17th WOSONOS in Taiwan Opens
Gail West
icataiw at ms69.hinet.net
Wed Oct 14 15:48:07 PDT 2009
>I am thinking to all of you who are at the WOSonOS in Taiwan,
>starting tonight !
>--
>Christine Koehler
A lively group of old and new open space colleagues from 11 countries
gathered last night in Taipei for dinner and drinks as we launch the
17th WOSONOS! And so today we're off and running..... Thanks to all
for the good wishes - we'll be thinking of you as well. You'll be
hearing from us as we go along.
Gail
In cool and rainy Taipei
--
Gail West
ICA
3F, No. 12, Lane 5, Tien Mou West Road
Taipei, Taiwan 111
8862) 2871-3150
SKYPE gwestica
*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
>From Wed Oct 14 21:04:28 2009
Message-Id: <WED.14.OCT.2009.210428.0400.>
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:04:28 -0400
Reply-To: 76066.515 at compuserve.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: douglas germann <76066.515 at compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: Christopher Alexander & the space we are shaping
X-To: Zelle Nelson <zelle at knowplacelikehome.com>
In-Reply-To: <A899BEBC-CD65-496C-A2C0-180219E6B6AB at knowplacelikehome.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Zelle--
Wonderful question back from you, Zelle!
In fact, Alexander makes a great deal of the word "wonderful," saying
that buildings should make people feel wonderful to be in and around
them.
So the shape of the space we are shaping is for you fluid, inviting,
comfortable, flexible, exciting, edgy, playful, equal, voicing.
I like your shapes! I'd add belong (as in we belong here, and as in this
space belongs to us), and heard (as in, in this space I feel
heard--which is closely related to belong).
To your question I ask a couple of my own:
1. Who says we should not infuse ourselves into the process? Is it not
impossible for us to be outside the process, outside what is going on? I
picture Harrison "holding space" (obviously infusing himself into the
process) by way of taking a nap--saying to the people: Yes, you can be
trusted to do what needs doing.
2. What is the difference between "remind[ing] them about designing Open
Space into whatever they've come together to build" and reminding them
that You're in charge, or even Whatever happens...? I see this as a kind
of corollary to the Law: If you find there is a place you can contribute
or learn, you have a duty to go there....
All of which shows me a found poem:
Shaping space
we are when we invite
shaping and reminding
everyone here that
you are all shaping space
what shapes belong to you
and you to them?
fluid inviting?
comfortably flexible?
exciting edgy playful?
equal voicing?
all hearing all?
space in the shape of a
nap!
:- Doug.
On Mon, 2009-10-12 at 12:53 -0400, Zelle Nelson wrote:
> Hi Doug,
>
>
> Wonderful questions!
>
>
> For me the shape of opened space is fluid, inviting, comfortable,
> flexible - and at the same time, exciting, edgy and playful. - the
> bounds of passion and responsibility hold these. Circle is important
> to the space because it furnishes us with equality and gives everyone
> a voice who wants one.
>
>
> In the invitation our goal is to collect the building materials, the
> architects, the builders. Then we set them loose to talk with each
> other to form the building.
>
>
> Do we have a role to remind them about designing Open Space into
> whatever they've come together to build, or is that too much infusion
> of ourselves into the process?
>
>
> with grace and love,
>
>
> Zelle
>
>
> Zelle Nelson
> Know Place Like Home • Engaging the Soul at Work • State of Grace
> Document
> www.knowplacelikehome.com
> www.engagingthesoulatwork.com
> www.stateofgracedocument.com
> zelle at knowplacelikehome.com
>
>
> work/home: (001) 828.693.0802
> mobile: (001) 847.951.7030
> Isle of Skye
> 2021 Greenville Hwy
> Flat Rock, NC 28731
> USA
>
> On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:20 PM, douglas germann wrote:
>
> > Hi--
> >
> > Still reading Christopher Alexander and finding lots of parallels to
> > OS:
> >
> > Most important of all, it was the space (more than the
> > building)
> > which was being formed. That flies against 20th-century
> > awareness, which places too much emphasis on buildings. What
> > mattered about the building is the contribution it makes to
> > the
> > formation of shaped, coherent, public space. That was where
> > the
> > inspiration came from, and it was that—later—which made it
> > possible to make the building beautiful. Christopher
> > Alexander,
> > The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and The
> > Nature of the Universe, Book Three: A Vision of a Living
> > World,
> > p 138
> >
> > In another instance, he says that in designing a home, it is best to
> > design the garden first: when that is placed in the most
> > health-giving,
> > nurturing spot, then the house is made that much better, that much
> > more
> > wonderful. Garden first!
> >
> > The question this raises for me for OS is: most often the
> > communities in
> > which we are opening space want to accomplish some *thing*. This
> > thing
> > is Alexander's building. But he does not look first at the building;
> > rather he tries to shape public space--give it volume, life. What
> > are we
> > trying to shape when we open space?
> >
> > It is easy for me to throw in a glib "we simply are there to open
> > space," but I think the inquiry needs to go deeper than that. What
> > is
> > the shape of opened space? What makes it coherent? What are the
> > factors
> > which give it shape?
> >
> > :- Doug.
> >
> > *
> > *
> > ==========================================================
> > OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> > ------------------------------
> > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
> > view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
> > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
> >
> > To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
> > http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
> >
>
>
*
*
==========================================================
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of oslist at listserv.boisestate.edu:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
More information about the OSList
mailing list