Month: August 2017

Burning Man Boots

~ The Koboi Project ~ Leave a comment

20170505_205746-1.jpg

Going in to Burning Man equipped with my ‘Cowboys and Indians’ boots. One of the unspoken ironies of living in the Americas for Indians of the great subcontinental diaspora is the coincidence of signifieds for the generalizing signifier ‘Indian’. I remember arriving in Vancouver to find that I was referred to as an ‘East’ Indian. I wondered if it was a reference to the historical East India Company that managed that far end of the British empire while this end was being run by the Hudson Bay Company. Yes … its always been a corporate universe … but that is another story! No quite simple I believe that I am ‘East’ Indian in ‘North ‘America’ to to distinguish me from the other Indian – the ‘native Indian’ or as I know them from a childhood of \Cowboys and Indians’ play, the Red Indian’. Indeed, living in the Americas is living with both the nominal and significant consequences of the original hubris and error of Columbus and his ilk.

The Mango Icon

~ The Koboi Project ~ 1 Comment

20161214_144809.jpg

For the Cowboys and Indians performance at burning Man I shall present an antique terracotta icon of the infant Krishna. The icon was is a ritual object that would in its time have been used in domestic worship. It presents the infant Krishna bearing fruits. In his right hand, he bears a small purple fruit, perhaps a navel pazham or jambul fruit (Syzygium cumini) which is linked metaphorically to the Lord’s dark skin. In the crook of his left arm he holds a large ripe mango. This terracotta indexes the metaphoric equivalence of the Mango and the Jambul as attributes or representations or indeed flavors of the Lord Krishna.

In the myth of Krishna and the fruit seller, an old hawker woman selflessly satisfies the god’s desire for her ripe produce, even though he seems to offer her practically nothing in return. In folk representations of this allegory of desire (kama) and devotion (bakthi), as exemplified in the terracotta icon described above, the sublime mango often stands, metonymically, for the cornucopia of fruit in the old woman’s basket, which in turn represents the desires and delectations of the material life. This kama is redolent, or indeed ripe, with soteriological promise in that it can be transmuted into the bakthi of a selfless offering to the Lord.

The mango also appears in some versions of the Mahabaratha where, the now mature and more worldly, Lord Krishna miraculously materializes a ripe mango from a seed, while the fruit is out of season and then, turns it to ashes, thereby revealing both the illusory nature of reality (maya) and the complexities that underlie the idea of truth (satyam) itself. There are also variations of this mango of truth narrative in which, the mango is replaced by the jambul fruit (Syzygium cumini). A case in point is the Jambul-Upakhyan which is a contemporary expression of the Marathi folk tradition developed by the renowned folk story-teller and performer Shahir Vitthal Umap.  Here the jambul which stains the tongue demonstrates the ubiquity of outward falsifications of inner truths.

http://radhanathswamiyatras.com/articles/vrindavan-articles/radhanath-swami-on-krishnas-mercy-to-fruit-vendor/

http://saralamahabharat.blogspot.ca/2008/06/story-of-mango-of-truth.html​

http://devdutt.com/articles/modern-mythmaking/stains-of-the-jambul.html

The Mango of Truth

~ The Koboi Project ~ Leave a comment

17237086_977803845687952_343943901_o

The Mango of Truth Performance will be carried out twice during the Burning Man event, once at camp and once on the playa.  At the heart of this performance is the presentation of an antique terracotta icon for Lord Krishna and the gifting of mangos at the end of each performance. The performance will take place beneath the Pazham Neeyappa (You art the Fruit) banner of SUPERSTAR Rajinikanth. The Krishna icon will be shown to the audience along with a ripe mango. The Koboi will narrate the meaning of the mango within Hindu worldview, in terms of the Hindu concept of knowledge, and in terms of ideas of love and truth. The narrative will be centered on the exploits of Lord Krishna. These ideas and allegories will lead to a reflections on the ‘image’ (Superstars, cowboy, etc.) and on the nature ’truth’ (false news, post-truth, etc.) in our contemporary reality. Jane Frankish will read poems from her Jane And The Library Monkeys Blog on a Megaphone. Tara Rajah will play short improvisations of Joe Ely’s Indian Cowboy on the cello and Durga Rajah will photograph the performances for future Koboi Project editions.

