Circle 003, 11 September 2020

 

I had a meeting with Kultivera, the organisation hosting the residency at the youth centre, Epic, in Tranås to discuss a way forward with the project and how to include youths. Epic has facilities like WiFi, a cafeteria, games and TV; a venue for teenagers to come and hang out. Our meeting turned into a spontaneous yarn making session with two teenagers who were curious about what was going on in the zoom meeting. A shirt, not theirs, was produced and they started cutting. They however soon became bored and quickly disappeared. I then spoke to one of the facilitators of the venue about the possibility of making craft circles happen at the centre. We meet later today (Monday) to continue the discussion.

Reflections on the project as a remote, virtual experience.

What is core to the project is people coming together to share stories. By coming together something larger than the individuals is born; something synergistic. The intention of the group is to make art, cut through distance and separation and become aware of the stories that identities are made from. Perhaps these stories are limiting and can be unravelled. Perhaps new stories are formed. Perhaps no story is necessary. The yarn making embodies this. It happens by being in a body with other bodies in a particular space. And in this case, the stories which become the town, Tranås.  

My experience of technology as the medium of coming together, is that synergy does NOT happen. There is disruption, separation and lack of connection. If the medium is the message then the message is: we humans are NOT video, nor are we photographs. If we lose sight of this we loose our humanity. As a friend commented on a post in Instagram; ...not the greatest way to be present.

I continue with this remote version, and perhaps there will be some kind of breakthrough.