11-03-2025
Saturday November 1st, Bob Leonard has convened the second Zoom meeting
of the Affinity Rhizome. The number of participants is low. The inactivity it is to watch oneself and a speckle of others watch themselves on a computer screen for an undetermined time feels like being jury in an on-line peeping-tom contest.
I still don’t quite understand the purpose of this exercise but it gives me, every time, a chance to praise ROOTS, not necessarily for what it does, but for being what it wants to be. I love the stubbornness of the effort, what it takes to survive fifty years of community building with the most heterogenous bunch of peace and justice workers, artists, activists educators, mechanics of the heart … and still so enthusiastic and determined. I have come to understand that this could be the kind of love the world needs as of … tomorrow —->
11-04-2025
Election day in America.
Gwylène is a pole watcher.
At the Creative Sink I am not sure my young partners feel the earthquake it would be if Mamdani became the Mayor elect of New York City. Of course, every trick in the book of illegalities, every demeaning lie, everything throwable, will be hurled at him, from a hard copy of Project 25 to a Tesla pickup truck!
What Maga does not accept is that Mamdani, with his still irreproachable political history, points in a direction which threatens supremacy! He is pretty much everything those guys don’t want and a lot of what a younger generation of Americans desires but does not quite know how to get to.
This poses a fundamentally socio-political, constitutional, systemic, historic(al),
anthropological problem to the whole American citizenry, ill-equipped with its binary frameworks, in an evermore heterogenous world. Mamdani is one of the building blocks of Post-Colonial America. Let’s propose him to our toddlers as a 250th Independence anniversary present! Independence from a king, indeed!
11-05-2025
Rayn came to the studio at noon, to help me dig out an old piece, made for Delphine at the time of “the Future is on the Table”. A cart shaped as a boat. And on wheels! They want to use it as a small ‘Mobile Lab’ to promote both, their Zine venture and the TINYisPOWERFUL 2026 Community Lab.
We had a serious conversation, as every time they come, which ended up with my getting her an André Gorz book, in English: Politics as Ecology. It will start them well on the subject of the human dimension in everything political.
Then, Gwylène and Rayn went to Metanoia, a North Charleston non-profit, christian, inspired by the ‘Freedom School’ programs of the 1960’s, of Civil Rights fame. They had an appointment with Bill Stanfield, to see if he would support the coming Community Lab. It seems that he has already gotten in touch with a local business owner who may have spaces available!
We had already been in touch with Metanoia at the time of the first Community Lab, on Reynold’s Avenue, just before the covid 19 epidemic shut it down. That episode marked the start of hard times for TINYisPOWERFUL. But, maybe, at this moment, Metanoia’s support will prove to be the start of a new era! This, for me personally, would be sort of redeeming! I must admit that, in 2019, I was much less open to working with any organization affiliated, closely or not, to a creed or a church. I suppose we did not know about Metanoïa’s Freedom School sympathies. This would have made a difference of course. Today, as Gwylène and I have fully dedicated all our energies to a Reparations agenda; passed the hand on to our young Black friends, I am glad to have the opportunity to make amend. Needless to say, although my culture has improved, I am still staunchly a-clerical and, with Simone Weil as a model, I doubt the necessity for instituted religion! But I understand: the cultural and moral fiber of white christianity has very little to do with that of, say, Metanoia!
11-08-2025
Last night we went to the opening of the new gallery in town. Unusual for us to sacrifice to this mundane ritual. But Kela is the curator for this inaugural event titled “For the People”. How could we not acknowledge such a banner phrase and miss an opportunity to see how Kela, with whom I have studio time on Thursdays, has handled the job! Very well I would say, if I dismiss any criticism of the art itself! Not the purpose here. All the more since Gwylène has a piece in the show! Very well done, then, Kela. This young lady must have spent some time in a large American metropolis, to be so fluent in urban language. She knows how to play host, dressed and made up over the top but in control of the image. She presented us to the gallery owner who was wearing a New York Giants cap, I believe. Cool. Makes you feel very provincial!
The interesting part is that, in this instance, the East side of Charleston is being gentrified by Black influencers, artists, restaurateurs. They may not have the dough to afford the pomposity of the below-Broad establishment, nevertheless they display an authentic class, refreshingly accessible.
