Congress Planning Dinner #4 NOTES

8/6/2019 Congress Planning Dinner #4 NOTES

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MAY 18, 2011

CONGRESS OF THE COLLECTIVES PLANNING DINNER #4

In attendance: Christina Vassallo (Flux), Doug Paulson (Flux), Jason Eppink (Flux),

Jo Q Nelson (Action Club), Travis Leroy Southworth (Brolab), Meow Wolf (Sara

Bradley & Caity), Kerry Downey (Action Club), Georgia Muenster (Flux), AAS (Ana

Benlloch, Stuart Tait), Niki Russell (Reactor), Diala Khasawnih (Makan) Jean

Barberis (Flux), Chris Kennedy (Groups and Spaces), Elsewhere (Ian Montgomery +

12 others, woot!), Doreen Jakob (Flux), Rahul Alexander (BroLab), Maria Juliana

Byck (Paper Tiger TV and Red Channels), Anna Christina Lorenzen

(Bergenateliergruppe)

Thank you to Meow Wolf for showing us your amazing new project!

We'd like to speak a little now about developing the ideas/proposals we've received.

IDEA / LOCK-IN

Niki: asked if we can develop the "lock-in" idea

Possibly do a music hour?

Develop needs beyond food: meditation, play, etc

IDEA / DINNERS

Diala/Makan: they like to eat/make food.

2 members will be coming from SF, CA. Want to do a presentation over a meal or

more than 1 meal. Will be an introduction to the collective around food, discussing

immediate concerns (changing geographies)--how does this affect the collective?

Jean: Flux wants to set up a big kitchen and cook a meal every night, have different

collectives take turns to cook. Big banquet style.

Doug: maybe we can make episodes of this meal-sharing, so that each "host" uses

the opportunity to present their work & speak about their concerns, process, etc.

Christina: we may have access to an additional space, where we can set up a

temporary kitchen. We would like to have the Congress events run between Oct 1 -

23. Let's try to concentrate the bulk of visitor (foreigners, non-NYers) in two week

span.

IDEA / BOOK

Doreen: Let's make a book out of our conversations and the Congress activities.

Is everyone interested in documenting what we're doing here right now? It will only

work if everyone contributes in some way (essay, illustration, photos, etc).

How do we actually do that?

It will be an edited volume so that everyone has a voice.


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Doreen has been pulling out main themes from our notes/meetings:

What constitutes a collective

Collectivism vs. collaboration

financial survival

grants, collectors

Role of space & place

International & local networks

Role of internet-based technologies

History & political activism

DISCUSSION / STRUCTURE

Doug: as we start to collect different ideas for programming, it might make sense to

organize them into different categories so each day there isa "super structure". For

example--each day there is a discussion, event, dinner.

We could consider the discussion parts of the days to be what informs the book.

Doreen: Maybe not do it everyday, just on weekends so that it's more condensed.

Christina: would like to have a mix of events that are intended for both the Congress

participants and the broader public.

IDEA / PRESENTATION IN PUBLIC SPACE

Stuart: AAS wants to do something in NY public space.

Playing a public space (like hitting the furniture); moving through a space and

making it come alive acoustically.

Jason: Stuart, talk to Tom Peyton of DoTankBrooklyn.

Doug: This is similar to Ana Jakobson's proposal where she makes drawings and

assembles groups of untrained choirs to sing the drawings as if they were a score.

They are intensely poetic performances. Maybe she can join forces with AAS (??).

Stuart: likes the idea of having a score so people have an idea of how to perform the

piece. Maybe you won't know the site until you get there.

Doug: about talking and exploring ideas.

IDEA / PEACE PENTAGON INTERVENTION & RAISING AWARENESS

Maria: Paper Tiger is in the Peace Pentagon (important landmark for social justice

movement in NYC). The building has been mismanaged and they might lose it if

there isn't enough attention and energy generated around the building.

Maybe offer up the Peace Pentagon as a space where some of the Congress

participants can do interventions--all with the subtext of drawing attention to the


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building. It's a visual sign of resistance to the consumerist district that surrounds it.

