unMonastery Refresh

[ben]

The first gathering of the first unMonasterians took place today, present were [mstn], [elf Pavlik], [Marc], [Cristiano Siri], Francesco P and myself. The hangout was focused primarily on a meet and greet between those who will come together in February to form the first unMonastery in Matera.

Everyone gave a short overview of their projects and a bit about themselves, and I fielded yet unanswered questions. Cristiano posed an interesting and useful question, that I’d like to reiterate and ask be answered here in the comments by those accepted to the unMonastery, as I think it would be useful for those on the outside to understand the motivations behind those who will build the foundations of the overall project.

So the question; What is the reason you joined the unMonastery?

It would also be useful in addition to responding to this question, that you share a bit of background about yourself and your project - so that this post can become a first point of connection for some of you within the broader EdgeRyders community. If you’ve already posted on the platform about your project, just share a link.

Relevant to this is the desire to now overhaul the website, since LOTE3 and the announcement of the first successful applicants the shape of the project has changed somewhat from what is currently represented on the website - we are also in the fortunate position that we have a wealth of new material to illustrate the project. My plan is to redevelop the site over the Christmas period, to look something like: http://enablingcity.com/v2/

As part of this I’d like to include each of those whose projects will be built in Matera - to this ends could we ask that each of you share with us: a response to the above question, a good quality (portrait) photo of yourself, a bit of background on your life&work and a 200 word overview on your project - all of whcih are to be included on the website.

Other useful posts that you may have missed:

• Co-Design and Looming Questions (Still Looming)

• What is the unMonastery’s Business Model? - Ilaria

• The unMonastery - press, blogposts, videos, photos… - Ilaria

• Next Steps - unMonastery Post-LOTE3 - Ben (Me)

• Poverty, Chastity and Silence - [Bembo Davies]

 

I want to keep this post short, so that each of you can speak for yourselves. So lastly I’d just like to add a couple of updates relevant to the project:

• @ritao informed me of the good news that renovation work on the unMonastery building will commence tomorrow.

• Myself, @cristiano_siri and @elf_pavlik had an interesting conversation with Nathan Schnieder last week about the unMonastery and his recent article for the new inquiry which is very close to the heart of the unMonastery project.

• We’re revitalising the unMonastery community calls, we’re moving back to our regular Sunday slot, now every week at 14:00 CET.

• Looking for updates from others that might have them @alberto, @ilariadauria, @ritao, MIMERS?

[ilariadauria]

So good to hear this…

That’s quite a series of unMonks in the picture

I’m dead tired, but I just wanted to share with you the fact that after I read this post, I opened up a mission on the Community to introduce the projects and ask support. I would really like to know from the Italian speaking unMonasterians if and how they would like to use the local online platform to build contact with Matera.

Plus, I would add to the question “What is the reason you applied to th eunMonastery” a question linked to Matera:

• What are you expecting from the Matera pilot
• Do you have any specific needs for the development of your project? (people, knowledge, material, ecc.)

[marc]

Specific needs for my project

Hi Illaria,

I would need an about four square metre table to put all my equipment on (computer, solar tracker system) with a power point nearby.

Thanks!

[ritao]

update on works and more

dearest all,

so sorry I wasn’t able to join you yesterday, I’m sure there will be many other occasions.

I want to inform you that renovation works will start finally tomorrow and should be finished by mid-january. Mimers are at work on the design of furniture (they’re still making researches and I told them to share some thoughts with us) and tomorrow morning we’ll have a meeting at the Municipality to share a list of equipments needed:

• two fridges

• electric kitchen

• one washing machine and one dryer

• beds, tables and closets should be designed and, partly, self constructed: do you agree?

• plates, culterly

- one printer

• …

pls feel free to add anything missing! I’ll post an update tomorrow.

Ciao!

[elf_pavlik]

Just In Time

Thank you [Rita O] for taking care of all those logistics!

I would prefer if we acquire equipment (throug buying or various other means ) after we realize that we really miss something.

• Printer - let's wait with it and maybe first let's try printing stuff at local prinshop on their professional equipment?
• Kitchen Stove - i suggest gas instead of electric! i like cooking on flame much more and we could reuse gas bottles for field cooking stove if we would like to do actions like Food Not Bombs / Curry Without Worry / etc.
• Beds, Tables, Closeds - i would like that we all can see design drafts before we produce physical objects
• Plates, Cutlery - i volunteer to go together, with someone who can speak italian language, from door to door and ask people to donate one plate, one cup or one piece of cutlery until we have enough... people usually have more than they really need and we would have great chance to start connecting further with local community and help them understand what we actually need (not money if we can access needed/desired products and services through other means!)

