Trini has been organising regular High Tea events at Jura Books over the last few months. I interviewed her via email to find out more about the ideas behind the music, the vegan treats and the discussions.
In the past few months you’ve organised two “High Tea” events that are made up of three elements – music, cupcakes and discussion on gender. Where did you get the idea for this and why did you want to do it?
Cupcakes (well vegan treats generally), music and discussing the world are three things at really interest me. I thought that events like this would be a good way to further our thinking as a community, and also to utilise a space as rad as Jura Bookshop.
Food is one of the central tenets of society – indeed, of human life. It’s an important way that we can connect with other people. Many of the social justice issues most pertinent to today’s society are reflected in access to food. I guess I really just wanted to bring together a whole bunch of people with similar interests to talk about things that are really important to us (i.e. gender and privilege).
For these events you’ve chosen to hold them at Jura Bookshop. Why did you choose a venue that wouldn’t be traditionally associated with live music?
In my opinion, a lot of the problems surrounding the performance of music, and the exclusivity of the music scene, stem from our belief / traditions of using certain venues for shows. This can be good and bad. Obviously, some places are better set up for musical performances than others. But at the same time, these places (especially when they’re DIY) can become exclusive in their own way. Using Jura Bookshop was a way of connecting with the community in a really inviting space. Also, I didn’t really want it to be a “show” in the traditional sense of the word. More of an event with music and eating and discussion.
The first High Tea was acoustic based and the second was hip hop based. Is there a reason behind choosing a focus genre for an event and have you got any ideas for the next one?
There wasn’t a particular reason, more just to give the events a direction. The first was acoustic to help with logistics, and the second was hip-hop to tie in with the dance lesson and a discussion of gender in hip-hop. The next one will be different again – more of a media focus this time, to raise money for a collective in the Philippines who are setting up a big info shop and independent media hub. So I’m thinking of showing a few short independent films, maybe having some more electronic-style music and then a discussion about the media and ways to get more involved in creating alternatives or subverting it.
So far only women have performed and run workshops at the High Teas. Do you intend for it to be a women ‘dominated’ event or is it a case of men not getting themselves involved – or maybe something different?
The whole world is a hetero man’s space, so it’s good to have female, trans and queer voices given a platform. In saying this, it’s not a “women’s thing”, and many men are pretty vocal in opposing male privilege. I’d love for more men to be involved! The first one was explicitly female as a play on the high tea idea of Victorian femininity. The second was about subverting gender stereotypes in hip-hop and dance, and unfortunately I don’t know / couldn’t find men who were active in that area. I think the next one will be more gender balanced.
Do you feel that these events have been successful?
I think they’ve been moderately successful. The events have definitely brought more people into contact with Jura Bookshop and that network of progressive people. But I feel that it’s kind of the same activist style people, who basically agree on many of the issues already. Ideally, I’d like to see more people from the local community come along, and have an exchange of a broader spectrum of ideas.
Apart from the High Teas, what other groups, events and projects in Sydney have had a similar focus to yours? Is there a lot of support amongst the groups and individuals involved in the different projects?
My mother likes to say that there are only a certain amount of interesting people in the world, and that after a while you just begin meeting them in different combinations. To a certain extent this is true of groups doing similar things in Sydney! Groups such as the Scooter Collective, the Jura Collective, and Uncut Flowers (with the Clitfest event) are all doing things with a shared intent of increasing discussion around issues of gender privilege and ways of combating it. Plus, there’s a plethora of women’s collectives at universities and women’s health centres and a myriad of other bodies doing rad stuff. I’m not aware of any men’s groups with this focus, although that doesn’t mean they’re not out there.
It’s hard to say about the support. People are generally supportive of these events, and there’s a lot of cross-over between performers, organisers and venues which is ace. The more the merrier!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you have ideas for another high tea event, or you want to get involved, then drop me a line! Also, comments and discussion are ace!