Let's focus on its history, brainstorm to transform the building, even for 24 hours.

Some events? Maybe have AAS play their music on the building.

IDEA / VIDEO INTROS FOR EACH COLLECTIVE

Maria: part of another collective, Red Channels, which just curated a long film

screening event of collectively-produced films. She wants to show videos that have a

real collective presence in itthis will be a project between Red Channels, Union

Docs, Paper Tiger, and Spectacle Theater--curate a series of videos where the

collective aspect is explicit. Also a related discussion to talk about how we work

together, share, incorporate different perspectives, etc.

Schedule it on Sunday, Oct 8 (??)

Kerry: can we submit videos?

Maria: Yes!

She invited AA Bronsen to present to the last event, maybe he'd do a presentation

for Congress.

***Get in touch with Maria if you want to submit something for this screening.

Thinking about making a zine that could be a crash course on the vids shown,

collective film-making and process.

Stuart: agrees with the idea of some activity private and some public. Interested in

exploring NYC. Doug agrees with Stuart.

Maria: there is a difference between open and closed collectives.

DISCUSSION / SPACE & LOCATION

Sarah: Members of Meow Wolf are the ones who consistently come to meetings and

work on the projects. Probably 15 or 20 on a regular basis. Recent project had about

100 people working on it. They don't want to limit who can work with them--there is

plenty of stuff to get done.

Doug: What is it that your volunteers respond to? Why do they give so much?

Meow Wolf: a spirit of creativity and imagination and drive. Weird unique grouping of

people. It's crazy that there is such a large and dedicated force in Santa Fe.

Joe: sometimes a larger population/geographical area can divert energy, allegiance,

etc.

Anna Christina: part of a collective in Bergen, Norway. It started with 4 graduates

from MFA program. Wanted a space for between 10 - 15 artists, found a space in the

shipping docks. At the time there was a political will to invest in visual art, within the

local community; they got a lot of seed money.


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Their original attention was to be more than just a collective, but have a more

interactive practice, but without a heavily forced program. Balancing this goal with

individual work is difficult.

There was a lot of start up support, but there is too little ongoing support.

There are difficulties in keeping the spirit of the collective alive when there are so

many projects and responsibilities.

Doug: relates to Peace Pentagon. You can't engage collectivity without engaging the

space.

Jean: many collectives operate without space. Flux has existed without space at

certain points. For the past 2 years our program hasn't been as active as it could

have been because we have to constantly work on our physical space. Maybe this is

the crux of an interesting debate.****

Maria: knows of 2 collectives that are completely virtual.

They have developed a very conscious listening process.

Nikki: Reactor lives in all different places.

Everything is more discursive and planned now that they are physically apart.

Doreen: is fascinated!

Doug: is part of a collective based in NY, Copenhagen, and Tromso. It's gotten

harder to communicate.

IDEA / PANEL ABOUT SQUATTERS

Christina & Doug: discussing the other proposals/ideas we're trying to develop.

There are 6 people from a German squat coming in October for the Congress

(Hamburg). Plus one person coming from a former squat in Copenhagen.

We wrote to Frank Morales to see if he'd be interested in doing a panel on

squatting--> he is developing a proposal called "Organizing for Occupation" (people

for civil defense organization). It would be a compelling event, to organize for civil

liberties and social justice.

Jaime: Sebastian Guttierez (talk to him).

Maria: What about the Fashion Garage? Olivier is part of Le General.

Christina: we thought Meow Wolf & Fashion Garage could work very well together.

Tim: Look into The Art Organization.

Doreen: doesn't think squatting for non-living spaces is new at all, it just hasn't

received the same attention. In Berlin, it's 1/2 and 1/2 in terms of the amount of


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properties. The places fought for most fiercely are the non-live spaces (like studio

spaces). It's a matter of how loud voices are and what they are doing.

Doug: why is there more support for the live spaces?

Doreen: since the 60s there were funds set up to convert squats into housing co-ops.

These funds/laws don't apply to non-living situations, probably has a lot to do with

housing shortage and a lack of appreciation for studio space.

