Epilogue No.2

 Hey there- sorry but can I please ask why you keep putting laugh emojis on the garrison gallery’s posts? You’re Izzy’s brother right? We’ve met a few times before. I’m her friend and I run the garrison with my husband. It just strikes me as odd that you keep interacting with our posts in that way so I thought I should just come out and ask. X

A very Good Morning to you Amanda , 

No , I'm afraid you are mistaken .... I'm not related to an Izzy , 

Phew , please do bare with me this might take a moment .... 

Sigh , I am Aaron Valerio , aka Artby Valerio , aka the original Arts Hole international pop up initiative 

After the brexit referendum the u.k economy lost a third of its value on the international exchange , this coupled with variable mitigations meant that the gallery I had spent time setting up in Amsterdam was compromised by such a reduction in value of established British sales , that as a cost saving measure I traded a 30 ' yacht for a painting and took up residence on the Millbrook estuary .

Your local artist and resident Merv has been a long term friend if mine from when we both used to be able to afford studios down in Looe , some tears ago - until the bourgeois gentrification ended up pricing quite a few artists out of Thier long term studio spaces ( a phenomenon you can observe in many of our coastal towns and villages over the past 20 or so years ) 

When I first arrived back at maker  the atmosphere was still akin to the old ' sunshine festival ' ambience ... Hippie's were occupying old mod spaces on the fringe edge of a dirt road ( a sadly reduced characteristic these days ) 

I happened to be present as the Plymouth city council and dawn french influence undermined the then squatting of the random arms and the barrack block 

Rosie , for all of her white bread efforts was appointed head of arts at the museum huts 

Plymouth city council , dawn french and the ongoing threat from the corporate property developers managed to reign in the rebellion and organize the strange - national trust type business model that seems to be offering peasants opportunity to work the land for the new waves of landed gentry here in Boris Johnsons brexit Britain - all with eligibility for existing funding models 

As I look out across what's left of if this hardened coastal landscape .... I despair 😔 

I honestly , mean no offense to anyone seeking to be entrepreneurial , or looking to build back better out of the piggy bank budgets of congenial Councilors and the mud bricks of an otherwise erstwhile working class 

But I do see you , leadworks over in Rendell street would be another government funded " youth club with a bar " easily marketable as a hip and happening little joint 

Beacons , for ever increasing waves of digital analysts , financial advisors , logistics specialists and salary secured  administrators of every urban hell Scape in the country , to stop by and think to themselves 

Why don't we sell up our overpriced domicile in the sprawling suburbs of wherever ....come down here , buy a boat and gang out in these little hipster joints that syphoned off money we used to spend on public services for these tourist attractions that look like grass roots enterprise's ...and are in fact excellent ways for us to price ourselves out if being able to live in these places 

I applaud your efforts ... In general , and I consider it noteworthy that I have had to offer such an introduction, but you guys like so many others are a little self congratulatory while remaining oblivious to what's going on a few miles down the road , again mediocrity such as Dom Moore, Rosie French ,  and John chan to name a few might offer additional insight into my personal misgivings 😆 

I hope that covers a suitable explaination as to why , if I do happen to be on these digital trappings mid commute, I offer a little laughing emoji ....

Please do feel free to check out my latest ' press release ' regarding ongoing activities ...and wonder , why you have no idea about what I'm up to 🤔 

https://artbyvalerio.blogspot.com/2023/07/ing-statement-and-very-public-fuck-you.html?fbclid=IwAR1NfcB0eSO54UyGGx7gSm4X1MKCFd6yJBmkmfkDeHlw7GTZUrQSw0_KvAg&m=1

Hmmm- I see we’re both mistaken. We’re nothing to do with the buying up and gentrification of maker. Merve is my Best friend’s dad and we’re a collective of local people who all grew up here (apart from myself who married one of those who happened to marry a millbrook man 10 years ago.) we were in opposition to the buying up of maker. We’re running a CIC to hold space for the local community and offer artists and musicians an outlet to share and express their art as well as a place that is still open and accessible to local people rather than turned into privatized land. Not self congratulating- just very proud and in love with our community and wanting to offer them as much access and support as we can. You seem to have us mistaken with someone else. 

Curious what you mean by “oblivious to what’s going on a few miles down the road” feel free to expound.

Hmm , ok well there are some mutual connections to be observed .

Hmm that would make lovely Amelia your best friend - another soul I have nothing but love and respect for 🙂 

I feel that your response may be a little barbed , please do accept my reassurance that I am not seeking to offer slight or offense by articulating my observations in response to your inquiry concerning laughing emojis ...

