pad

4_Collective_Note_Taking

COLLECTIVE NOTES

Hello everyone, this is where we can place notes through the three-days together. The purple text will be me (Amy) and I’ll use my text to guide us with where we are in each section of the day, so we can organise our notes around the different timeslots.

DAY 1 - FRIDAY 19 April

Introduction (Warmup Exercise and Introduction to the Structure of the Day)

Introduction to SoC

Interactive mural: https://app.mural.co/t/schoolofcommons0433/m/schoolofcommons0433/1617547001869/c09e4978fe9dd07cc3883e356ef7da536f4ed810?sender=f02a2c77-d407-45ae-be33-a28490278ba9

…

Hi. Maybe we could all write our emails here.? I love the idea of a group space for communicating, and also ways we can communicate directly with one another?

annielevyevermore@gmail.com

marea.hildebrand@zhdk.ch

aleesteele@gmail.com

amy.j.l.gowen@gmail.com

cassie.thornton@gmail.com

miroslava.tyrina@zhdk.ch

julian.pavesi@hotmail.com

shakingbarriers@gmail.com

perahiad@gmail.com

mayeuticasyutopias@gmail.com

iggytopia@gmail.com

DAY 2 - SATURDAY 20 April

meeting here: https://pad.vvvvvvaria.org/SoC_Writing_Exercise

EMAIL LISTS FOR FUNDING AND SOCIO ENVIRONMENTAL SUPPORT

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ITyt5YvaYFIgYXnypn–2IKq0IYqrXGxKfM_NdbgI_U/edit

Alumn* Discussion Questions

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Z2a6aEzQKIE3_xNGXWWVXHJZNEG6PROClFlQ6xc-Lss/edit#slide=id.p

(Alumn* presentation)

What does it mean to practice democracy?

What are democratic channels of communication?

What is a democratic way of budget governance?

Does anyone have experience with participatory budgeting they are willing to share with the group?

Example Case Story shared in the Chat:

There’s this interesting project in Minneapolis at Confluence Studio, collectively making a new budget for the police using physical props in space: “If you had control over how the Minneapolis Police Budget is spent, what projects and services would you support to keep our community safe?

In November 2023 we assembled and walked through the MPD Budget–no joke. When you measure a 1 million dollar stack of bills, it comes out to about 12 x 12 x 5 inches. Confluence printed and assembled two hundred 12x12x5 cardboard boxes to represent a million bucks in the MPD budget. We then stacked all of the boxes in different portions to show how the Mayor allocated funds to the police. By looking at the budget as a physical object, we could see what was prioritized by his office–and the many, many things that weren’t. “

Example shared in the chat

  1. https://github.com/the-turing-way/the-turing-way/issues/3266#issuecomment-1934599627 - voting looked like:
  2. 👍 to indicate support for changing the URL to the-turing-way.org
  3. 👀 Different preference but go ahead

  4. 👎 Disagree, with a commitment to comment on this issue with further detail Example shared in the chat:

    For the question of presence/absence there is also the “open space technology” principles of: “whoever comes are the right people - whatever happens is the only thing that could have - when it starts its the right time - when it’s over, it’s over”

Links being shared during the Alumn* Network presentation

https://citizenshandbook.org/

here the specific text on collective decision making, a pdf about ‘tyranny of structurelessness’ & ‘consensus in large groups’ https://citizenshandbook.org/1_09_meet_decide.html

https://cobudget.com/

Yes this processes is also available through this app

In our global network of grassroots peaceworkes we also used Loomio for collective decision making

https://help.loomio.com/en/user_manual/getting_started/decisions/

https://carolinewoolard.com/system/open-collective/

Another resource -shared internationally with organizations who commit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFUdE-yaa5Q&t=1s

The end of this lecture (35 mins onwards) has a lot of interesting exercises/techniques/tools for the collective consensus/decision making

For the question of presence/absence there is also the “open space technology” principles of: “whoever comes are the right people - whatever happens is the only thing that could have - when it starts its the right time - when it’s over, it’s over”

you remind me of Miriam tick tin’s work on the politics of innocence! https://vimeo.com/199876369

The idea of timebanking has come up in the alumn* discussions, if anyone is interested or has experience with it, please reach out and get in touch!