[ritao]

plates & co.

[elf pavlik] I like it, I can help you! I myself have, at home, some plates and cups which actually I don’t use anymore amd many othe persons will have the same. So we could do a kind of party for gathering stuffs as well as going door to door!

yeppa!

[immaginoteca]

NO CO-DESIGN NOW

Hi Rita, so I understand the idea of unMonk kit will not be used.

In any case, if it could be of any interest (and if you still haven’t seen the work) here is an update I was working on about the content of the kit and the way we could integrate it with the walls and the architecture. We can keep this work for the future developements of the unMonastery. The whole presentation is here.

Some comments about your thoughts:

• one washing machine and one dryer : are we sure that one needs a dryer (you mean electric right?) in Matera?
• beds, tables and closets should be designed and, partly, self constructed: do you agree? We are talking about this since the beginning but now time has come to finish the project that will open in February. 1st of February we need at least beds, chairs and tables. So No, I don't agree that now is the time to co-design furniture.

  Don’t have the time to design them and the budget to buy them? : so maybe we can go ask neighbors or just we go to Ikea.

​I beleive in co-design as a way to make people interact. It is very different from using co-design because we don’t have the time.

Actually it comes to the opposite. Co-designing things takes much longer that designing by himself.

In my understanding, unMonk comes in February to start their project.

Also, it could be a possibility that the first residency are voted to co-design and co-build the unMonastery as arised during LOTE3.

But I am not sure the municipality would agree… 

[alberto]

Some concern…

This is a concern for me too, [immaginoteca] and [Rita O]. I spoke to Rossella and Paolo in late November and they were “strongly in favor” to run building workshops during the Christmas pause. [Ben] had put together a collection of airplane-friendly power tools. Then, in early December, Rossella wrote to me that they had changed their mind, we were to lay low as they got the city council workers to finish the renovation. No explanation was given to me. I asked Rita to investigate, and she wrote the comment above.

My understanding is the following:

• structure (plumbing, wall whitewashing etc.) is to be left to the city council workers.
• but furniture is not to be left to Mimers. Mimers are the Matera arm of the unMonastery Living Design project. If no one else gives a damn, they can to the job by themselves; but to the extent that people do care, and that significant work has been done by yourself (Francesco) and others, they whould liaise with global unMonasterians. So I expect [antonioelettrico] and Rita herself to stay in touch and interpret their assignment in terms of realizing the vision that has been sketched out over the months. 
• an important part of what Mimers need to do is, as we highlighted many times, nothing. That is, whatever you do, don't clutter the unMonastery with stuff that would stand in the way of unMonasterians evolving their own gears. Less is more, even more so than usual. 

I suggest scheduling a community call on furniture and kits, with at least [Ben], [Rita O] in representation of Mimers (who are all welcome of course) and [immaginoteca]. It would be a shame to let this thing run off by itself after all of this design heavy lifting.

[ben]

Updates and Clarity

I concur with [immaginoteca] and [Alberto]'s points, with regard to expectations and the reduced possibility for doing any meaningful co-design, it feels at this point that we have a sort of waterfall co-design process, but with no clear results. We really need a detailed breakdown of what is currently happening (designs, progress at the building, has anything already been bought, what are the issues, dates etc). It was my understanding that me organising a team and tools to realise the space was not required but that this was in hand, however it seems something is now amiss and it’s important we resolve it fast, because time is running out.

Right now we are a bit stuck on the unMonastery side because there are several questions left unanswered, which I have been waiting for (and that hopefully will be answered soon), relevant to this situation though is; an update on the budget, how and when this will be recieved. If we now ourselves have to sort out any furniture etc, I need to know now so that we can decide how it will be resolved, what our budget is and what sort of logisitical arrangements need to be put in place in order to make it happen. I’d prefer at all costs to avoid having Ikea be the solution.

