The following text is derived from notes I have made over the last few weeks exploring my ideas and speculations in relation to the Contemporary Art and Open Learning essay brief.
My initial thoughts for the the Pipe Factory proposal centered around some kind of “learning exchange” in which participants could exchange skills, knowledge, materials or services with one another; this exchange could be hosted at the Pipe Factory on a one-off basis or over a lengthy time period – perhaps even as a recurring part of their programming.
My general ideas for what might be “exchanged” during the project include:
- knowledge
- skills
- services
- materials
- time
- money
- labor
- tips and tricks
- tools and equipment
- space
My ideas for an approach or model which could be used to facilitate the exchange included:
- how-to sessions
- “expert” demonstration
- lectures or presentations
- take-home instruction sheets
- collaborative mapping / ideation
- D.I.Y. facilitation
- bricolage workshop
- tool, skill or material “swap-shop”
- expert advice / “office hours”
- mending / fixing drop-in
- “open-mic” participation model
With the above models in mind, some more specific examples of what might actually occur during the project include:
- the mending of broken household appliances and equipment through tool, material and skill sharing
- a drop-in C.V. writing / proof-reading session
- how-to demonstrations / workshops on a wide range of skills, e.g. sewing, woodwork, knot tying, car maintenance, painting and decorating techniques, good housekeeping, small scale sculpture, essay writing, curating, collaborative enquiry, zine or book making, furniture design and making, photography techniques, setting up a PayPal account, and so on
- the collaborative generation of reading lists or research suggestions (not unlike my own “keywords” tool/kit)
- free play with a range of tools and materials toward the production of bricolage objects or sculptures
- reciprocal time and labor sharing, for example helping an other participant move house, change a tire, do some gardening, do some shopping, choose a gift, take a passport photograph…
- “office hours” with a rotating selection of artists / makers / hosts / experts who could share their experience, field questions from the audience, demonstrate techniques, and help with projects
- any of the above, but with an emphasis on featuring and inviting Barrowlands locals to speak, demonstrate and / or participate, etc
With that final point in mind, it is also necessary that any activities that do take place at the Pipe Factory during the project should have (as much as is possible) a positive rather than negative impact on Barrowlands residents, service providers and other stakeholders.
Going forward I think that I need to settle on a more specific theme for the project – such as “drop-in fixing session” or “bricolage workshop” – to prevent the scope become so broad that it becomes impossible to organize.
