From Freetekno

[edit] Leigh-Anne

with all good intentions.

i've been contemplating about writing a review as i retired from partying long ago & went with a different vision and to keep a friend company. but reflecting on the weekend i participated more then expected and will leave my words where i would have pictures.

the ideology behind teknival is something i've become familiar with when i was dating one of the more involved members and despite my disillusionment with the 'scene' it seems that it had so much potential. & i know ya'll hate a comparison to om, but it's the closest i could make and making it free makes it have that much more integrity. unfortunately as with all sub cultures there is the good & bad in regards to the crowd, the music, the drugs, & the ideas brought to the proverbial table. i don't think north tek/teknival was a complete failure but more so that it was the bad side of the coin that kept coming up.

for one, when the HHC promoters were told it was a chill space area & continued to set up, play their music as loud as possible, and not allow anyone in the neighbouring areas to sleep i questioned their idea of "community." ironically enough (okay it isn't real irony ) it was the very stage which required much more first aid attention for one of its members that they bothered to bring. i understand this is a learning experience but the "community" came out when my friend and i administered first aid to the burn victim's hand & all the support from the other stages / people who came to the rescue. accidents happen but foresight of manners and preparation are two things DIY/community festivals require to flourish. myself and two word bubble compadres had to drive 5 minutes up the road at 8am to finally sleep as our pleas for quiet came to no avail.

second, i am not one to deny anyone a good time with or free of substances but irregardless of age/experience don't count on strangers next time to baby-sit you through your bad trips.

i came with boxes of activist & crafting materials to enhance the word bubble into what the organizer & i envisioned it could be and the refuge was quickly abandoned of help -from set up to water damage issues. music is an integral part of this community but for it to "grow" should it not provide an alternative form of learning materials beyond turn tables? the 'cuddle puddle" made a valiant effort to continue the ideals of the word bubble but i felt ship wrecked.

teknival/north tek will be nothing but a free party/drug fest without participation of all its members. the garbage alone left was enough to make me want to cry.

i met some incredible people & for that i am thankful for, and i felt my efforts to help fellow 'community' members was appreciated but i think everyone would have had an opportunity to have an actual good time if we all took responsibility for making it that.

my best friend and i met the water truck guys (kurt & his brother) in town, smoked a joint with them, and explained to them why this festival was as beautiful as OM (they had both been and loved it), gave them directions to where it was and to who they could find to share the water, i don't think they thought it would be the epitome of 'rave.' neither did i.

i have deep admiration for all the people who took their time & money & sweat & tears to make this come together and i hope in following years the people who enjoy the fruits of their labour give them a break at the actual festival as a sign of appreciation and respect.

i'd return if this festival saw the fruition it is meant to.

love, the librarian aka leigh-anne

p.s. i hope those of you who saw it, enjoyed "these words are weapons" (the zine for the festival). if you want a copy you can e mail me @ intensityjunkie@gmail.com 314772822425579588557

[edit] Benny and Muffin

Benny and Muffin wrote a poem about Teknival:

Return our Lost Cause please,
We need to believe to be free.
Don't blame change for that which defies memory

Negativity
placed in the lines of assumption;
labeling
condensing,
the question remains unanswered.
assumptions made,
details lost,
for change of a whole,
you must free self.

improve your mental health with a wealth of free culture,
no more unscrupulous media vultures to trouble the herd,
take a walk to a new creation,
this station is a word bubble!

trouble?
an expression of mind
confined
to the lined pages of our existence,
and though the chapters may be covered by the glossy pages of a quick fix,
the clock ticks
and a collaboration of mind combined
will cast the image aside and provide

the beginning of what they call change
when we catch that gravy train,
we'll exchange no more blame,
rearrange our brains, heal each other's pain,
declare justice,
engrained in the matter of life,
if we all get together then we can re-write the plight of blighted cities

subdivisions of townhomes infinitely?

--Stop and Think--

what is blocking this communication train?
you are
i am
through the divisions we make
and assumptions we take through self.
it's the search for a quick fix that prevents us from ever getting satisfaction
theory spills blood from the aristocrat's glass
dripping down our throats
'but never proceeded with, leading to our destruction.
only when you truly try to understand,
can we walk hand in hand
to that communication train.

[edit] A Haiku

Word bubble boys with
open eyes and open minds
awaken the soul