Relevant to this process, this page was reviewed but not fedback to and I set out minimal expectations to MIMERS during LOTE but haven’t heard anything since. The key brief though was, Where possible all design elements should be:

Collapsable / Rearrangeable / Moveable

Foster and Facilitates Communication

Minimise Decoration (No Decoration)

Hackable / Modifiable

Multi-Purpose / Multi-Use

Sourced Locally

Carbon Neutral

Low Cost

In our call on Sunday, we made it an action point for each us to define what we would consider minimal requirements for the building in order to meet the expectations of those living there. With this in mind, I would say mine looks like this:

Most basic furniture etc:

Kitchen set up, surfaces which are (moveable), Gas.

Washing Machine.

Beds, Tables (Boards on Tresles) and Chairs (Foldable)

Closets (I would opt for a single shared closet, but this is me, others might disagree)

Conditions of building:

Reliable internet that is not tied to the MT2019 building

Heating.

Hot water.

Equipment and funds to sort out the rest.

Powertools, (SDS drill, impact driver/s, chop saw, jigsaw, decent extraction hoover)

Cabling, ethernet and extension cables.

Fixtures (hooks for the walls, etc)

Permission to make modifications to the building, such as drilling holes, installing cabling, etc.

We’re all essentially trying to achieve the same thing and work together to get there, I’m sure much of this can be sorted out over a call but can that call happen soon?

[alberto]

MT2019 and working by subtraction

Ok, here’s what I think:

• no need to organize a team of furniture builders to go to Matera now. I had it from Rossella that there was a meeting on Dec 13th, and that the matter is in some hands.
• however, there IS a need for Mimers to stay very close to us, and post daily, or almost daily, on the website. This is the way that we can reduce Ikea-stuff and useless clutter to a minimum.

I am hoping (but no promises!) to be able to talk to Rossella on either the 27th or the 30th.

[ritao]

update

[Ben] I will try to answer some questions:

• kitchen: it’s not possible to use gas for safety reason. I can understand your concern about wasting electricity but there’s no other way: installing a flue would be much complicated and, in addition, an electric kitchen can be moved easily if we consider that, at the end of the unMonastery, we don’t know exactly what will happen in the building

• dryer: especially in winter time (until late march) here there’s much humidity and I can ensure you that laundry doesn’t dry. But if you all think that it’s not necessary and we could save that money, pls let me know

• closet: pls specify

• conditions of the building: heating and hot water will be available. the internet connection is independent

• equipments: I will discuss with Rossella but I’m not sure that it will be possible both for budget that for safety reasons (I will verify if there willl be an insurance on unMonasterians)

• permissions to make modifications…: what kind of modifications to you mean?

[alberto]

Broken link

Also, [immaginoteca], the Issuu link is broken

[immaginoteca]

link not broken

Thanks Alberto, i double checked and it works.

Issuu is having problems todays.

If the problem persists, please check again later.

[ritao]

NO, Francesco, it’s not the right time

No, Francesco, it’s not the right time to co-design: what I mean is that Mimers should share what they mean to do in order to make some corrections, if needed. They’re in charge for the design of furniture and are the only responsibles for it: is it right [Alberto]?

And it’s not that we don’t have the right time: Mimers are working on furnitures, something will be bought (Kitchen, matresses, etc), something maybe will be reused, something will be produced from scratch.

That’s it

Merry Christmas

[elf_pavlik]

20 Open Source Furniture Designs

Just spoted this article on Shareable: http://www.shareable.net/blog/20-open-source-furniture-designs

Rita, what do you mean by: “[Mimers]They’re in charge for the design of furniture and are the only responsibles for it”

I hope that by our next call everyone participating will state one’s own expectations and we can figure together what we consider urgent and what can wait little longer. Once again whenever we see no urgency with arranging some equipment I would prefer that we get construction materials and tools which will allow us to custom craft all the furniture ourselves to precisely fit our needs!

Will you join our next call this sunday?

[arthurd]

Printer

A printer is a cost centre and a waste generator… I would advise against purchasing that…the people attending unMonastery will be well capable of generating on-line documents, PDFs and other media.

[marc]

About what Ben asked to unMonasterians

Hi all,

The first thing I’d like to say is that I’m very new to the Edgeryder’s community, I never heard of it before I applied to unMonastery.

So the main motivation I joined the unMonastery is that I love this concept : “Go to a place, see what there is to do, work with other people and fix together what is possible”. As a consequence it’s of course a great opportunity to discover another place, meet a lot of people and share together our experiences.

I started a project to describe what I will do at unMonastery. I will complete it according to my work progress.