As i read it the role of the host team is to amplify the spirit of the as yet uninhabited unMo buildings.
A brief sketch of our work could look like this:
Each of the 12-20 spaces should have their own custodian/custodian team.
These teams care for both the spaces prior to when the people arrive and for the people who enter them.
As many of the meeting people as possible meet earlier than the other arrivals for a short welcoming of the welcomers workshop; this should include quite a few Materani. The workshop can perhaps prepare short ceremonies or a personal and philosophic questions that guide the pilgrims to fresh understanding of the possiblities of unMonastic life.
Where possible we find strategies for engaging people in a concrete practical task such as building furniture, drinking tea, or giving a massage to those who have yet to recover from the indignity of international travel.
The hosts should be easily identifiable -- today's exploration of the marble statue look on the hangout chat could be a useful solution.
Hosts should be prepared to partake in Zoe's unMo habit (clothing) designing/making workshop ( likely number 2 in the first day of the unMo development track of progressive workshops.)
Our role will undoubtedly develop as we go along; we should also make at least one dancefloor extraordinaire and take responsibility for the big party. We could also provide the framework for a memorable closing ceremony.
The kitchen space will have its own extra demands - if we don't solve it before we start -- we recruit as people arrive - pushing chopping knives and aprons into their hands as the ferryman did unto the Buddhah.
A question: Can we have too many people acting as hosts ?
[Bembo Davies], this reads like your doing. I took the liberty of assigning its authorship to you, since it was originally marked as anonymous for some reason. Let me know if this was wrong.
Wishing to clarify this hosting team range of playful and carnivalesque responsibilities. I like the ‘bookends’ of a landing/massage/concrete task you suggest along with a departure ceremony when unMon residents arrive and go during 2014, Bembo, and I wonder if mostly local Matera hosting team members and co-unMonestarians will need to take care of that?
Can you provide a similarly inventive list for us to imaginatively host Lotte3 arrivals after they have been allocated various places to stay? That would be good. And last but not least, how can we be fun-loving hosts to our Matera hosts and local curious visitors? Please advise if this is a scope beyond our remit. If not, its hard to imagine we might have too many hosts! David Ridge.
It seems to me that your vision into the mists of time, is as sharp as any. If you’ve spotted a need and can devise an elegant (read cost free) manner of meeting it - Give it a flash conceptual wrapping, and put up a sign post.
We had a Host Committee meeting today with our Atmosphere Choreographer, Dorothea. Ben showed up and gave me some useful hints as to where to find what among the ER labyrinth. We also gave Michael Doobie a guided tour of the unMo space as is and might still be; it is very much a question of dealing with the reality that we become confronted with. If people can arrange to come early and someone is at hand to facilitate putting all hands to work then we can shape things as we see fit.
Several other largely practical needs were aired:
a large samovar
freshly gathered tea herbs
an unMo lore chant (par italiano )to be intoned while we do our daily instant taichi chuan moves
need of carpeting for at least one communal area called the Calm and Peaceful Room
personal eating utensils. Since part of our brief is to help source garbage disposal solutions, adding to them doesn't seem a brilliant kick-off. Among our working guidelines: "We are all our own servants."
We have also discussed asking everyone who attends the LOTE to arrive with a contribuatory pillow and your own ‘mini-workshop’. The pillow would stay at the unMo (does the high humidity preclude all fabrics but wool?).
The mini-workshop (say 4 minutes) would be a personal transmission of perspective or skills that everyone could exchange one to one. We’ll have to work up a description of the framework somewhat. My mini-w/s might be: Polish your unMo Job Description. Dorothea and I did it for me, and got as far as The Precious Fountain of New-fangled Ancient Tradtions. If we can transmit the wisdom in this proposal, I think we will have a powerful tool to enriching our exchange from the word go. A linguistic down-sizing component could go here.
The other welcoming component: has to remain a surprise to maintian max effect: Antonio Acido’s wise advice as to how to explore Matera has to be transmitted. He suggests that one wander the sassi solo - twice, once during the day once at night. I’ve cooked this down to: Get Lost.
Would the unTotem be of any use? For xample the unTotem animal, well, a representation of one, existing or a faboulous one, Bear of Tradition or someone else - doesn’t matter. I’m now thinking how to build one, but short of engineering skills. We can may be build one on the spot. I’ll to bring few small things which the unTotem might have.
Speaking of the unConfession room:
The intention is rather selfish, as it will be exceptionally helpful for the CF session, provided the some of unConfessions can be recorded. For that matter it can be two unConfession spaces, or the recording on demand: sound or video. Because not all of the unConfessions can be recored. I’ll try to bring some equiment for the “public” unConfessions and will ask if something can be borrowed.
I thought the building of those: unTotem and unConfession Room can somehow be a part of the activities you were talking about in this post.
Ksn - damn I just lost a beautifully balanced comment - briefly a recap
The unTotem idea has a history from the Strasbourg LOTE - you were there and maybe in the room - last session unConf day one . It came up in an exchange between Rysiek and Nadia - the next day in a barcamp session we embroidered it w among others Irma and Maks. I’ve included the development of the idea as part of my in-house project at the unMo. * The key becomes what is it’s contribution to communal life.
I suggest that you carry this idea forward as your mini-workshop ( may I join in?) Talking it up with as many people as you reach - You will then be forever known as that Shaman woman (bravo). However, what I suspect is that while LOTE can provide a good airing for the value latent in the idea, the practice will acquire additional facets when developed in the unMo.
The unConfession work is also something that is a grand impulse - I am jealous of the fire with which people who have previous with religious institutions run with the unMo imagery.
Externally the unConfession video taxicab might be useful for something like cataloging needs, but it it strikes that this grand idea also has yet to find its true, deeper form. Again to find out what the content of an unConfession will become it will benefit from the time that the unMo can provide. It opens for an extraordinary mutual self-cleansing practice.
Hugs, Bembo
*The Polarities of Triumphs and Frustration (in house/ interface) A project spawned by a discussion between Rysiek and Nadia at unConf I in Strasbourg that should help to given shape to both our daily and holi-daily activities.The twin totem pole proposal that evolved was followed up by several of us the next day. The notes exist somewhere (Max?); as a genuine Edgeryder invention, it needs a firm commitment at all levels to evolve into its true potential as a key tool for all people’s initiatives everywhere. I have proposed to James in Sheffield that I come over to his AccessSpace to do some preliminary work sketching some of the themes with his people – with so much on our respective plates, this however might not happen. Once we are ensconced in Matera, I would volunteer to flesh out one aspect of the ‘positive’ pole by leading an introductory 3-day workshop to unpack the metaphor of the monastery in order to poetically clarify the projects sub and meta-goals using a modified LFA process. The other primary function of this pole is to celebrate our triumphs . A sculptural centre piece to embellish our legendary dance parties may be just the thing, with time in can take on additional significance. The apposite pole will also find its natural function – helping us to channel the inevitable frustrations and moments of crisis. By allowing for this inevitability, one can circumvent much disappointment. (At some point in my theatre work, I learnt to include ‘Crisis’ in the director’s time plan that I gave young actors; it greatly eased matters when the crisis did indeed show up.)
Yes, I remember the totem discussion and the poles. But I was thinking more of a mobile totem device, may be with some p2p superpowers.
unConfession room.
Video/audio recording in the unConfession room I was thinking mainly for a crowdfunding session on the 2nd. It can be used in any other way, of course.
Normative material/spiritual disintegration in general.
If needed: I rather “tick to opt in” than “tick to opt out”.
But, anyway, we find out on the spot. I should be there on the 27th.