PETRONAS Payments

~ The Koboi Project ~ Leave a comment

anwar-mahathir-najib-4-620x348

Reuters reports that PETRONAS profits have  quadrupled (from RM 1.68 billion to 7.06 billion) because of higher oil prices and improved margins and as a result the amount paid to the Malaysian Government will rise from the previously committed RM 13 billion to 16 billion. The announcement of increased payments is timely for the Malaysian Government they have announced massive infrastructure projects in the run-up to the general election that must be called by mid-2018. PETRONAS recently cancelled its massive investment plans in British Columbian LNG industry and Reuters quotes PETRONAS CEO as saying that the corporation is “finalizing our strategy on how to monetize our North American gas assets. All options are being looked at.” It is of note that PETRONAS has absorbed other major losses in its world-wide LNG investments for instance the Australian Gladstone LNG Project For those involved with PETRONAS and its subsidiaries in Canada, it is surely of significance that this fortune 500 company is in fact a Crown corporation, potentially subject as much to global market forces as to domestic political imperatives.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-petronas-results-idUSKCN1B50GK

Image: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/najibs-cash-cow-hit-govt-of-thieves-run-dry-petronas-suffers-additional-us2-9-bil-loss-in-overpriced-aussie-project/

Fracking and Earthquakes

~ The Koboi Project ~ 1 Comment

fracking
According to Erin Ellis of the Observer a federal research scientist with the Geological Survey of Canada has claimed that his research proves that the largest earthquake ever detected in British Columbia’s northeastern shale gas region was caused by the fracking activities of PETRONAS subsidiary, Progress Energy Inc. This was a 4.6 magnitude quake that took place in the northern Montney Play of British Columbia in August 2015. The  study analyzed the seismic activity its connection with fluid injection hydraulic fracturing being deployed in the region. Spatial and temporal correlation of seismic activity with the fluid injection in the region appears to have revealed that these events are better correlated with hydraulic fracturing than other types of injection. In other words the earthquake that was felt at the surface of the earth near the town of Fort St. John, was the direct result of liquids being pumped into underground rock formations under high pressure to extract natural gas.

http://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/04/12/news/federal-scientist-has-proof-fracking-petronas-owned-company-caused-big-bc-earthquake

http://www.bssaonline.org/content/early/2017/02/17/0120160175.abstract

Image: https://phys.org/news/2015-09-earthquake-baseline-future-fracking.html

Cowboys and Indians

~ The Koboi Project ~ 1 Comment

8a4215_690fe1b560114dbabbae780c529c73af-mv2

The Koboi and family are off to Burning Man festival 2017 in Black Rock City, Nevada. This year’s theme for projects at Burning Man is Radical Ritual, and I propose to present a special edition of Cowboys and Indians. In keeping with the theme, this work will exemplify how, even traditional rituals are constantly being revivified and radicalized. This presentation consists of two images – Pazham Neeyappa and Indian Cowboy, as well as the Mango of Truth performance which will be carried out at the  [The Camp with No Name] on the Black Rock City Playa.

The Gift of Knowledge

~ The Koboi Project ~ Leave a comment

The theme of the inaugural KL Biennale (November 2017 to March 2018), is Belas which can be understood as pengampunan or mercy, compassion, charity, generosity or simply as giving of the self. As a part of this Biennale, I will present an installation, at the Piyadasa Gallery of the University of Malaya, commemorating the person and work of Dr. Durai Raja Singam.  Durai Raja Singam is, in my view, the epitome of belas in the context of Malaysian scholarly work. Operating outside the realm of academia and almost completely beyond the ambit of the publishing industry, he did his research, writing and publishing work with neither acclaim nor financial reward in mind. He funded his publications personally without a notion of profit or even of an idea of a balanced return.