I’ll try and find an open source version but this is great for peer review tools: https://i-n-g-a.com/products/peer-review-issue-2-publishing-the-present

Adrienne Marie Brown’s Holding Change

have developed trust with the other members

Hand voting:

5 – Yes, and I can show up collaborating, organizing, leading

4 – Yes, and I can show up in support if need be

3 – Cool, but it is far from my interests or the interests of Hologram as I see it

2 – Pause, I have questions

1 – Pause, we really need to talk, something isn’t adding up

Fist – block, veto

Here is a thing we say before we talk about money in a few groups I am in, where we talk about money a lot: We will take three deep breaths before we talk about money. this next set of breaths is meant to remove our fear and respect for money and increase an awareness that we will not become contaminated by it, nor by an articifial sense of luxury or comfort while the world is burning. We will accept money as a form of survival and economic self defense, and we will use it as a gift when we can. We will use the money to take care of ourselves and anyone else we can help. It is ok to allow money to come towards us, bc it will not control us. We trust ourselves to use it to support people who need it so we can plan the revolution with them.

Exercising the ways of being together, especially when the topics or situations are difficult, or when the opinions part. I think conflict resolution is important, and testing this skill and developing this skill is essential to practice living together in true diversity

Challenges will exist anyway, so I prefer to try to change/build new structures together rather than believe that the structures that prevail are the right way of doing things without criticality.

caring more about each other, sharing skills, knowledge and other ressources and infrastructures, to break out of our individualistic bubbles

–

**DAY 2 - Afternoon Sessions **

Individual Project Presentations

Presentation 1: “House it Going”

We had a really nice project last year looking at alternative housing situations in Amsterdam. Maybe we can also connect you to this project? 🙂

(Annie) I have a friend who is travelling to Berlin next month for a conference on Land Trusts. Her project is for collective living for the elderly in Oxford, a super expensive property market. Can I connect her to you?

(Julian) Self-efficacy is one of the main themes of our project. would be cool to have an exchange

(Alee) Gathering existing work reminds me of how Ursula le Guin & Mindy seu’s thinking about it! https://issue1.shiftspace.pub/on-gathering-mindy-seu

i’m also in berlin and have witnessed this berlin housing debacle. i do a lowkey phone photo project about cranes and building sites in berlin which asks - why so much construction, but nowhere to live?

Presentation 2: “Common Views”

Ahhh you should definitely get in touch with Panta Rhei Collaborative (SoC Alumn*s)

https://www.pantarheicollaborative.eu/ their project “Raising Water Wareness” looked at water commons

https://www.pantarheicollaborative.eu/water-wareness

How do you document and compile your methodologies? (Would love to read more about them!)

Ongoing archive <3

You might like this computational art/science piece that followed water droplets across the American watershed: https://river-runner.samlearner.com/

How do you find your agents? how do you decide which topic to focus on?

Do you feel you have a lineage in this work, thinkers/ doers who have come before you, a philosophy? Is this like Participatory Action Research? Can’t wait to learn more…. Seems also like Social Sculpture?

Presentation 3: “The Hologram”

Interest the Zurich meetup - Cassie will share the information and the dates

hello, yes me, but i dont have the link.I’ve now added the link below :)

https://t.me/+Vqvi3__V1F0aW7jG

This is the general Hologram chat, soon there will be a Zurich one in there…

Presentation 4: “Co-Making Matters”

Research Interest:

Exploring the Intersection of Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration and Commons-Based Learning in Urban Environments.

Research Trajectories:

  1. Enhancing Collaboration: Investigate how commons-based learning principles can enhance cross-disciplinary collaboration in the unique context of urban environments, fostering creativity and shared knowledge.

  2. Community Building through Interventions: Explore the role of temporary interventions and site-specific projects in creating a sense of community and facilitating knowledge-sharing within diverse urban landscapes, emphasizing inclusivity.

  3. Leveraging Technology for Global Collaboration: Examine how technology can be effectively harnessed to facilitate global collaboration in commons-based learning initiatives, breaking down geographical barriers and fostering a truly international community of learners.

