Last night we saw the first round of shows at Les Subsitance. The art at the compound was full of life beauty and ingenuity that I have never experienced in the states. Americans are just scratching the surface of expression with our need to have cohesive cognition within the confines of realism. What is happening here is a blend of media infused with live musicianship and movement with a dash of puppetry. I don't speak French well enough to understand the depth of what I saw but it was moving. I think this is the best place to learn that a unified meadows department is needed to bring the splendor of creation back to Dallas. One medium done alone is not enough for a modern audience. One medium is fine for training but not breaking the rules. I experienced tonight what the world is trying to say and viewed how many artistic ways it can be done at once. Music, dance, media, puppetry, movement, lighting, and the geographical local of the piece all tell their own story to unify into a fully endowed creation. Lyon is romantic and euro doesn't go very far for a college student. I have already learned to live on baguettes. Dean Bowen needs to get two individuals from each discipline and make them collaborate on brand new piece landscaping the troubles with some American current affair. That would be something to see, besides our need to give homage to the classics for learning the tools from the past. This is giving us the opportunity to make marks in our present cultural cloth. The other thing is the mixture of languages the artists have. I have heard yiddish, pharcee, English, French of course, dutch, and spanish interspersed throughout the night. I feel I am experiencing virtuoso's at their craft and they all have a message to be heard through major avant-garde stories. The piece that hit me the most was a puppet based piece with rock and roll, and video cameras. The word "jerre" was one of the wonderful themes to this production, which translates into the verb "to stray from." The music was straying, the painting were laughing, the cars were getting snowed on, and the puppets were pulling tangled wire and hiding in bomb shelters. I think it was a comment of how man has strayed from nature and needs to be reminded that we are not God. My opinion. I cannot wait to see the shows to come this evening but am completely inspired. Too bad bush doesn't believe in art driven creation like the europeans do. And if he said he was into supporting the arts he is just doing it to appease those who oppose him. The government here isn't cutting the arts any time soon. They are giving Lyon a nest of creation. Americans need to open up and communicate and stop living such isolated lives. Enough of my ranting....I need to go eat some food before another six hours of great performances. Peace out-kk