Jean: the idea about the squatting laws support squatting as a necessity, but as long

as you don't live there, it's seen as unnecessary.

Maria: if people aren't present in the building 24 hours, how do they protect their

claim?

IDEA / PROFLUX INTERVENTION

Jason: talking about Proflux, Flux Factory's intervention in Conflux (a psycho-

geography festival that is happening at Flux Factory).

Conflux is happening at Flux for 24 hours during the Congress.

Jason proposes that we misinterpret what Conflux is about, interpreting them as

"anti-Flux." We'll interpret it as a parade that wants to ambush us. Jason wants to do

a Proflux rally to react to the Conflux people.

Wants to write a Proflux manifesto, possibly.

Con-quer Flux, so we must Pro-tect Flux.

Possibly cheerleaders that meet the confluxers as they come by, infectious chants.

Intentionally confuse the language, play on language. Cultural hijacking of other

cultural events.

Conflux is planning a 24 hour walk, with last stop at Flux Factory.

IDEA / PERFORMATIVE EVENT

Jean: wants to have an all-inclusive large performative event like Iditiorad (taking

over public space). Starts in a junk yard and everybody has an hour or 2 to build a

ride/chariot to race it across town. Start at Build it Green (?)--race of the collectives.

Christina: Described SCott's ideas for (1) a legal workshop of issues that affect

collectives and (2) a panel discussion about different kinds of collective/collaborative

structures. Let us know how you are organized and what kinds of legal issues you

may have faced.

Jaime: likes this idea!

DISCUSSION / STRUCTURE & HOUSING FOR PARTICIPANTS

Maria: what is going on with the proposals?


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Christina: please send them to me and then we can discuss at our planning

meetings. Also, I have been adding them to a word doc and will share them with the

group.

Jaime: has an idea but needs a physical space to show it, it's time-based. She will

further develop it and present it to the group.

Doreen: where are people staying?

Doug & Christina: they can't all stay at Flux but we are actively trying to find places

to keep them. Partnering people with collectives here; this will help create a space to

develop real connections.

Jean: try to work with NYC collectives to sponsor collectives.

Kerry: big weekends in NYC have been overwhelming her.

What do we think about the fact that we are producing a giant group of collectives

that may be over-producing culture; are we over-saturating ourselves and the world

with culture?

Christina: let's do what we chose to do well and be selective about what we decide

to take on.

Kerry: interested in creating a super collective via lock-in.

Jaime: maybe all the language doesn't have to be geared towards inclusion. The

objective can include solidarity.

Kerry: teaching each other about how we solve problems in a collective. How we

maintain support, deal with building problems, etc.

Doug: sees that the "we" in this group is millions of people (developing culture) in a

way that engages other people. Helping to shape the vocabulary of a movement, in

a way that is beyond visual culture.

Jean: each potential has the potential to affect others. Ripples effect.

DISCUSSION / MARKETING

Kerry: we should describe this in the first sentence or 2 when we invite others. Ways

to distinguish ourselves from other events.

Tim: Is there a lot of historical precedent for this situation?

Jean: now it's getting easier for collectives to interact. A lot of collectives are


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amorphous.

Maria: technology has made it possible to be part of collectives that self-identify and

also groups that don't identify as being collectives (naturally formed). Congress

differs from Festival of Ideas because it's the beginning of something rather than a

final presentation, an experiment.

Kerry: thinks it's important to distinguish the difference between "finished product"

and the distinct way in which we are operating.

Doug: so much of our discussion is based in process over product.

Maria: feels that people who participate in collective structures have a different way

of being in a group.

Doug: inside/outside. Is it public/is it private? Is there an audience or is it just

participants?

Doug is an artist who only works collaboratively. There is an enormous variety of

types of collectives, but only a few words. Maybe create a dictionary of collective

terms (?).

Kerry: wants ways for the collectives to come together and overlap (panels, art-

making activities, film screenings).

Christina: is posting notes from meetings on Tumblr site.

Jean: we need a universal secret handshake.

Congress Planning Dinner #4 NOTES

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