Je suis vraiment désolé

Last week I had some time off due to another funeral. (Granny)

I then attended a meeting at BGU with St. Hugh's Foundation for the Arts and met up with representatives of 1215Today, with mention of upcoming projects for next year that I hope to be involved with, either as an artist, an illustrator or with the LAN as a group that has had the Magna Carta at the core since its inception.

Then I went to bed on Friday night to spot murmurings on social media about Paris, and watched the news unfold that seemed so familiar for Oslo a few years ago, only this time it was at a gig, it was music fans, and other terrorist attacks around the city aimed at innocent people just out enjoying the culture of the city.
Je suis vraiment désolé.
The merch stand guy Nick Alexander was killed, (my sister's married name is Alexander) the band Eagles of Death Metal had no idea what had happened to all the band and crew.



On Saturday, the Cathedral said there would be a service for Paris for Evensong, so heavy hearted, I went up to the Cathedral and lit a candle for the victims and their families. 

I wasn't sure how appropriate it would be, but as I'm currently hoping to win a trip to Oslo, I took a selfie outside the Cathedral and posted it to Instagram.

I've never done Instagram or selfies before the competition by Visit Oslo, but this seemed somehow a poignant thing to do as an artist. It could be crass. I went alone, I wasn't with anyone, and others posted photos of flowers at the Nobel Peace Centre, and French embassies around the world, so there was only myself to document the moment.
It could be regarded as vain or selfish, narcissistic perhaps, that's how I think if Instagram anyway, but if I win the competition to see A-ha perform live at the Nobel Peace Centre, it would be the perfect way to create something - the Onochord Bicycle Bell Choir should've accompanied bicycle piano player Davide Martello playing Imagine outside Bataclan theatre where the tragedy happened.

I really think it's important more than ever to create work for peace.
In thoughts are all the places affected by disruption and terrorism, including Beirut, Baghdad, Syria, and others #PrayForWorld

All I could think about was that:
Muslims would've been at Friday prayers, so it wasn't them, that world leaders would be provoked into retaliating like braindead numpties, and in the dark echoes of Anders Breivik, the terrorists should be arrested, put on trial and jailed, not killed - two wrongs don't make a right.
Something Andrew Graham Dixon said in his lecture at the University of Lincoln about the church destroying art and thoughts about iconoclasts - the destruction of culture, the writings of Borges, Guy Debord, and Baudrillard.

There are no words, just keep on rocking, Paris. Guitars not guns!