http://www.ikatun.org/evacuateboston/
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Drawin'@Tate
Yesterday we were at Tate Modern 4th Floor: Lara, Marianne, Claudia and me.
We have come out with these results of the attempts of drawing the negative space.
Monday, 25 February 2008
Debate at Fatos' flat
Despite the multiple distractions, such as the setting for this debate, which happened to be a very lovely house with many interesting elements, delicious food on the table, and short digressions on various topics, this meeting was very productive. The topics included surveillance, the Internet, globalization, academia and social behaviour.
What I found very enjoyable was the seriousness of this gathering. There was an actual debate taking place! Criticality, exchange of ideas and opinions, and questioning were utilized to establish a new sense of identity for the group that happened to form at this particular time. We were no longer classmates/lab group b members/friends but also opponents and allies immersed in the challenge of the dialogue.
This meeting left me with further questions regarding the self-organization of our group, the roles of “settings”, and of course the structure of a network. In this case the kitchen table happened to be enough. Also, I found myself heard and able to listen carefully when operating within the number of four participants that day.
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Valentine’s Day 3-legged Race
a.k.a.
Sometimes You Learn More When Things Go Wrong.
When we appraised the turnout for our grand Valentine’s Day Three-Legged Race in Covent Garden and realised that the total head count came to a somewhat underwhelming three (Amy, Charlotte and myself), we had a sense that we were in for a challenge. We called an emergency meeting. We hid away and drank tea and deliberated as to the correct course of action. We had anticipated a bigger group, and had hoped they would help us persuade members of the public to join in. The sole condition of the race was that each competitor had to be tied to someone they had never met. Clearly, with three people, this was going to be tricky.
We considered going home. We considered doing shots. Then eventually we decided that we had to just get out there and give it a go. Surely someone, someone, would happen to think that hopping around in the freezing cold tied to a complete stranger for the chance to win a fun-size Mars bar sounded like a good time?
We stood around for what seemed like ages; sizing people up, always finding excuses as to why it would be a bad idea to ask that particular person if they wanted to join. Too old, too young, too boring, too ugly, too weird. Who exactly was the perfect candidate for an impromptu three-legged race?
I eventually settled on a mother with three kids in tow, thinking maybe we could rope in the whole family and have done with it.
“Excuse me, hi. Would you like to do a three-legged race with us?”
She looked at me incredulously, then with a softer expression. Clearly I had taken total leave of all my senses and deserved a little sympathy.
“No, thanks.”
“Oh. Are you sure?” I put on the most winning smile I could muster.
“Yes, quite sure.”
The softness disappeared and she shot me a stare, tugging her children away from the crazy lady.
We stood around for a while longer. There was a lot of nervous laughter. I think I stated approximately seventeen times that I was “Way Out of My Comfort Zone”. We nearly persuaded a charity fundraiser with a clipboard to join, but he wanted money for sick children first, and we decided that was against the spirit of the whole endeavour. And we almost managed to strap a young French boy to Amy, but then he realised what was going on and bolted. Finally, after several failed attempts and with no remaining credibility, we tied our own legs together and hobbled around the Piazza, laughing our heads off as Charlotte’s boyfriend took our picture. It was time to go to the pub.
………………………………………..
Sometimes You Learn More When Things Go Wrong.
So what exactly did we learn?
Clearly, we had misjudged a great number of things. We decided that if ever we were to attempt such a thing again (heaven forbid) that we would definitely be more organised. We had to publicise it better. We would need a stand, flyers, costumes to wear (hide behind), race numbers, a better prize. But then, of course, it wouldn’t be quite the same.
What we did agree on was that we would need to give people a reason to want to do it. Why would anyone want to do it? Why did we want to do it? In the beginning, it had all seemed so clear. We had wanted to create a private space in a public one, employing mechanisms of game play to raise questions regarding the nature of received modes of behaviour in public space. We had wanted to have fun, and make Not-Art. We had wanted to create fleeting interactions between strangers, spawning invisible networks that would stretch far beyond the here and now through recounts, exaggerated tales and the weaving of a new urban lore by word-of-mouth. We were all about extrospection. All of which was well and good until we were faced with standing around asking people if they wouldn’t like to have their leg tied to someone else for a bit, at which point it all felt distinctly silly. Our intentions may seem lofty to some, and inconsequential to others. But I think they still stand. We are feeling them out in a number of different ways, and some are more successful than others. And, of course, sometimes you learn more when things go wrong.
Sometimes You Learn More When Things Go Wrong.
