After the news of Alba passing the day before my Brexiles exhibition open night in Cambridge, I wasn't sure I would be able to get through it without breaking down. But I also didn't want to cancel, since I had to cancel the Liverpool edition due to Covid, and given the energy and effort the Cambridge for Europe team had invested in organising the event - including plastering the city in posters promoting the exhibition.
And getting thr exhibition open night featured in the Cambridge Independent.
So, like a good emotionally repressed English person, I pushed my thoughts and feelings aside like a pro and got the box of paintings out of my attic. As a safe-guarding measure, I decided not to make a social media post about Alba until after the event, as she was so well-known and loved by the movement I knew there would be an out-pouring of grief and I knew if people started talking to me about her at the event - I wouldn't be able to hold it together. The show must go on.
I wasn't thinking too clearly and my packing for this trip was a bit haphaazard - I couldn't remember everything I needed to prepare/bring and inevitably forgot some things. Due to waiting for an entirely pointless NHS phone call appointment (more gaslighting and dismissal from the No Healthcare Service) it was too late to call an Uber (they frequently take 10-30 mins to arrive to my home), so taking the tram seemed like a safer bet time-wise, although still a challenge with all the luggage I needed to bring - the tram conductors jaw dropped when she saw me get on. But... Where there's a will there's a way!
Then, there was the inevitable train drama. Initially my train to Norwich (I was changing at Ely) was delayed by 20 mins - that was no big deal as my friend Steve, from Cambridge for Europe could easily collect me from Ely. However, then the train decided it was only going as far as Nottingham! At which point I went to the information desk, who advised me to travel via Leicester instead. With a 10 minute change and all this luggage, I was concerned I wouldn't make the connection but thankfully I did - only for the train from Leicester to Cambridge to be 30 mins delayed due to a fault at a level crossing. In the end, I arrived at Thrive Café with only 2 hours to put up the exhibition... And I was trying not to panic.
Fortunately, it turned out to be plenty of time - as I didn't realise but the café regularly host exhibitions and all the nails were already in the walls at the perfect height and distance.
Jeff, my videograher, arrived shortly after me and we even had time to film some lip sync footage for the music video before the open night started.
I received loads of compliments from café visitors who saw us putting up the exhibition - I think the portraits really animate the space. And i'm really happy that Steve found such a great and ethical venue for the exhibition.
There was a second room upstairs, where the event was taking place - so we split the paintings across the two spaces and put up some EU flags behind where the speakers would stand.
I made a costume change at 5:30pm before filming some more lip sync footage with Jeff. People started filtering in from 6pm and we started the speaches at 6:45pm by which time it was standing room only.
I knew Cambridge for Europe had done an amazing job of promoting the event (there were posters up all around the city - but I wasn't expecting such an amazing turn out!)
Pippa Heylings MP for South Cambridgeshire spoke at the event. It was really wonderful to meet her, she is a very engaging politician and was very supportive of my work. I also loved her colour co=ordinated outfit for the event!
I spoke about the exhibition and read some direct quotes from the Brexiles project participants, before performing a few songs.
Unfortunately my lungs gave up halfway through the second song. I've had an Asthma flare up in the last week and despite using my steroid inhaler before the speech/performance - it wasn't enough to get me through. So, I had to appologise and wrap things up.
I at least got a decent rendition of We Are Europe in before my voice started cracking up.
Overall, the event was a huge success and I was really glad it came together so well. One of my Facebook followers who has been following me for years came and tearfully told me how important it was for her that she finally got to meet me. That nearly made me cry too! I had a lot of interesting conversations with the audience - and I think that was the greatest success of the evening - bringing a community together and sparking meaningful conversations.
I got up early the next morning as the journey home involved 2 trains and a replacement bus service (due to engineering works) - by some miracle I made all of the connections, so it only took 5 hours for me to get home (I was expecting it to be much longer. After I had unpacked, I met Dad in the pub, so we could remember Alba together. Dad was wearing this pin badge I made years ago for my 'Alba White Wolf Adventures' books - it broke my heart a little bit.
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