Sunday
Arrive in Perth, Western Australia, after a long haul and a quick reviving shower in Singapore. Spent the waking hours in conversation with two backpacking postgraduates, a geologist and a cartographer, pleasure-bent on Western Australia. Begin to feel we are all cartographers redrawing cultural maps.
"What brings you to Perth?" the immigration officer enquires.
"Arts on the Edge."
"Well I'll be," he replies and waves me through. At the baggage carousel I am sniffed out by a busy beagle in search of fruit carriers. Caught orange-handed in possession of two satsumas.
Monday
The official opening ceremony is heralded by didgeridoo, incantation and dance and we are engaged at once. Artistic engagement takes some alchemy, if not the magical powers of a sorcerer. If only a spell could be invoked reasserting its centrality to everyday experience.
Tuesday
Attend to my paper and begin to ad lib. Think about the former US president who began his address with: "This sure is a dense crowd." Think again. Later invited to join others in a progressive dinner. Is this a postmodern concept? By the river, neophytes and wine buffs taste Australia's finest labels, first one then another. Hors d'oeuvres in one restaurant, entree in another. We "progress" between courses. Spot a niche market in master of wine degrees.
Wednesday
A day of pointed conjunctions. We explore individual creativity in the developing economies and the media and intellectual properties driving them. A country's natural resources are increasingly being seen in terms of its creativity. What more natural resource than the Australian bush? Venture into a small part of it to take a "culture tour". Afternoon tea al fresco with "damper" (unleavened bread) and "billy" tea.
Thursday
Catch the news of precarious peace in Northern Ireland and later further connect, via former student, with a musician grappling to find a dynamic new role for the arts in South Africa, despite colossal social issues. And we think we have problems.
Friday
Fly into Changi Airport, Singapore, and practically parachute into an evening rehearsal. Ensemble tunes and how. We start from the edge with a contemporary score. Ensembles of possibilities, like the future of the arts themselves, require concordance between parties, between creative and cultural industrialists, and the body politic. Just as in rehearsal, so in life.
Saturday
Spend the day in recital and late afternoon at the National Stadium. We sit and bake amid a curious mix of government ministers, musicians and cheer leaders in ra-ra skirts. Culture and the body politic. I meet friends for supper on the 70th floor of Singapore's highest building, populated by rich financiers. Little sign of Asian meltdown here.
Lift is so fast I wonder if it will stop.
Kevin Thompson
Principal, Dartington College of Arts