When we appraised the turnout for our grand Valentine’s Day Three-Legged Race in Covent Garden and realised that the total head count came to a somewhat underwhelming three (Amy, Charlotte and myself), we had a sense that we were in for a challenge. We called an emergency meeting. We hid away and drank tea and deliberated as to the correct course of action. We had anticipated a bigger group, and had hoped they would help us persuade members of the public to join in. The sole condition of the race was that each competitor had to be tied to someone they had never met. Clearly, with three people, this was going to be tricky.
We considered going home. We considered doing shots. Then eventually we decided that we had to just get out there and give it a go. Surely someone, someone, would happen to think that hopping around in the freezing cold tied to a complete stranger for the chance to win a fun-size Mars bar sounded like a good time?
We stood around for what seemed like ages; sizing people up, always finding excuses as to why it would be a bad idea to ask that particular person if they wanted to join. Too old, too young, too boring, too ugly, too weird. Who exactly was the perfect candidate for an impromptu three-legged race?
I eventually settled on a mother with three kids in tow, thinking maybe we could rope in the whole family and have done with it.
“Excuse me, hi. Would you like to do a three-legged race with us?”
She looked at me incredulously, then with a softer expression. Clearly I had taken total leave of all my senses and deserved a little sympathy.
“No, thanks.”
“Oh. Are you sure?” I put on the most winning smile I could muster.
“Yes, quite sure.”
The softness disappeared and she shot me a stare, tugging her children away from the crazy lady.
We stood around for a while longer. There was a lot of nervous laughter. I think I stated approximately seventeen times that I was “Way Out of My Comfort Zone”. We nearly persuaded a charity fundraiser with a clipboard to join, but he wanted money for sick children first, and we decided that was against the spirit of the whole endeavour. And we almost managed to strap a young French boy to Amy, but then he realised what was going on and bolted. Finally, after several failed attempts and with no remaining credibility, we tied our own legs together and hobbled around the Piazza, laughing our heads off as Charlotte’s boyfriend took our picture. It was time to go to the pub.
………………………………………..
Sometimes You Learn More When Things Go Wrong.
So what exactly did we learn?
Clearly, we had misjudged a great number of things. We decided that if ever we were to attempt such a thing again (heaven forbid) that we would definitely be more organised. We had to publicise it better. We would need a stand, flyers, costumes to wear (hide behind), race numbers, a better prize. But then, of course, it wouldn’t be quite the same.
What we did agree on was that we would need to give people a reason to want to do it. Why would anyone want to do it? Why did we want to do it? In the beginning, it had all seemed so clear. We had wanted to create a private space in a public one, employing mechanisms of game play to raise questions regarding the nature of received modes of behaviour in public space. We had wanted to have fun, and make Not-Art. We had wanted to create fleeting interactions between strangers, spawning invisible networks that would stretch far beyond the here and now through recounts, exaggerated tales and the weaving of a new urban lore by word-of-mouth. We were all about extrospection. All of which was well and good until we were faced with standing around asking people if they wouldn’t like to have their leg tied to someone else for a bit, at which point it all felt distinctly silly. Our intentions may seem lofty to some, and inconsequential to others. But I think they still stand. We are feeling them out in a number of different ways, and some are more successful than others. And, of course, sometimes you learn more when things go wrong.
metaspy.
From Liz's blog, a link to a website that lets you spy on what other people are searching for on internet search engines.
Updates every 15 seconds.
http://www.metaspy.com/info.metac.spy/metaspy/filtered.htm
Updates every 15 seconds.
http://www.metaspy.com/info.metac.spy/metaspy/filtered.htm
The Big Freeze
On Saturday 16th Feb “frozen in time” missions happened in both London and Toronto. They were inspired by the Frozen Grand Central mission and organized via Improv Everywhere Global.
http://improveverywhere.com/
The London event took place in Trafalgar Square at 3.30pm and had an estimated 1,000 participants.
We turned up at Trafalgar Square at about 3.25pm, quite aware of the tense expecation that chattered around the crowd. A bugle sounded - the sign for the freeze to start, and a quiteness fell over the Square, wrapping the participants in silence. 5 minutes was not long to be standing in a pose, and as we did, others walked around taking photographs, filming and looking at the giant tableaux. My favourite comments were "What is going on?!". "Why is everyone standing still?", "Ooooh - it's like that New York thingy!". Although requested to continue moving at 3.35pm when the signal was given to break, a large cheer went up from the crowd and it was hard not to join in. There was a definite feeling of elation - a post performance buzz. It had felt quite spiritual, and I was hit by a keen and rare sense of having taken part in a large group action, where our individuality was irrelevant, and the power was in the numbers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS65a-RKTQk&feature=related
Saturday, 23 February 2008
Giorgio Agamben. On Security and Terror.
Have a look at this link; it's a text by Agamben about security / terror / society. http://www.egs.edu/faculty/agamben/agamben-on-security-
and-terror.html
and-terror.html
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