I am sure every body in the land is primed up and ready to do their bit to " dig for victory " and " build back better " I travel around alot with my humble little enterprise and I find parochial enthusiasm everywhere - which is no bad thing 

You want to offer them ( the community ) as much access and support as you can ... 

I want to pick holes in that 🤔 but I personally find this a very basic and reductive means of communicating , especially potentially  tense terms .... 

" Oblivious to what's going on a few miles down the road " 

Ok , I will offer you suitable respect as to coun a response even though I am pressed for time 

In these funny little parochial corners of community pride , everyone has got a building that they want to do up , for a community engagement cic  hub , Flexi space for artists musicians and workshops 

We all have to apply to the building owner ( most if these disrepair jobs have been in the mis managed custody of various aspects of local authorities suffering budget cuts - 

Ahhh I'm half way through trying to clumsily put across a point of view whilst trying not to cause undue offense 😆

I’ll read your message properly in a minute. It’s also worth noting- we’re hardly entrepreneurs. We don’t even make a profit from this. We just work really really hard for less than minimum wage to keep the place ticking over.

In which case ...please don't misunderstand 

I am absolutely on your side x

That’s good to hear. I think our aims are the same. If any of my message seems barbed I apologize. it’s because we work really hard and are very passionate about what we’re doing. We’re also fiercely protective of our artists and friends, and seeing laughing emojis on the posts celebrating a wonderful local artist felt like she was being disrespected, and she doesn’t deserve that. She’s also been a good friend of the beaver family for many years. 

I hope we’re seeing eye to eye now and that maybe you might be moved to support us or at the very least sympathize with our efforts. We genuinely are against all of the same nonsense as what you’ve spelled out as well, and are currently a CIC operating without any funding- only our own dedication and a lot of volunteer hours to keep this thing moving forward. We can always use someone as passionate as you in our corner.

*also need to amend to say, in reading more thoroughly- the one thing I don’t agree on is your impressions of Rosie, dom, and John- they are really lovely and talented individuals whose hearts are huge and in the right place. They are just as much champions of the real maker as anyone. We really care for and respect all of them. X

A very Good Evening to you Amanda , apologies for the delay there the day ran on a bit 😕 

I fully understand and can appreciate an impassioned position ... I think you would find me to be an advocate for such tenacity, 

I will outright apologize for the misunderstanding regarding the Nuance of the emoji ...no slight was meant against the artist, the project or the affiliates in kind 

My references to Rosie , bless her , and for Jon , would be of praise actually ...

I believe Rosie would be aware of the professional insult that was levied with her being offered the salaried position over myself at a somewhat crucial juncture ..... Despite our unparalleled portfolio's ... Is a source of smiles and wry glances more than grudges and Ill feeling 

Jon is a wonderful soul too ...however I believe there has been a bit of a professional competitiveness between us ( again I have remarked in person , " your just pissed off because I turned up in your little village and got a load of women to take Thier clothes off " ) - a shibari exhibition that I put on ad lib at the maker complex while Rosie , bless her was just finding her feet 

Dom I'm not too sure about ...I get the feeling , although we've never broached the subject , I get a sense of disdain there that isn't as jocular as my rapport with Jon or Rosie 

I've no doubt he's a perfectly skilled photographer ... But beyond that I've very little impression 

That's often a problem inherent in this mode if communication 

Something's are said with a sense of levity and a frown , some with a smile and a wink ....the Nuance is just lost in text , even with emojis 

Goodness me, I feel this has been quite a series of messages ... But I do hope that it has alleviated some of the sense of insult that was the initial impression 

I'd be glad to offer my support to any grassroots movements within the vicinity and indeed do continue to do so   ... And I do speak fondly of maker and keep meaning to find the time to get over there , however I do hold my stringently independent perspective , based on observation too 

I guess bitterly brusque , but not without humour 😊

Thank you for that. You’d be more than welcome to pop in some time to see what we’re about. I’d be happy to buy you a drink and hear your ideas. 

Though not next weekend because I’m finally having a weekend off! 🥳

You are more than welcome of course 😊 

I do keep meaning to drop in on my way through , but alas have yet to make it this year , I would be very glad to meet and chat a while over a coffee or equivalent... 

Likewise of course , if you find yourself in the vicinity of either Bere Alston or even Amsterdam please do drop in to see what I'm about, I've no doubt we would find some common ground 😊

I'm going to have to reluctantly abandon this conversation thread for the meantime