the libarynth

If you are thinking of starting a project at FoAM, here's a list of questions to ask yourself…

• 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”?

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…?

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?

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'?
• […]