—–
Something just crossed my mind. Yesterday Saleha invited us for dinner this coming Friday. She is an immigrant from Algeria, the same way we are immigrants from France. We do not have the sense of entitlement which makes many charlestonians so testy. Well then, the Black folks we work and mingle with are pioneers on their own land! But their belonging here does not translate into arrogance or defensive appropriation. They are welcoming, genuinely civil and generous. In just a few words: they do not seem to be consumed by greed and envy.
—–
Chapter 7 of bell hooks book “All About Love” is (counter-intuitiely) titled “Greed: Simply Love”. It is introduced by a quote from Sharon Salzberg:
The fading away of greed and hatred is the foundation for liberation.
This whole chapter is a powerful declination of the ills of materialism or of any culture ‘where things matter more than people‘.
Where ‘things matter more than people.’
See bell hooks dissect the causes and
Effects of greed.
She cites envy and profiteering,
Consumerism and fear,
[May I add Solitude?]
Why frequent bearers of such burdens?
Gwylène and I don’t.
Neither do our friends,
Racialized,
Immigrants like us,
Soon the American majority.
Passé, the Big White Hope.
Alien-American Citizens
Flood the Land of Opportunity.
Together, in myriad languages,
We trace myriad paths for liberation.
We trans-borders, we transgress,
We transform.
We replace sick greed with Civic Love.
Civic Love?
This sound delicious!
11-10-2025
An other day of infamy in the life of the United States of America.
I must not transform this Journal into a plaintive litany.
There’s got to be better angles to observe the fall in slowmo!
I choose optimism, solidarity and civic love.
However, it does make it any easier to accept the cruelty, the savage hatred displayed by the president of all Americans when he targets their children, with a particular attention to the poor among them. Why cut their food sources and, in one fell swoop, criminalize any gesture of compassion in their direction?
Why?
Not in my name.
11-11-2025
Back at editing the early pages of what was then a Diary, now called a Journal!
Dated 02-02-2018, an excerpt:
” … A phrase, painted on the Israeli wall of apartheid:
We know that our freedom is incomplete
without the liberty of the Palestinians
I found it this morning, in Mediapart. It is inspired from Nelson Mandela.
This is a typical case of negating intersectionality.
Both parties, as long as they do not admit that they share a time, a place, a circumstance, will not share a peace on which to build a future … “
—–
There was a Creative Sync this morning. Everyone is beaming. Gwylène participates. I am not beaming, just a bit taken aback by the presentation, by Rayn, of a new digital format for communication and organizing. As if we needed to depend even more on Zoom. And also, a conversation initiated by Victoria about the upcoming Charleston Tourism Conference. She has worked for it before and this year, if I got it right, AirBnB proposes art tours of the city. Victoria see how TINYisPOWERFUL could squeeze its presence in one of those tours. I don’t want to work with AirBnB. They are one of the causes for Charleston’s unapproachable rates for apartment rental. The former mayor had put a limit on AirBnB places available for short term rentals. I suppose the new mayor has opened the market up again.
I would prefer Victoria to run with the idea, adjust it to fit her abilities and make a business of it! Charleston in/with community Art tours, LLC! Reminds me of the “Alternative tour of Charleston”, we had proposed one year. One of the stops was Hampton Park’s memorial statue of Denmark Vesey … What a sweet way to tell Charleston’s hidden history! And involve local activists, artists … whoever has a different story to tell. Soul Food restaurant stop. Visits to homes, gardens, vegetable gardens. Why not? … Deals with IAAM … Zine ateliers! You name it. As long as it is content rich and transformative!
11-17-2025
Today, Marcus came to pick up Abriel’s piece and take it to the 2025 Cultural Clash show, at the Navy Base. He actually was using Jack’s services to help. The piece is not big, not heavy It is just big enough and fragile enough that it would not fit in a regular SUV without dammage. So, Jack came with his van!
Unfortunate Jack I should say. He has been diagnosed with Parkinson. He is quite young and to absorb this shock will be difficult. But he seems to be in good hands. Right away he explained to me how he was receiving great support from both, a medical specialist and a psychologist. Still, I felt compelled, a few hours later, to send him a message and wish him courage and patience. I hesitated to ask him if he would seek second opinions. Not sure I did, now?
