==== FoAM project criteria ==== If you are thinking of starting a project at FoAM, here's a list of questions to ask yourself... === Your motivation === * Are you personally committed to initiating, engaging in and realising this project? * Are you keen to collaborate with other people in one or more of the FoAM studios? * How would this project benefit from being part of the FoAM network? * Why should this project be developed by "a lab connecting art, science, nature and everyday life"? * How does the project connect to FoAM's motto "grow your own worlds"? === Research Streams === How does your project contribute to one or more of the following research streams: * environment: climate change, climate futures, environmental literacy, eco-technologies, panpsychism...? * culture and society: social development, social inequality, (organisational) transitions, futures literacy, uncertainty...? * experience: embodiment, experiential learning, experience design, rituals and celebrations, poethics...? === Principles === Can you answer YES to more than one of these questions - the more positive answers you get, the more 'foamy' the project is likely to be: * does it develop, support or engage different modes of inquiry (e.g. theoretical research, creative practice, participatory experiences...)? if it has a single mode of inquiry, is it complementary with other FoAM projects or practices? * does it approach complex issues from different perspectives? * does it encourage 'unholy alliances' (connections between unexpected fields, cultures and worldviews)? * can it function as a connector, or a 'trojan horse' - between disciplines, people, philosophies...? * will it engage people from a field that is unknown to you and/or FoAM? * does it have a (pseudo)scientific or technological element? * is it playful? * does it foster speculative culture? * will it provide a pause, a fresh breath, an opening, a moment of stillness in people's lives? * does it encourage participation? * does it include moments of reflection? * does it create a world - a total or complete, synaesthetic experience? * does it focus on whole lifecycle and has a holistic worldview? ---- ==== Not a FoAM project ==== If the answer is YES to any of the following questions, the project could not be considered by FoAM without substantial changes: * is it one dimensional (i.e. is it dealing with a single issue, using a single approach, by a single individual)? * is it wasteful (in terms of human & electrical energy, waste products, time…)? * is it unsustainable (environmentally, socially, culturally)? * does it focus on producing an artefact for its own sake (without taking the whole lifecycle of the artefact into account)? * is it one-directional (i.e. is it 'for' people instead of 'with' people)? * does it require a big, expensive production to produce a temporary result (e.g. a large installation on a 2 day festival)? * does it separate thinkers from makers? * does it treat scientists & technologists as technicians, artists & designers as 'prettifiers', or crafts and trade's people as mere 'manual labour'? * [...]