Dear Reinhard<br>
I am following your posts closely because I am intrigued by your
intensity in feelings and opinions and because I am a visual
person. I do work here with polarized communities having them
draw pictures instead of using spoken or written language because they
are so armoured in spoken language and visual language seems to allow
more vulnerability. But that is another discussion. I have
a couple of questions and comments and will just insert your text
throughout. I want to also say that my intention here is to get
at the topic hopefully even more deeply because it is important to me
as well but I will use your thoughts as the vehical becuase you offered
them.<br>
<br>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span><font color="#000080" face="Verdana">If i see, that i can be of help for someone, i always jump. i
don't care then for selforganization, i simply go. or draw. For me it is fine,
that you and me are different.</font></span></div>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span></span> <br>
Is this not self organization? Self organization is not self conscious it just does in my understanding.<br>
</div>
<br>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span><font color="#000080" face="Verdana">I like of course, what Birgitt is writing in her parallel mail. So
i am glad, that we had this dialogue, and am open to continue it ore leave it
like that, because the important things have been said. I would rather draw what
i feel, but this listserve is textbased.</font></span></div>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span></span> <br>
I am not sure whether this group is tex based or not, I am not text
based. In reading the posts I imagine people have many primary
modality possibilies. The listserve is text based for sure.
I do not know if there is any other way to participate on the list
except through text. I appreciate some attempts at using
keystrokes to create visual images although that would not satisfy my
visual expression. I also appreciate Lisa's attempt to distill
discussion threads into poetry. So far on this list that has been
the most staisfying visual expression. Her last poem distilled
out of the posts on one topic was for me beautiful and moved me
emotionally to tears so the experience is the same for me as a
picture. My question is how would you use the listserve to be
more visually expressive? How can people become more comfortable
operating in visual expression while here?<br>
<br>
<span><font color="#000080" face="Verdana">So we can sit inbeteen the
people and hear, see, feel what is going on. We use the 'Visual Language', a
combination of images and words. we work with feltpens on cards, which we hang
in rows of 6 to form a picture wall, where everybody can see, what was said, and
also ask for corrections and additions. At the end mostly we transform these
images into a slideshow of some minutes to let the day flow by, because almost
everybody has forgotten more than 50 % of what he heard, saw and did during a
day.</font></span><br>
</div>
<br>
Could a photographer participate in the same way? Would a
photagrapher sitting in the group as you describe documenting through
photographs serve the same purpose? If not what is different in
what the visual photographers do?<br>
<br>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span><font color="#000080" face="Verdana">Or we have "Storypainting sessions", were we split the group in
story inventors, story drawers, a witness, and to show the result (a long strip
of images with added sentences) a person like a medieval
ballad-monger. </font></span></div>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span><font color="#000080" face="Verdana">Or we let people draw their company, group ...as a human person on
a flip chart in little groups.</font></span></div>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span><font color="#000080" face="Verdana">Or we develop maps together, land- and seamaps, full of metaphors
and dragons ...</font></span></div>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span></span> </div>
<span><font color="#000080" face="Verdana">C. We prepare sessions, conferences etc. with metaphorical maps,
after gathering the content in interviews we document in drawings. That can take
</font></span><br><span><font color="#000080" face="Verdana">some months.</font></span><br><div><span class="gmail_quote"><br>
So is what important here and perhaps absent on the list
metaphors? Do you think what we need to do as facilitators of any
variety be more intentional about metaphor? Should there be more
intentional time spent on discovering the metaphors that show up to the
event and that influence questions and their answers?<br>
<br>
</span>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span><font color="#000080" face="Verdana">For Open Space it would be beautiful to always have paper and
colors available, flipchartsize or bigger. Colors might be broad (!!!) felt
pens, chalk, crayons (careful with carpet floors), water colors. Yes, a person
to introduce and help is helpful, but not necessary. But you must show the
possibilities of using these materials as something normal.</font></span></div>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span></span> </div>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span><font color="#000080" face="Verdana">And maybe you experiment with people documenting with drawings, on
big or small paper!!!</font></span></div>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span></span> </div>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span><font color="#000080" face="Verdana">The drawing should not be the theme, but a byproduct. That is one
reason i don't call me an artist. </font></span></div>
<div align="left" dir="ltr"><span></span> <br>
I would agree with everything you said in the previous paragraph.
I would add that a person to demonstrate the possibilities of visual
expression is needed also to show how to enter into the process and to
discover the metaphors revealed by drawings no matter how primitive or
unstaisfying to the drawer. In my somewhat limitied open space
experience, paper and colored markers have always been present.
So the tools are there but it seems the visual person may not always be
identified. I also agree that a great number of literate people
have competency issues with art and music that stifle there willingness
to do it and their understanding of the value of what can be expressed
by someone who is not fluent in the language. My fluency allows
me to see where fluency can be nurtured in another, how to enter
in. I am wondering how you envision the best way for this to
happen in an open space format? What can you imagine in the open
space format?<br>
Thanks for the dialouge<br>
<br>
Pat Black<br>
</div>
<br>
<span class="gmail_quote"></span></div><br>
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