An author who engaged in his craft in the traditional ethos, his work was his vocation, he collated, wrote, designed and published on the life and work of Ananda Coomaraswamy as if it were his Svadharma or sacred duty to consolidate and disseminate this knowledge for posterity. He worked as a disinterested practitioner of his art, deriving satisfaction from his very materials and from his own efforts. I believe that he did this work with the deep ethical and spiritual understanding that good seeds, carefully planted and well-tended must bear rich fruit. The deepest sense in which this unassuming scholar is the embodiment of belas lies in the fact that he took his greatest delight in others enjoying the fruit of his labour.

In authoring this project I take a 1st person approach, as the late Durai Raja Singam was my great uncle (Peria perriaappa). I will present my sense of his contribution and his place in Malaysian culture through my personal knowledge and experience of him and in terms of my my professional perspective as a cultural practitioner. The exhibition will take the form of an installation that I will curate with the dual perspective of a familial recipient of his legacy, as well as an artist and theorist who has contributed to the discourses on Southeast Asian art in a manner that reflects this heritage.

http://www.worldwisdom.com/public/authors/S_Durai_Raja_Singam.aspx

Wild West of Political Cash

~ The Koboi Project ~ 1 Comment

Christy-cowboy

Former BC Premier Christie Clark ran a political fundraising regime that was described as “the wild west of Canadian political cash” in a New York Times headline. While there may not have been any illegality about financial contributions under this regime its appropriateness and suitability in a genuine and people oriented democracy is clearly in doubt. Also, its implications for corporate influence over the economic affairs of the province are worth reviewing as the Liberals, now in opposition, have joined the new NDP/Green government in the push for change. There are no limits on political donations in B.C. and it is reported in the Globe and Mail that their review of public records found dozens of paid lobbyists actually make large contributions in their own names and not, more transparently, in the names of those of the interests they represent.

One such donor is Byng Giraud, the top in-house lobbyist for and Vice President of Woodfibre LNG. He has apparently given the B.C. Liberals $47,149 in 20 payments, under his own name. Another Woodfibre LNG manager, Marian Ngo, seems to have given the party $28,000, in 14 donations. The Globe and Mail cites Mr Giraud as saying that donating under one’s own name “is common practice,” as the fund-raiser ticket-purchase forms on the Liberal party’s website often had no field to put the company name. The point here is that whatever the ethical complexion of the corporate investor, it the up to our provincial government to set the tone for doing business here, and in no way should provincial economic decision making be as tinged by the colour of money as it appears to have been of late. The new NDP/Green government of British Columbia must deliver on their campaign promises about changing the law in this regard.

Image: https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/02/15/Please-Advise-Alberta-Beefs/

www.nytimes.com/2017/01/13/world/canada/british-columbia-christy-clark.html

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/investigations/wild-west-bc-lobbyists-breaking-one-of-provinces-few-political-donationrules/article34207677/?ref=http://www.theglobeandmail.com&

BC LNG After PETRONAS

~ The Koboi Project ~ 1 Comment

sukanto_tanoto_crop2.jpgAccording to Gordon Hoekstra of the Vancouver Sun, following the PETRONAS decision not to build their LNG terminal on LELU Island there are now only three such projects that might still complete –

• LNG Canada in Kitimat, an up-to-$40 billion project led by Shell is undergoing a review and cost cutting exercise and the final investment decision on constructing a facility is yet to be made.

• Kitimat LNG, a $3.5-billion joint venture between Chevron and Australian company Woodside, is re-evaluating its project to drive down costs and is also yet to make its final investment decision..

• Woodfibre LNG is a $1.6-billion project near Squamish, owned by Singapore-based Royal Golden Eagle Pte. Ltd.  which is in turn owned by Indonesian billionaire Sukanto Tanoto, has already received a 40 year permit and has made the decision to build their plant but cost cutting exercises are ongoing and construction start dat has not been announced.

