and birthday parties not just cake and ice cream okay I spread okay sort of like what the people in this country have as Thanksgiving dinner that's what a birthday party looks like in my back in my culture okay so food is very important food relaxes people food makes an activity enjoyable food is essential to many cultures and the culinary arts in many cultures maintain the integrity of that culture and that's something when you share recipes how many people make Indian food at home and okay how many people make Chinese food at home okay rephrase how many people eat Chinese food yeah I have to find the right question okay so you eat Chinese room how many people eat Indian food okay and if I'm looking around and I don't see too many people in here from those cultures but because those people have shared their culinary arts with the world they are practicing the art of for evidence okay so as you can see these are multicultural scenes of people sharing food and look at their faces does anybody look upset nah man that is the art of for evidence they will notice to get that memory they will never build forever remember how to enjoy that moment and then one of next one of my favorite graphic arts now from me graphic arts include architecture you know a beautiful building somebody created that that's art right graphic arts include shoes pretty shoes somebody designed that right your clothes you wear somebody designed they're not just a painting on the wall not just photography but all the beautiful things that surround us that's art and many people I'm sorry many people explore their artistic self by sharing with others this skill their gifts we look at your hands everybody for me just look at your hands there are gifts in your hand they are you might not be able to see them right now but they there and if you just utilize them if you just accept them if you just share them with others share your culture with others share what grandma did with others share that favorite recipe with others if you just do that we you have actually practiced the art of evidence and we will ever be able to maintain many things that would have otherwise been lost architecture architecture that one up there I selected because of the Caribbean you know our house is a pretty big white color stand yeah and that's very beautiful art and then many ways of preserving and creating art not just painting not just photography but look around you as you now that you're aware of the art of evidence look around you as you're walking down the street when you leave here today and see how much art is around you gardening beautiful art one of my favorites and as I leave you today how many people are going to be more aware of the art of evidence awesome and I want to say thank you so much for allowing me to share my vision of the art of for evidence with you have a blessed day [Applause]