✎ research_report_maggie_buxton [the libarynth]

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===== Hybrid Story-Ing, Ungenreable Engagements and Transdisciplinary Facilitation =====

[This research is still in progress]

==== Context ====

[[Foam]] is an organisation invites us to grow our own worlds.  It compels us to participate in shaping our reality, rather than to be passive recipients.Foam forms part of the Guild of Reality Integrators and Generators ([[gRig]]), a group of European artistic and cultural operators who research and create meaningful situations in hybrid (or mixed) reality, where digital media and physical materials, objects and spaces are 
increasingly intertwined. (http://www.tii.se/projects/grig).

Foam finds ways to bring together artisans, scientists, philosophers and other archetypal characters in order for them to collaborate, transmutate and generate across traditional boundaries.  The results are often un-genreable events and artefacts, which, by their very nature, undermine the post enlightenment, modernist mindset of classifications, boxes, and right/wrong, true/false stories.

This mindset is built on fundamental dualities between cause and effect, thinking and doing, and observer and observed.   Reality is seen as something external to our consciousness – something real, objective and separate from ourselves.  It is also something to be discovered, accurately perceived and measured, definitely not something we generate ourselves.

The inevitable next step of looking at life through this lens is problems are not here but over there  , therefore climate change, resource wars and species genocide are issues that other people caused, and therefore are for other people to solve.

Environmental and social activists have for years attempted to re-educate humanity to be more responsible for their environment, and more kind to their fellow inhabitants on the planet.  The problem with this work is that much of it is aimed at shifting behaviour level, it is not aimed at shifting mindset, epistemology or consciousness.  And, the challenge at this point in time, is that most of humanity do not even know they have a mindset, let alone have the cognitive capacity to make their epistemology a source of study.

So Foam, and gRig could be seen as subversive tricksters, formed to confound, confuse and ultimately destabilise consensus reality.  The nature of their work is to connect the marginal and foster the surreal.  To take it further, Foam’s notion that we can grow our own world(s) if fully grasped, has the potential to emancipate individuals and groups from a paradigm of apathy, fatalism and co-enabled victimhood. 
==== Aim ====

This research project is focussed around discovering **the most effective mechanisms we can use to become more conscious of, and change, our relationship to reality**

It will connect a number of related disciplines. Transdisciplinary engagement and Hybrid Story-ing are the subject of particular investigation and experimental activity.

The **overall aims** for this process are:

- To provide user friendly material that is informative and inspirational to Foam, and to a wider audience that has not encountered these concepts before. 
  - To encourage people to grow their own worlds by: writing my blog, facilitating workshops, creating mixed media installations, and discovering and disseminating stories and best practice.
  -  To facilitate integration of worlds through connecting people and organisations across boundaries in whatever forms feel appropriate to the context.
  -To support and promote the work of Foam and gRig by increasing knowledge, fostering networks and inspiring their membership

==== Method and Scope ====

Given we are dealing with the topic of reality construction, it would seem incongruous, and jarringly ironic, to use a positivist research approach.  Therefore the the underlying epistemology constructivist with an inductive research approach.

Practically, this means that the questions set out earlier will be the connecting point for ideas, musings, and meetings that eventually will be made sense of retrospectively, with a deep sense of reflexivity.

Material will be gathered through

* Interviews and Connections
  * Literature reviews and Peripheral Scanning
  * Experiments and Physical Manifestations
  * Ethnographic encounters and Anthropological Immersion
  * Reflective blogging and Existential Story-ing

and other methods that will be discovered.
==== Results ====

=== Writings and Research===

**A Blog** records research results and is called 'un-fiction’ found at: http://un-fiction.blogspot.com/

**Reality creating, blurring and bridging activities investigations and recordings include:**
 
  * **sensorial labyrinths**

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2007/09/at-entrance-of-sensory-labyrinths.html
 
  * [[ARG]]’s

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2007/09/bees-beasts-and-batman-welcome-to-your.html
 
  * **geo-caching**

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2007/12/international-treasure-hunting.html

*** street games**

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/09/this-is-what-i-am-talking-about.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/11/gameland.html (participated in Blast Theories latest game/installation in Belo Horizonte, Brazil)

* **hybrids**

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/11/hybrids-and-connections.html (a number of links to hybrid work and engagement)

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/09/growing-buildings.html (hybrid architecture)

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/11/tourist-in-my-own-land.html (eg.Krystle Tuvai's urban hybrid story-ing/Born Again Graffitist etc)

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/10/expo-of-un-popular-culture.html (item on Greg Broadmore and Weta Studios)

as well as a number of other explorations,expeditions and musings that are tangentially related to this report:

*** transdisciplinary facilitation**

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/06/luminous-green-singapore.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/08/post-luminous-green.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/10/return.html

*** exhibitions and expeditions**

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/05/design-for-other-90.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2007/11/long-time-no-speak.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2007/12/out-and-about-in-auckland.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/04/educating-for-future.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/10/expo-of-un-popular-culture.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/11/tourist-in-my-own-land.html

**  * publications, talks and movies**

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/09/not-sustainable.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2007/12/view-from-centre-of-universe.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/01/shift-movie.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/04/2008-shift-report.html

**  * meandering musings**

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2007/12/hong-kong-athiests-and-subconscious.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2007/09/strange-case-of-mccanns-and.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/02/fever.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/02/portals-in-fog.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/02/hubs-and-suds.html

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/12/now-i-understand-why-postman-wears.html

*** reality challenging psychological sydromes**

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/11/greatest-reality-show-on-earth.html

**The Blog** has drawn favourable, offline, responses, subscriptions and a small and loyal readership.

There have been numerous requests for further information about the content, including requests for details about Foam and its other activities. People connect and contact each other through the site.

Therefore it has already contributed to Foam’s aim of encouraging participation, and collaboration.

=== Experiments and Field Tests ===

A number of field tests have taken place in order to try out ideas found through research. These include

**one off experiments**

Subverting xmas and creating hybrid decorations in a deprived neighbourhood

http://www.un-fiction.blogspot.com/2008/12/great-bates-street-light-up.html

Reactivating marginalised spaces using geo-cache and treasure hunt mechanisms

http://lib.fo.am/sub_pap_zones

**large scale hybrid story-ing ARG-like programmes**

Awhiworld was an experiment that took place within a primary school involving 150 children aged 5 to 12 years old,11 teaching staff and a six month time frame:

http://lib.fo.am/awhi_world

==== Discussion ====

To be discussed
==== References ====

* Darwin, J, Johnson, P and McAuley, J (2002). Developing strategies for Change. Prentice Hall. P: 16
  * Cooperrider, D. L., Barrett, F., Srivastva, S. (1995). Social Construction and Appreciative Inquiry: A Journey in Organizational Theory. Management and Organization: Relational Alternatives to Individualism. Ashgate. 
  *  Kegan, R. (1982) The Evolving Self. Harvard University Press.
  *  Kegan, R. (1994) In Over Our Heads – The Mental Demands of Modern Life, Harvard University Press.

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