[OSList] Sharing about making work in Open Space

Tue May 29 14:14:10 PDT 2012

Thanks Harrison. Yes, I think you¹re right, and I think we¹re starting to
realise this in how we¹re working together, in the way we welcome in new
(and sometimes unexpected) people, and the way we organise ourselves around
the work we¹re trying to make.
It¹s less actual ³Open Space² as for a group of 12 or 120, and more
constantly opening space as we go, at every moment we need to.
So maybe working in Œintentionally opening space¹ rather than Open Space?
(you can never split hairs too much for me, I write for my living and love
the semantics.)
Though whatever we¹re doing, it sure does help to have the 5 principles on
the wall, and a (badly drawn) picture of those two feet ...
Stella x

On 29/05/2012 16:43, "Harrison Owen" <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:

> Stella  I love what you are doing, as I am sure do all the other odd folks in
> OS-Land. Congratulations! But I think you may be missing something  perhaps a
> most important ³something.² You say, and I am sure it is true, that you have
> done it all in Open Space, but it is equally true, and possibly more
> important, that you and your colleagues are intentionally working in the
> naturally occurring domain of self organization. And the pluses that you
> experience in terms of enhanced creativity, ease of operation, and just plain
> fun  have less to do with Open Space per se  and everything to do with the
> natural flow of a well functioning self organizing system, I think.
>  
> This may seem like academic hair splitting but the potential payoff is by no
> means simply academic. I think you are building bridges, creating knowledge
> and experience towards a profound ³next step² in the human journey when we
> finally accept the liberating experience we associate with Open Space to be
> the totally natural or normative experience of being human. That really puts
> us in a new and different place and will require no small amount of
> recalibration when it comes to the practical business of living and working in
> our world. A lot of this recalibration will involve learning what not to do.
> But I am also sure that there will be some marvelous new tricks that we never
> thought possible. Maybe something like coming to understand what it might mean
> to be a gymnast in a gravity free world. Pretty free!
>  
> Anyhow, I really think you are on to something and look forward to updates on
> your continuing adventure!
>  
> Harrison   
>  
> 
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Dr.
> Potomac, MD 20854
> USA
>  
> 189 Beaucaire Ave. (summer)
> Camden, Maine 20854
>  
> Phone 301-365-2093
> (summer)  207-763-3261
>  
> www.openspaceworld.com
> www.ho-image.com (Personal Website)
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>  
> 
> From: oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org
> [mailto:oslist-bounces at lists.openspacetech.org] On Behalf Of Stella Duffy
> Sent: Monday, May 28, 2012 6:20 PM
> To: oslist at lists.openspacetech.org
> Subject: [OSList] Sharing about making work in Open Space
>  
> For the past two years, since the Improbable-hosted Devoted & Disgruntled in
> 2010, I¹ve been convening a group of writers, directors, artists, actors,
> musicians, performers (approx 60 in all, but we¹ve been coming together in
> different combinations of between 12 to 30)  towards making a show together,
> entirely in Open Space.
> Having worked on 14 days over two years, we decided we wanted to aim for
> performance in 2013, with a week¹s R&D this summer. And that, while we would
> continue to make the work whether we had funding or not, we would apply to the
> Arts Council (of Great Britain) for funding for the R&D, 25 people, rehearsal
> space, 6 days ... Not a cheap thing.
> Like any of those application forms, the Arts Council funding application form
> has plenty of questions asking the name of the leader or the writer or the
> director ... And we kept saying the same thing ³a show about individuals and
> community, made by a community of individuals² (it¹s about loads else, of
> course, but that sums up the basics pretty well).
> We explained Open Space and how well it¹s working for us, that it feels very
> new (to welcome a 3 year old and a 6 year old into the rehearsal room for eg),
> but also very old (if theatre started around a campfire), and therefore very
> right.
> And we did all this  the actual filling out of the application  in Open
> Space. Eleven people, all writing on flip chart paper, working out how best to
> explain who we are and what it is we¹re trying to make and  perhaps
> especially  how we¹re trying to make it.
> We added the photo of us doing this in OS to our application.
> Last week we heard we¹ve been successful and have been granted funding for the
> R&D. And we know that¹s a long way from a completed show, but it¹s a big step
> forward. And it also feels like a vindication of our choice to work entirely
> in OS. And it started at D&D.
> Thank you community,
> Stella Duffy 
> 

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