6th July 2009 minutes
Minutes
DATE Monday 6th July 2009
LOCATION St James Park
THOSE PRESENT: Marsha, Michaela, Ewelina, Cinzia, Neil, Metod, Kuba, Ken.
MINUTES: Cinzia
CHAIR: Marsha
Item 1: Progress on Parade (which, by the way, is only a working title ...)
To discuss: Some general points ...
- We have booked the Parade Ground for 2 weeks. We'll use most of the time for construction and dedicate 2 or 3 days to a Public event.
- We need to connect with Sonya Diers plans for the space. Sonya would like to be contacted when we have a clearer programme. Paula Rouch - who was at the PubliCamp - will have an event in the Parade Ground in the autumn of 2010. ACTION: Cinzia will enquire.
- What? Who? How???
Item 2; We start brainstorming ...
To discuss: How are we going to proceed?
We discuss links and audiences, possible structures of the event and strategies. We settle on the idea of a market of micro-events - of different explicit structures, of ways of being in public.
We update Kuba with a summary of our drawing sessions.
We look at Neil's pics of a tensile structure that was in the Parade Ground at the weekend. It is close to our drawings, but it seems important that we build our own, instead of hiring a ready-made one. We want to put the accent on recycled materials and low energy.
Kuba suggests that we use discarded Polish advert banners as we saw covering buildings in Warsaw.
Action: Kuba will enquire on how to source them.
Item 3; Debriefing on yesterday's PubliCamp
To discuss: Format and themes
Marsha thinks - and we all agree - that the camp has been a very satisfying event. Salient points:.
Marsha: Being outside, environmental conditions influenced meaning making. Clashes of utterances ...
Kuba: The BarCamp structure is very productive - it creates a totally different kind of public, and it allows all to take risks. It works better with small numbers. Parade will involve large flux of people. We could find Spacial tools to attune people to the structure, something like a round table ...
Michaela: The coherence of a BarCamp is based on everybody's explicit willingness to participate. We still need to sift through the notes.
Neil reminds us that it is a lot of work ... A BarCamp generates a lot of material that needs to be distilled.
We extract some themes and we decide to vote on them using the Enthusiam method we developed to select our Big Ideas.
Action: Cinzia and Marsha will list the themes identified here on the wiki by Wednesday morning (done!). All Paraders can modify the themes to achieve a final list by this Sunday. We will be able to vote next week on the finalised list. All info here: Public Themes
Item 4: Parade's goals
To discuss: Should we use strategy building tools?
Cinzia's presentation at the PubliCamp encompassed elements from newtactics.org. Should we apply this tools to issues of publicness? And to clarifying our goals for Parade? The general feeling seems to be that these methods are more apt for activism. Parade itself will be a form of 'performing the public'. It does not target outside goals, and the language of goals does not seem right in this context. Marsha feels is more 'experimantal' than goal oriented.
Item 5: Any Other Business (AOB)
To discuss: Where do we go from here? People and stuff.
PEOPLE: We need to think who we want to invite in relation to the themes we have identified. We also need to clarify in which cases we are commissioning work/projects and /or initiating collaborations.
Cinzia and Marsha describe Joanna R. initial reaction to the space and her first proposal.
Metod suggests we should invite some social workers, as they are in touch with those who *really* use public space (homeless, etc.)
Action: Marsha will research Ubuntu experts and liaise with Basia at SOAS.
STUFF IN SPACE: Ken suggests an irrugular 'grid' formed of triangular modules - determined by the support - and various covers stretched between them. We imagine the cover as porous and 'shonky' (?) - a street market aesthetic. Some areas will be water-tight, but not the whole structure. We will need to care for it - enact the public - and it will be adaptable to uses. The building will develop in relation to the activities. It will be easy to 'unhook' some sections and have other structures 'stick out' of it. There will be scope for separate 'buildings' by, for example, Martin and Volka. Once we have an idea of the materials and general shape, Ken will contact Arup for consultation on safety.
Action: Kuba will source banners from Polish building adverts.
We will need to build:
- waterproof boxes for AV equipment
- Toilets
- A common space for sharing with large number of people
- A spacial indicator for the BarCamp.
We need to provide a definitive budget and project description for AI by September. The budget should be in two main sections: Moneys for structures, and moneys for speakers. Some support might come from Chelsea - Neil has been trying to link Parade with the launch of the University of the Arts graduate school and share in their budget. We will know more in September.
Action: Ken will draft a budget on the week starting Monday 13th July. (Thank you, Ken!)
Item 6: Any Other Business (AOB)
To discuss: Free University.
At the very last minute, Kuba reminds us that we are invited to run an event in Warsaw as part of the Free University project. It should be around mid-October, and there should be enough funding for 3 flights. Kuba will keep us posted. There is quite a lot of enthusiasm for this ...
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