OS Diary 1/13/02

Chris Weaver chris at springbranch.net
Thu Jan 17 00:01:08 PST 2002


Thanks for the dance, Lisa
(Wish I could say it in portuguese)
c.

----------
>From: Lisa Heft <lisaheft at pacbell.net>
>To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>Subject: Re: [OSLIST] OS Diary 1/13/02
>Date: Tue, Jan 15, 2002, 10:22 AM
>

> In 1997 I gave a workshop for FioCruz, the biomedical research and tropical
> diseases hospital in Brazil.  I was working with scientists and the workshop
> was to bring back the very human and personal element of working with and/or
> living with HIV for those who always worked in the world of research.  I
> came into one of those rooms with the tiers of chairs bolted down and down
> way way at the bottom was the podium and the spotlight for the expert
> presenter-type person.  Of course everyone else was in darkness, thus giving
> the expert a really magical quality.  I suppose.  To me, it sucked all the
> air right out of the room.
>
> So I said 'we're moving to the hallway' where there were plenty of windows,
> tons of light, chairs to move around...
>
> The organizers got a bit nervous about this (there were offices surrounding
> us, and there were only two possibilities - one, that we might disturb their
> work, and two, that they might want to come out of their offices and play
> with us ;0)
>
> So they found me a great room with enough room at the front for us all to be
> together, good lighting, and a little tray of espresso fixings so you could
> have your little cafe's nonstop whenever you needed a little zip.  Thank god
> for room enough to be in a circle together, eh?  Changes everything.
>
> That same week I presented at their national AIDS conference, and they gave
> me a big ballroom complete with marble floors and crystal chandeliers. At
> one point when it was time for everyone to move I suggested they dance their
> way to their next seat (after all, when you're in Brazil you notice people
> dancing while in line for sandwiches or at any old time).  All 150 of them
> got up and danced for about 10 minutes before they found their seats, with
> the music all in their heads.  Someone was videotaping all the presentations
> at the conference and when the closing conference video was shown, people
> saw all that dancing in the glamorous ballroom and wanted to know how they
> missed hearing about that huge conference dance party...
>
> Ah, chairs...
>
> Sometimes you just have to dance between the solid parts to get more of a
> feeling for the spaces in between...
>
>
>
>
> - - -
> L i s a   H e f t
> Consultant, facilitator, educator
> Open Space Technology and Experiential Learning
>
> 2325 Oregon
> Berkeley, California
> 94705-1106  USA
> (+01) 510 548-8449
> lisaheft at pacbell.net
> www.openspaceworld.com
>
>
> - - -
> L i s a   H e f t
> Consultant, facilitator, educator
> Open Space Technology and Experiential Learning
>
> 2325 Oregon
> Berkeley, California
> 94705-1106  USA
> (+01) 510 548-8449
> lisaheft at pacbell.net
> www.openspaceworld.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of (David
> Koehler)
> Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2002 4:50 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: OS Diary 1/13/02
>
> Response to bolted down chairs...
>
> After becoming involved in OST, I have become very aware of how inviting (or
> not) physical spaces are, especially in institutional settings.  Bolted down
> chairs, which you often find in high schools and churches, certainly convey
> a
> quick impression on who has power and who doesn't.
>
> I remember a discussion we had when I was on the city council a few years
> back.  We were planning on remodeling the council chambers.  The desks for
> the council and the mayor were up off the floor on a platform.  The audience
> was at the back of the room behind a row of tables with a banister in front
> and consisted of bolted down chairs.  After a long discussion, it was
> decided
> that the council members desks would be set on the floor, so as to not give
> the impression of being above everyone else.  However, the mayor keep his
> desk in the front and center of the room about three steps high.  And of
> course, not to give people the impression that they had any real say so, the
> banister and bolted down chairs remained.
>
> What kind of world might this be if government operated in open space?
>
>
> Just a thought,
> Dave Koehler
>
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