11-20-2025
This morning Kela came for studio work. From the get-go, she said she wanted to work with me on a list of values and thoughts and how to practice them in her art work. This is quite a task and a responsibility for me! But I did not flinch and she did not blink! After my suggesting that she look up the work of Pierre Chareau and Charlotte Perriand. We valiantly discussed the qualities of the little wooden ‘purse’ she had brought. It was going against all the tenets of design but if this was what she was after, she should produce a series of such ‘anti-cultural’
objects and, by so doing, develop a formal vocabulary to say just that: anti-cultural! The obvious next step was to bring up Dubuffet and his own anti-cultural writings. We talked for quite a while about the meaning of taking an anti-cultural stand. Then Gwylène came by, we ask her what she thought of the purse and Kela, then, shared a difficult experience she had twice last month. She was twice called a nigger. And, believe it or not, this young woman confronted the perpetrator every time. That’s a woman, isn’t it!
This revelation by her was a revelation to me and I believe I understand a little better where the list of values she needs to put together with me fits in her art processes. Very powerful.
—–
Rayn has ben staying with us for the last two days. I would say she is about ten years younger than Kela or Victoria but just as curious and determined, without the experience. She has asked me to repurpose a cart I had done for Delphine many years ago. She has to learn how to overcome her stubbornness without softening her determination.
—–
Little by little, I can see that the work we have been doing for the last 40 years is bearing some fruit and, thus, acquiring sense. With Fast&French and all our other (art) works, we have promoted anti-racist and pro-feminist values among other. The trust these young women* place in us, Gwylène and I, comes from such consistency. And this is all good! The reciprocity comes, again, from us two when we recognize what they are bringing to us as well. Thank you all.
* such trust extends to young and not-so-young men as well. Please!
11-23-2025
At the Cultural Clash, the only purpose I see for having work there is, for their authors, to prove to themselves that they are real and belong in this gregarious art world. That they are not invisible. In this huge raw space, the works themselves, the way they are thrown in, slapped on, so densely that they cannot really be appreciated, are just physical traces, projections of the mental state of this creative class.
The messiness is anti-cultural but has not yet revealed an intent sufficiently clear to reveal and sustain any long term vision. What is encouraging though is the collective enthusiasm and the transgressive choices against norms and heteronomous tendencies … as long as said messiness is not proof of an untold indifference and disrespect for achievement, art or not. This, otherwise would prove to be even more destructive to ‘humans’ than authoritarian nihilism.
—–
Not sure I have already mentioned that, prompted by Darryl, I am reading Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man”.
So far, it makes for fabulous reading from a fabulous story teller.
For me, knowing the way America never ceased to treat its former enslaved populations and believing that no Black writer of interest would skirt the subject, the title alone, ‘Invisible man’, was giving it away. I believed that, from the start, Ellison was going to make a psycho-philosophical statement about the present condition of African-Americans, entrenched as it is, still; their existential hardship of being dispensable, overlooked, neglected, underserved, resented, denied, ignored, invisible. Invisible.
But now, I am not so sure Ellison’s primary interest in writing about invisibility relates to psychology or philosophy. So far, as he delights in being a writer, he also proves that, to be a good narrator, you must be an acute observer. And, to observe from as close as he does, you must be invisible … like a birdwatcher in the middle of a field, disguised as a scarecrow. Invisible in plain sight!
Of course, no human being can be that for too long. Eventually the scarecrow feels the need to stretch, or to sneeze, and thus becomes a character in the theater of life. Here, we jump into the Wizard of Oz – how not to bring up the Wizard of Oz in the life of an invisible man? – the Scarecrow and his two companions could not be more different from one another! In appearance, in clothing, in persona – in skin color! They are diverse and they are ‘others’. In the unrolling of Dorothy’s quest, though, they are perfect ‘others’. She enrolls them. They gain visibility. Their newfound collective bravery, fired up by Dorothy, takes them to the Wizard, who proves to be smoke and mirror. He is the real coward of the farce. After all, they are the personification of his shortcomings! In this wholesome insanity, Dorothy is the budding woman who looks forward, resists, prompts, transgresses, dreams and ‘gets there’ at the end.
The Wizard only deserves invisibility!
