CLICK TO CONTRIBUTE TO TOM MILLER'S 50TH BIRTHDAY DREAM!
In 2011, I became obsessed with the idea of going to Copenhagen to experience something extraordinary; Restaurant Noma under the auspices of Chef Rene Redzepi.
His restaurant (several times voted Best in the World) was going beyond simplistic ideas of cuisine. Chef Redzepi's philosophy is one which can be shared with the Performance Artist. He fearlessly pushes the envelope. He wishes to take what he does further, and to defy convention. He works tirelessly to advance ideas about the relationship between where we are and what we eat. He wants to preserve a moment in time and place on the plate.
In the same fashion, I have strived to push the envelope, challenge boundaries, explore the relationship between performer and audience, and preserve moments in time and place with the recording and archiving of original music, art, theatre, poetry and cinema.
So it is with a pure sense of adventure that I, a man of great ambition yet humble means, seek to put myself in the company of a like-minded spirit, someone who is operating at a profoundly passionate and emotional level, so that I can transcend my own limits of thinking and become an artist who can not only explore the uncharted, but can do so in ways that will benefit my environment and ultimately, my audience.
I never imagined it would even be possible just to obtain reservations. In the first ten seconds of booking, one competes with 20,000 people from around the world all with the same notion: to experience Noma.
With the help of friends equally passionate, we put forth a remarkable effort at 4am U.S. time. For forty-five minutes of redailing and a couple computers working the online reservation interface, it all seemed futile. And then, the door opened. There was an answer: "Noma, may I take your reservation?"
Only days later did it even occur to me that the redialing of a location in Copenhagen would result in phone bills of over two-hundred dollars. This before the journey even begins. So we had accomplished what it is said is virtually impossible in the press: we scored reservations at Restaurant Noma.
Now for the easy part! To raise the funds. That this event nearly coincides with what will be my 50th birthday, is some kind of additional synchronicity. That there is a play going on in Gainesville right now called, Copenhagen, is yet another synchronicity. Gainesville, Florida is the known center of the universe because of these kinds of abundant coincidences.
To affirm my resolve and sort of flagellate myself for spiritual purposes, I have entirely abstained from my infamous consumption of alcohol as of Monday, June first, until reaching the goal of funding the journey.
Now for the easy part: raising enough funds to make the journey. And this is where you can help me achieve this little dream. I am asking for a small contribution to help me accomplish this artistic mission. I need to raise several thousand dollars, and part of that will come from me selling a couple things I've grown much too attached to. Some of this mission will be about letting go. Part of that will come from friends, the curious, lovers of the Bohemian way, those who appreciate the products and plights of artists who adventure upon the non-commercial path, those who understand that by achieving the dream--no matter how wacky or obscure--this lets others know they can achieve their dreams too, with the help of a few committed friends and fans.
So when people ask me why? Why this? Why Copenhagen? Why Noma? I quote from two people (myself included) who greatly inspire my creativity and sense of adventure:
"To break fixed pre-conceptions."
~ Chef Rene Redzepi
"A poet makes himself a visionary through a long, boundless, and systematized disorganization of all the senses."
~ Arthur Rimbaud
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It does not make sense, and that is why. Why climb the mountain? Because it is there.
~ Tom Miller, Performance Artist
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.
~ Dalai Lama
His restaurant (several times voted Best in the World) was going beyond simplistic ideas of cuisine. Chef Redzepi's philosophy is one which can be shared with the Performance Artist. He fearlessly pushes the envelope. He wishes to take what he does further, and to defy convention. He works tirelessly to advance ideas about the relationship between where we are and what we eat. He wants to preserve a moment in time and place on the plate.
In the same fashion, I have strived to push the envelope, challenge boundaries, explore the relationship between performer and audience, and preserve moments in time and place with the recording and archiving of original music, art, theatre, poetry and cinema.
So it is with a pure sense of adventure that I, a man of great ambition yet humble means, seek to put myself in the company of a like-minded spirit, someone who is operating at a profoundly passionate and emotional level, so that I can transcend my own limits of thinking and become an artist who can not only explore the uncharted, but can do so in ways that will benefit my environment and ultimately, my audience.
I never imagined it would even be possible just to obtain reservations. In the first ten seconds of booking, one competes with 20,000 people from around the world all with the same notion: to experience Noma.
With the help of friends equally passionate, we put forth a remarkable effort at 4am U.S. time. For forty-five minutes of redailing and a couple computers working the online reservation interface, it all seemed futile. And then, the door opened. There was an answer: "Noma, may I take your reservation?"
Only days later did it even occur to me that the redialing of a location in Copenhagen would result in phone bills of over two-hundred dollars. This before the journey even begins. So we had accomplished what it is said is virtually impossible in the press: we scored reservations at Restaurant Noma.
Now for the easy part! To raise the funds. That this event nearly coincides with what will be my 50th birthday, is some kind of additional synchronicity. That there is a play going on in Gainesville right now called, Copenhagen, is yet another synchronicity. Gainesville, Florida is the known center of the universe because of these kinds of abundant coincidences.
To affirm my resolve and sort of flagellate myself for spiritual purposes, I have entirely abstained from my infamous consumption of alcohol as of Monday, June first, until reaching the goal of funding the journey.
Now for the easy part: raising enough funds to make the journey. And this is where you can help me achieve this little dream. I am asking for a small contribution to help me accomplish this artistic mission. I need to raise several thousand dollars, and part of that will come from me selling a couple things I've grown much too attached to. Some of this mission will be about letting go. Part of that will come from friends, the curious, lovers of the Bohemian way, those who appreciate the products and plights of artists who adventure upon the non-commercial path, those who understand that by achieving the dream--no matter how wacky or obscure--this lets others know they can achieve their dreams too, with the help of a few committed friends and fans.
So when people ask me why? Why this? Why Copenhagen? Why Noma? I quote from two people (myself included) who greatly inspire my creativity and sense of adventure:
"To break fixed pre-conceptions."
~ Chef Rene Redzepi
"A poet makes himself a visionary through a long, boundless, and systematized disorganization of all the senses."
~ Arthur Rimbaud
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It does not make sense, and that is why. Why climb the mountain? Because it is there.
~ Tom Miller, Performance Artist
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.
~ Dalai Lama
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