Southwark Alliance - Spring 2007

It’s wrong to tell the story of one person’s madness or even one group of people – in this case the mad community.
The mad live within a community that consists of many different groups and any true story is that of the Camberwell community.

J D Laing said that madness is a sane reaction to a mad world, what do you think? Do you think the world is mad?
C Whatever the theories about the causes, madness can dramatically impact on ones life to such a degree that people will kill themselves to escape the horror or the mental health services fail them.

However if you’ve suffered the winter blues, or bereavement o r post natal depression then you have experienced madness, and maybe it went away by itself or you lived with the madness but your life remained unaltered.

For some people the madness recurs and then it's not as if one can put on a madness mask and take it off at will-the mask is stuck and becomes the face.

This happens not through weakness, the same as its not through weakness that people suffer with arthritis or from multiple sclerosis

A group of us very individual and isolated nutters founded creative routes in 2003 with one common pulse - a passion for creativity- and the, madness being like the blood pressure.

We founded the organisation because we were sick of being patronised and treated like children when we are such mad miracles. We had no other aim than to share our bonkersness with the world.

And 'The Mad' are...?
nuts, bananas, crackers, barking, bonkers rather than psychiatric definitions such as schizophrenia and psychosis because these medical terms are so misunderstood and cause unpleasant associations in people’s minds.

We could not hope to explain to you here the complexities of this subject but if you are curious then we can help you begin your journey.

The Health Education Authority identified ‘healthy social support’ and strong social networks and social inclusion as key factors influencing mental health. Recent research supports the theory that the levels of trust, tolerance and participation in a community is a critical factor in determining mental health (Cooper et al. 1999)

The media and government love to exaggerate on the danger the mentally ill present when the reality us that the greatest amount of violent death is caused by suicide.

And this is how as a mad community we suffer so much from the distrust and distaste of the wider community or the Normals – and this is how discrimination happens that ruins lives and relationships and in the extreme causes suicide. And this is a problem that belongs to everyone. And this is why we stand up and proclaim loudly and creatively that we are mad and we are proud of it.
We believe MADNESS should be viewed positively facilitating an outpouring of immense and unique creative energy.
'That's right folks, nobody does it quite like we do.'

Creative Routes – run by the mad for the mad works not only because of the creative workshops, not only because we are all madly unique, but also because we are doing this for ourselves and this are hard. But we have noticed how confident we are becoming, and we think its because of the control, knowledge, kindness and respect that we show each other and that comes to us from the outside of our mad village,

The mad are vomiting back the shame that we have been forced to swallow so that it becomes us and silence us. One of the brilliant ways to shout out and celebrate bonkersness with others is through Bonkersest!¬
The creative workshops we offer are the best in the UK including drumming, drama with the Young Vic Theatre, art with the South London Gallery, creative writing and we bring all this madness and energy to BonkersFest!

The Maudsley Hospital on Denmark Hill is the most visible sign marking Camberwell as a site of Mad Doings. It is now a sign of hope too, …a sign that mad people will no longer be silenced and will not be victims anymore and a sign that the whole community will join the mad in their fight to save their emergency clinic.

The South London press has proved itself to be the media of the people South London and is an example to all the other papers.
we are so proud of the Camberwell Community for having such a togetherness. Who needs superglue when you live in Camberwell.

The artistic relationship and dialogue between Creative Routes and the Young Vic creates new adventurous ways of working and new pieces of work. I hope that our relationship with Creative Routes continues to showcase this remarkable group's talents and views. David Lan.Caution: Attending Creative Routes workshops can lead to major live performances at BonkersFest! and other gigs.

OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE
Volunteering and befriending: CR Record Label - we put the words and music of The Mad on CD/DVD

Muses Café: every 2nd Thursday of the month - alternative cabaret featuring the best in new comedy, poetry and music, critically acclaimed in Time Out, and The Evening Standard.

1279 Camberwell Green Fair
with its range of stalls, dancing and general merry-making, and a motto “Mad Doings in Camberwell”. As one historical source puts it, “For these three days the residents of Camberwell were compelled to witness disgusting & demoralising scenes which they were powerless to prevent”.
In 1855 recently arrived, wealthy residents of the town. (normals) clubbed together to buy the Green, ending the fair and turning Camberwell Green into a public park.

2006-Bonkersfest!
And now more ‘Mad Doings in Camberwell’ one that retains the merry-making, joy and celebratory aspects of the original event. “Bonkersfest!”, which this year takes place on June 2, celebrates madness, creativity and eccentricity. A day of bonkers celebrations for everyone on their local village green
featuring live music, poetry, drama, art and sound installations, we attracted OVER TWO THOUSAND VISITORS in 2006.
Creative Routes and BonkersFest! have featured heavily in the media, on Inside Out – October 2006, I Love Being Mad on BBC 3 April 2006, on BBC 1 News on December 2006, on Balderdash and Piffle on BBC2 Spring 2007.
A life size fibreglass sheep, hired for the day along with other animals, was stolen. The sheep, nicknamed Dolly, captured the imagination of the South London Press, and a campaign was mounted for her return. Dolly was recovered by a gentleman several weeks later in a bush, and is now back with her flock. The notion of being away from the flock proved particularly moving to the Creative Routes collective, and Dolly the sheep has been an invaluable mascot in the campaign to save the Maudsley Emergency Clinic, which is threatened with closure.

BonkersFest! is all about partnerships; prestigious arts organisations - Young Vic Theatre, South London Gallery; mad run groups - Mad Pride, Core Arts, Southwark Mind,; Voluntary organisations – Nomadic Collaborations, arts disabled groups -Shape, Attitude is Everything;

BONKERSFEST ’07 will include madverts from the Bonkersfest madvertsising agency
The local loony bin will be brought into the Green; for the third year running the Chariot of Desire will drive around London advertising BonkersFest! - (an open topped double decker bus with drummers on the top deck).
The BonkersFest! Laureate will be crowned.
What mad miracles can do is just miraculous

Thank you to our patrons Andrew Motion, David Lan and Rachel Anderson
To our beautiful partners South London Gallery and Young Vic Theatre
With the very warmest of thank you hugs to all the organisations who have supported Creative Routes and BonkersFest!

To name just a few – to the South London Gallery and the Young Vic Theatre; to the Arts Council and the Tudor Trust – for funding our 2 year strategic development worker post; to MadPride; to Southwark Alliance and Fusion; to Arts & Business; Awards For All; to MadChicks; to Apples and Snakes, to Thornberry Animal Sanctuary for looking after so many damaged animals, to you for joining us.

All workshops are free
You must be mad to join them

Creative Routes
Camberwell Pleasure (Leisure) Centre
Artichoke Place
London SE5 8TS
0207 358 3138
info@creative-routes.org
www.creative-routes.org.uk
www.bonkersfest.com
www.proudtobemad.co.uk
Press enquiries to: Helen Maleed
Tel/fax: 020 7732 4624 mobile: 07986 235 855
Email: helen@greendesk.demon.co.uk
Designer Martin