At this moment,
Only Ralph Ellison could have gotten me into this labyrinth!
Not a Scarecrow, not a Lion, not a Tin Man, not Dorothy, certainly not a Wizard. Ellison is just too good!
But Darryl warns me that darker times are coming.
Reading ‘Invisible Man’ is not a cakewalk.
11-25-2025
After receiving the latest issue of the Hannah Arendt Center Newsletter from Bard College, I thought its article on the American democracy should be noted in the next TINYisPOWERFUL’s own Newsletter.
Here it is, with a little introduction and some self-promoting, very unusual for me. But lately I don’t object as much to a bit of visibility! I believe it is a reflection on a sense of urgency to make sure that the collective participates in the bending of history. Lots is happening. Scattered events, from the possible weakening of the Trump effect and the broadcast of PBS’s ‘The American Revolution’, to the Hannah Arendt reminder, and this bouquet of flowers left on our porch, along with a selection of sweets-in-a-box(!) … do they signify a rebound of positive energy in the surroundings? Whatever it is made of, let’s take it in and transform it into action. Let’s participate in the bending of history.
Here is the Hannah Arendt notice appearing in the TINYisPOWERFUL Newsletter:
https://medium.com/amor-mundi/re-imagining-democracy-55fabb764416
This is a link to a Roger Berkowitz article:
Re-Imagining Democracy,
in the latest issue of the Hannah Arendt Center newsletter, a free on-line magazine.
May I add a personal touch to this offering? In1974, I was studying in NYC. That is when I discovered Hannah Arendt. If I remember correctly, the New School for Social Research had hired her for teaching (political) philosophy. I tried to enroll and follow her teaching. This plan did not work out. Not accepted or too expensive … or both, I forget! I went back to SUNYAB for a master of Fine Arts! Hannah Arendt has not left my mind ever since and she still feeds it with its irreplaceable magnitude.
If I read it right, the gist of this commentary about the American democracy can be expressed in one sentence:
America, in the 250 years of its history, has progressively confused representation for participation.
Enjoy!
11-27-2025
Remembering the bouquet of flowers left on the porch, along with some sweets-in-a-box!
We know now who the culprit is!
The fact that it is Kela only reenforces the observation on “the bending of history”. Indeed, the TINY world around TINYisPOWERFUL always needs bending! It needs and practices ever more solidarity, closeness, more humanity and proves it in multiple ways. Thank you Kela.
There is no denying that Gwylène and I have been dedicated to SERVICE (as art) since we started the café, forty years ago, and that, in the same breath, when we insist on RECIPROCITY, we mean the opposite of transactionality. If the latter seeks short term dividends, the former cannot expect the same speed of return. Dealing in humanity is not dealing in bitcoins. A borderless future is the horizon of reciprocity. That is why it has a better chance of having a lasting effect on/in communities. Only now do Gwylène and I really appreciate the meaning of the phrase “Investment in the Future” (so many signs that so many people have not forgotten the social hub the café was and still is)! At last, we can add insight to Voltaire’s Candide lesson: “Il faut cultiver notre jardin” – “We must cultivate our garden”. Plant in winter … reap in summer. How many months for a mouthful of bread?
Metaphorically, Kela giving us flowers and eatable sweets, awakens us – and the world – to the necessary return to agriculture. Because Wall Street will not keep populations from starving. The transubstantiation of money into gold is a chemistry wonder. But it is killing us!
Tricks OR treats – Money OR eats?
How indecent, to blend Thanksgiving (today) with Halloween (just gone) … and Christmas (on its way), in a slush fund of consumerism.
Why? Everybody does it!
—–
Front page article this morning on Mediapart – Pourquoi la culture est politique –
In English, it translate into: Why culture is political. This is not a question. It is a statement of fact.
How many times have I raised this subject at the weekly Creative Sync?
At this moment, I happen to have a one-liner type answer: because they both refer to people, humans, the human in each of us. Culture refers to human productions, immaterial and material. Political, as an adjective, refers to taking care of each other. It is because culture is political that there is history – a past, a present, a future – histories of humanity. There is a good probability that, without the political, there would be no future, no histories… This may be an explanation for the appeal of short term transactionality hedonism, self-centeredness, social violence.