Presentation 5 - “Frank Chu Archive”

(Dan) Could put you in touch with Pia Lamberty: https://cemas.io/en/team/pia-lamberty/

(Alee) Wow was just talking to friends yesterday about the role of conspiracy in everyday life - especially after finding out the the Epstein network is real & NOT a conspiracy… even though it sound like one

I’m having a hard time thinking about anything else, or focusing on the other presentations in the wake of the earlier conversation led by Tabby and Chau. I believe transformation is possible if we can really hear each other in a deep way. This is not allowed when we live in an accelerated economy/war state/environmental emergency. What I see in Germany right now is the division on the left between Pro Palestinians and liberals (this is not the biggest problem we face here, but I want to relate it to what is happening in the room here). I spend a lot of time with elder leftist Germans who are stuck with ideologies that support Israel and dehumanize Palestinians. Even if they know that it is not serving them, they have no one to talk to about it, and thus no way to transform.

People need to be exposed to other ways of thinking if they are going to transform. I think that the best possible thing would be to stay in this conversation and see what we can learn rather than protecting ourselves from those we don’t agree with. It’s not about changing anyone, but really learning why we believe what we believe, and staying in dialogue. Transformation is slow. These moments of division around things like vaccination, Trump and Palestine keep us from actually being able to transform. I think anyone who grew up in Israel will have a lot of work to do. I’m an American so I get it. It’s like being raised by really abusive parents who gave us too many expensive presents that they stole from everyone else. We will need a lot of spaces to learn together if we want to transform to be a part of the world in a new non-genocidal way, and we need all the help we can get.

Collective Conversation Sunday 21 April, Faciliated by Anne

https://pad.vvvvvvaria.org/SoC_Collective_Conversations

Presentation Pattern Green by Annie

Comments by Anne Lee

Makes me also think about wikis, like monoskop (that other people can add to also): https://monoskop.org/Monoskop

Also Sidney Mintz (who wrote about sugar): a food anthropologist that talk about how its history is steeped in empire as well: https://sidneymintz.net/sugar.php

Comments by Ana

When I think of food from this point of view, I think of a food revolution, which brings us back to a food emancipated from the death of chemicals, and which brings us together in more humane practices and more together.

In Ecuador we are beginning to talk more naturally every day about food sovereignty, ancestral food and we try to maintain our community practices in sharing food and our obligations to prepare and sustain the care of them, throughout the process from planting, harvesting, preparation, the identity of specific utensils and cooking methods through fire and the mechanisms of community kitchens.

Comment by Viviane

We can think of hosting any of your activities at Co-Making Matters together with the kitchen at HdS. The collectives that use the kitchen are connected to the food sharing project

Presentation Shaking Barriers

Anne Lee: I have to go to a different call for 30min, but will be back! Thanks so much shaking barriers. Would really love to connect you to nt dear friend Lina who works between Switzerland and Colombia with her collective — you have many shared ideals, abrazos!

Comment by Ana

The publications depend on each territory but the visuality should bring us together in an exchange, originally it could be a fanzine (because if they are more linked to the graphic and visual arts; although it is not the only way that can be done) for its condition of politicizing the needs and questions of each territory.

Vivianne

Thank you for sharing the project. I’m looking forward to discussing more about Paulo Freire as well <3

Presentation Project In/Visibility

Comment by Ana

Curricular change is super important, the focus of those changes is transcendental to change the structures of cooperation as much as those of power. Great work

Dylan

loving these urgent questions on decolonising education/the academy! especially the question if it is even possible or if efforts in these contexts will just ultimately serve the survival of colonial institutions that would better be abolished

Lauren

Totally!: https://www.timetospringup.org/

Ana

Samirah, in Ecuador we are going to apply Shaking Barriers in the Intag Valley with a population that is very close to the anti-mining experiences, this is an approach that the territory is asking us for because of its condition, we want to systematize practices that can be compiled in order to be able to apply them in the Intag Valley.

