I am officially inducted into Coney! Tim just sent me information on the codename system and encouraged me to select one. I would share what I decided on…but that’s against the rules 
Looks like my childhood love of secret societies is emerging in my grown-up world! That’s what I love about Coney: they love to play. I am so excited and honored to get to work on A Small Town Anywhere with them!
I am starting the draft of this post while sitting in the cafe bar at the Battersea Arts Centre, “the most influential theatre in London” for experimental performing arts. Housed in a former town hall and not intended as a theatre, the BAC is dedicated to creating an experimental space for arts that doesn’t neglect the history of the building, resulting in an amazing aesthetic. They are currently seeking a residential license so that artistic groups/companies can be based out of the building for months on end. The cafe is such a cool space full of equally cool conversations — at quaintly quirky tables artists and producers meet to discuss their philosophies, approaches, goals, and plans; and they are playing awesome old-school jazz jams.
My boss Tim asked me to meet him here this morning instead of the usual office at the HTTP gallery. The latest project for Solar Associates, Coney: A Small Town Anywhere, is gearing up for previews here Thu 15 October – Sat 17 October, with actual performances running through 17 November. Tim said I will probably be working at these, which is definitely an exciting opportunity and will mix up my usual schedule since I will be working until 11pm every night.
The day consisted of the usual tasks — book keeping and website updates/redesigns — but the change of scenery made the day special. I love discovering spaces like this in cities, places there for the communities they inhabit by providing a distinctive yet adaptive and welcoming area.
Just got to meet some Coney people over lunch, including Tracky, the Coney production manager who I will be working with starting next week.
I also managed to snap a few PhotoBooth images while alone/not in the direct line of others to give you a feel:
couches & fireplace
my view
my Mac's view (hello there); artists at the cafe counter/bar behind me
hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to work I go……….
The first week of my internship went really well, and I couldn’t be happier with my placement. Solar Associates is a media arts production consultancy; although not completely indicative of my ideal career as a morning magazine show host, my position is perfectly in line with my past work experience, interests, and studies this semester. For instance, I could immediately dive into improving their latest e-newsletter since they use Constant Contact just like nywiciNEXT! This is what I tried to convey in my last assignment of the week:
Tim was nice enough to ask me to add myself to the “Who We Are” section of the website. Besides making me feel like a true part of the company, it was a great practice in updating the website, offering an opportunity to play with photo editing in a new program (GIMP 2), CSS manipulation, and HTML code translation.
As of right now, I am most excited for the Coney project — not only does it relate to my theatre background in a really cool way, but I get to follow its progress from planning to performance to wrap-up. Tim gave me a copy of the proposal successfully submitted to and approved by the British Arts Council to read on the first day, and it was a great introduction to the intricacies of staging a major arts project. I always wondered about the production process for such events, and it looks like my inquiries will certainly be answered over the course of the semester.
I definitely feel like I can proactively contribute to the company and I look forward to doing so. Next week is sure to be even more exciting; I actually get to attend an event on Thursday for their Method project instead of just placing catering orders and setting up! I can’t wait to meet a new group of exciting individuals and start diving into London networking.