These are the remaining possibilities of the 19 LNG export terminals that Christie Clark’s Liberal government were hoping to realize as part of their push for an LNG industry in BC. As British Columbia moves forward under the new NDP/Green coalition government, the relatively small, Woodfibre LNG project is exemplifies the deep concerns about possible environmental scenarios that might emerge as the Provincial and Federal Governments build relationships and make commitments to foreign corporate players.  In a National Observer article published before the project received its approval, Mychaylo Prystupa questioned Sukanto Tanoto’s environmental and business record. In connection with this allegedly poor record, Mychaylo cited the Mayor of Squamish, Patricia Heintzman as saying, “It’s difficult for the community to have trust that this person will not cut corners or be disrespectful to our environment.”

Before scrutinizing our foreign investors credentials, British Columbians would do well to review BC Liberals lobbying and fundraising regime which raised almost $8 million coming from corporations in 2016 alone and has earned our province the reputation of being the Wild West of political finance. The question, in what might be called the post-Liberal/LNG era, is not so much WHO gave HOW MUCH to secure WHAT project, but how quickly the new NDP/Green government will act on the promise to reorder this money/politics infrastructure and move on to a more electorate oriented political economy.

Image: http://www.nationalobserver.com/2015/06/03/news/bc-under-pressure-cut-lng-deal-notorious-asian-billionaire

http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/there-are-now-three-b-c-lng-frontrunners-after-petronas-pulls-out

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/woodfibre-lng-secures-40-year-export-licence-from-feds-1.4146268

 

 

 

 

BC/PETRONAS LNG Review

~ The Koboi Project ~ Leave a comment

Petronas CEO Tan Sri Dato_ Sahmsul Azhar Abbas and Premier Christy Clark in Malaysia - BC government photoAccording to Chris Hatch in the National Observer the aborted PETRONAS project which would have brought fracked natural gas by pipeline from B.C.’s interior, compressed it into a liquid for export by tankers from Lelu island near Prince Rupert, would have become one of the largest sources of climate pollution in Canada. Specifically, he cites Environment and Climate Change Canada’s assessment describing the Petronas project as becoming “amongst the largest single point sources of greenhouse gas emission in the country.” He also cites the Pembina Institute figures to claim that this project alone would have accounted for “75% to 87% of the emissions allowed under B.C.’s 2050 target.” British Columbians may, indeed, have just dodged a deadly environmental bullet.

Here is a timeline of the BC Liberals  LNG affair with Malaysian Crown Corporation PETRONAS  (via their subsidiary Pacific NorthWest LNG) as reported in the Vancouver Sun –

  • Feb. 19, 2013: Pacific NorthWest LNG submits its project description to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
  • April 29, 2013: Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. Ltd. buys a 10 per cent stake in Pacific NorthWest LNG and agrees to buy 10 per cent of the liquefied natural gas produced over at least 20 years, becoming the first secure buyer.
  • Dec. 16, 2013: The National Energy Board grants Pacific NorthWest LNG a licence to export up to 22.2 million tonnes of LNG annually for 25 years. It had applied in July for a licence to export up to 19.68 million tonnes, beginning in 2019.
  • Feb. 28, 2014: Pacific NorthWest LNG submits its environmental impact statement to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
  • March 26, 2014: The federal government approves Pacific NorthWest LNG’s export licence.
  • June 11, 2015: In what it calls its final investment decision, Pacific NorthWest LNG announces it will proceed with the project as long as it satisfies two conditions: approval of a project development agreement by the B.C. legislature and clearing the federal environmental assessment review process.
  • July 21, 2015: The B.C. government passes legislation to ratify a project development agreement with Pacific NorthWest LNG.
  • March 21, 2016: The federal government grants the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency more time to review the project.
  • Sept, 27, 2016: The federal government approves the project with 190 conditions, including for the first time a maximum cap on greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Oct. 27, 2016: Two First Nations and an environmental group file separate applications for judicial review in Federal Court to quash approval of the project. A fourth challenge is launched in January 2017.
  • July 25, 2017: Pacific NorthWest LNG says it will not proceed with the project, citing poor market conditions including a prolonged period of low LNG prices.

Image: http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/petronas-cancels-11-4-billion-lng-project-near-prince-rupert

 

http://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/07/25/opinion/petronas-cancellation-highlights-need-just-transition-fossil-fuels