Samira: wow - would love to hear more about this! documenting to share with similar-minded populations in other places for solidarity would also be so powerful

Ana: Maybe we could collaborate with a small publication. well we are in contact

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/27/magazine/how-to-succeed-in-art.html

Session 2 - Thursday May 02, 2024

Workshop Activity) ‘How to be a good collaborator’ Led by Gabriel Hensche

All responses are in the following VARIA PAD

https://pad.vvvvvvaria.org/What_is_a_good_collaborator

Presentation 1) Meme-tism

Notes:

https://futuress.org/

Could be an interesting network for you to connect with. They are based in Switzerland, Basel i think

So interesting!! You might want to chat with the meme studies folks in their discord too if you haven’t connected with them already!: https://memestudiesrn.wordpress.com/

love this project 🙂 makes me think of two groups in berlin, “new models” and “trust” (both quite western male dominant unfortunately) who do a lot of research into memes and political subcultures, the life of memes entering from fringes into mainstream, etc etc. also “what the meme” favourite site ever

Carina Erdmann came to mind thinking about a hybrid environment as was the most immersive experiences I have experienced moving through a vast territory https://www.schoolofcommons.org/labs/conspiratorial-bleed

It makes me think also about tools that might facilitate this kind of writing or collaboration, maybe just a project of interest about collaborative writing tools: https://www.inkandswitch.com/upwelling/

Presentation 2) Listening to the unconscious of collaborative practice

Presentation 3) Tactics to counter extraction

https://annas-archive.org

Co-Making Matters in Berlin is open would love to have you all as a space to share and facilitate all these projects <3

May 16, 2024 - 18.00-20.00 CEST

Focus on:

Collective Imagination

SoC Self-Organised Space Information

SoC Assembly 2025 Information

Responses to the above: https://pad.vvvvvvaria.org/Self-Organised_Programme_-_Process_Planning

Lost in Conversation: inviting tacit knowledge into interdisciplinary collaborations

Presentation

I look forward to talking with Mariam regarding cooking!  And gestures.  And “measurement” (Annie)

would love to join this conversation and talk about growing, foraging, seasons (Samirah)

I’m curious about all connections. I wonder if it is also related to manifestation of dreams for example?

If you want to hear more about Lina’s practice, she was on a radio show talking about it. I will send you the link 🙂

https://www.mixcloud.com/radiowormrotterdam/off-margin-2-the-letter-w-amy-gowen-lina-zeller-160224/

**Thursday 30 May, 2024 - **

Collective Consent - Ideas on Tools for collective decission making.

We discussed ideas for collective decission making and had a conversations around experiences with such tools.

The idea to bring this topic to our attention, is inspired by the upcoming group process to decide collectively on the format and content of the self-organised curriculm in the second half of the SoC year.

We started the conversation on the following VariaPad and tried to have a first round of practice, allthough due to time constraines, we only had the opportunity to scratch the surface of the topic. During the Gaterhing in Zurich there will be more dedicated time to this group process.

https://pad.vvvvvvaria.org/Collective_Consent

Collective Consent and Peer Review Tools - Notion Page

https://www.notion.so/schoolofcommonsorg/Consent-Decision-Making-Peer-Review-Guidelines-712701bff2bb4e6d90dd6e2a17483c21

INFORMATION ON FUNDING PAGE ON NOTION

https://www.notion.so/schoolofcommonsorg/Funding-f6fc06a680f743e3994ce53f403ebfc7

Funding applications in Switzerland. We created a notion page with all the general information that should help you get an overview of the funding landscape and processes in Switzerland. Funding possibilites can varie depending on the project focus and content. We invite you to have a first read through and to familiarise yourself a bit with possible funding partners. We are hear to help you understand and support you with a funding inquiry. Please reach out if you would like to have a meeting to discuss funding opportunities for your project.

to hello@schoolofcommons.org or directly to jelena.mairkhamees@zhdk.ch

Project Presentations -

Urban Rhythms -

Very interesting! Do you know the amazing book Pattern Language about town/ architectural planning for human-level purposes? It is a beautiful book! Also— just a comment— I have become really aware of how Google Maps (and similar apps) effect the ways that people pursue/ approach space- journeying in cities…..

So nice! Your work would fit perfectly in the walking residency Co-Making Matters is developing with Re_Routing. Feel welcome to spend a season in Berlin for a walking residency 🙂

I notice I never really know street names anymore because of google maps

I’m really intrigued how the theory will inform the practice and the practice the theory, especially when you are in the act of writing. How to balance that mind/body connection with the walking and the observations

Thank you, so interesting!

Carolina and Ashley

https://networkcultures.org/blog/publication/alternative-media-networks-and-their-infrastructures/