Caravan Marsh Radio Island / Marsh Island Caravan / Caravan Marsh Island

What is this thing we’re developing?

Title explorations:

Is it an: Occupation? Process-based research? Parade? Convergence? Convening? Or a Caravan?

 

car•a•van (ˈkær əˌvæn)

n., v. -vaned -vanned, -van•ing -van•ning. n.

1. a group of travelers journeying together for safety, as through deserts, hostile territory, etc.

2. any group traveling in or as if in a caravan, as pack animals or vehicles.

3. a large covered vehicle conveying passengers, goods, etc.; van.

4. Chiefly Brit. house trailer.

v.t.

5. to carry in or as if in a caravan.

v.i.

6. to travel in or as if in a caravan.

[1590–1600; Italian carovana < Persian kārwān]

 

Project description 1-pager

1-pager will include images of the work (Andi’s collages) + (maybe) drawings/mock-ups of cart, broadsides, yarn bombs, etc. etc.

1-pagers will be sent to possible partnering organizations and neighborhoods with the goal of sparking conversation and building coalition and support (even a home base.)

1-pager will have a personalized cover letter for each recipient. we’re looking for stakeholders: individuals and organizations who have a role to play in the transformation of the shoreline and the shoreline issue.  Who wants to be at the table. Invite people to use the space for their needs:   Brian Swet: would he want to have a staff meeting out there?  Vivian Li host board meeting on the tarp?

What kind of communities already exist – can we rally existing communities? (i.e. livaboard boat people; KO pies; tap in/introduce/infiltrate/activate)

Recipient list:

–       Vivian Li/Boston Harbor Association

–       Boston Water Taxi (would be willing to fly marsh radio island flag?)

–       Boston Boating Clubs

–       Brian Swet/City of Boston

–       Fort Point Arts Asssociation?

–       East Boston Kowani Club?

–       East Boston shipyard? (via Erica)

–       South Boston quirky dock folks (contact via Erica) and other boat contacts

–       Schools, nurseries, Boston Greenway/parks? ICA? Others?

1-pager will also be shared with:

–       Steve Dietz (possible exploration of residency in summer of 2015?)

–       Could be expanded upon to spark other residencies, supports, etc.

Side 1: Narrative description: What does someone who stumbles upon this thing in their neighborhood see, feel, and hear?   What is surprising and delightful? What emotions are sparked? What are they asked to do?
– Jane will do first draft during week of 12/2

Side 2: Concrete description:  What will happen; what will be seen; what are goals; questions explored; partnerships possible?
– Andi will do first draft during week of 12/2

Notes/Brainstorm

Marsh Island Caravan: one-week traversing (exploration) of Boston Harbor shoreline (flood-prone neighborhoods)

Involves:

–       Participatory exchange

–       Empathy building work through crochet and conversation

–       Maintenance work

–       Festive spontaneous gatherings; afternoon-long drop in stitch and bitch sessions

–       Making a space to open up conversation, questioning, community-building, support around issues of sea-level rise and climate change

–       Tying the flotants to shore and the shore to the flotants

–       Connections-building between land and sea

–       Caravan across the Boston shoreline

–       Literally crocheting together questions, fears, curiosities, impressions, data points, learnings about Boston Harbor and sea-level rise

Goals:

We’re building the “table” and inviting people to come to it with their fears, questions, ideas, visions, hopes, etc.

We invite “specialists” to use our table as a platform for their needs;  we can trust our platform (and trust our imaginative solution of salt marsh flotants) – we pitch this solution as 1 possible, and we invite others to invision their solution and explore ways of making it happen.

We just want people to come to the table; find a space to speak about the unspeakable (or the unspoken); create relationships in the context of something frightening; sharpen tools for dialogue; AND brainstorm community-based processes for change.

Bond people together so that they can talk about what’s needed for other policy-level solutions; town council-man.

Our space is a way of gathering together creating a closely knit community and finding ways to speak to each other and to others (larger city and government, etc.)

SHOW how EVERYONE in the community is a stakeholder;  we’re creating multiple of entry (process;)  open field for actively contributing and meaningfully connecting.

Inspirational image: the radio (radio transmitter) and radio waves is nice….  Inner wave is Inner circle; Medium wave is larger community; next wave is city; outer wave is national (government?) globe?

 

–       NEED:  transmit the effectiveness of conversation; the effectiveness of change and the need for change

–       DESIRE:  to be mobile, pliant, responsive, curious – have 1 planned event per day and time to be responsive to environment (drop in on KO pies? On a summer school program? Talk to passers by? Crochet alone? Experiment? Write manifestos?)

 

Are we: Shoreline Maintenance Workers (Hurricane Andi; Union Boss Jane)  (could consider uniforms/persona/outfits?

Structure:

1 programmed event per day; several hours available for unprogrammed activities (and moving around!)

Yarn bomb or otherwise mark neighborhood to lead to our spot: create curiosity!

Think about evening events: video screenings; late-night activities; water projections; music; festive things as well as making things (but not too many events.) Fun/Festivaly stuff built in!!!  Can we make craft beer from sea water?  Or seaweed?

Do we go where there’s already festivals happening?

–       Boston Children’s Museum

–       Film projections at fort point buildings

–       Other outdoor events

–       Create our own

–       Pot luck picnic

–       Invite a band to play

–       Learn how to do the sailor’s jig? Dance a thon

–       Partner with the aquarium (Andi’s contact Mariana)

–       Invite someone to host a radio show

–       Make 1 flotant per day

–       Do we do inventive advertising? Wheatpaste fliers? Chalk stencils? KO pies? Yarn bombing to lead people to us and hang tags from them?

–       Bike has a pedal powered speaker?

 

 

Cart: Thoughts and next steps

–       Wait to build; make connections with coastline folks: resources; partnering organizations; ideas vis a vis Erica

–       Begin with design: imagine all possible strategies

• Lean to
• Cart
• Boat
• Tent
• Storefront?
• Backpacks?

–       Ideal scenario: find a partnering organization to host (1-week, a few days): Make cart/other structure site specific to that org

Cart elements to be built sooner than cart itself:  (i.e. built this winter – December/January): these things can be used to create an environment for the stitch and bitch sessions such as:

–       Tuffets: (Handmade seating devices:  crocheted tops; made out of easily accessible materials i.e. denim; canvas; waterproof kite material;   Crochet top with other easier to handle/easier to make material on the bottom)

• Design strategy:  the tuffets are mini salt marsh flotants:  base material is burlap (plus underlying material for sturdiness); decorative top is a crochet flower of some sort with “cord grass” – made like hooked rug (strategy); can be handmade with auto knitting machine; with jute twine; with green yarn, etc. etc.   (maybe the highlight color is red?)

–       Tarp: Is base tarp red, green, or blue

• If blue, crochet tuffet/flotants ‘float’ above the blue tarp outline of the Boston harbor

–       Stamps for broadside documentation

• Handmade stamps
  • FONT:  Chunk 5 (downloadable at free font size)
  • Test sizes: 1.5”, 2”, 3”  (all caps for 2”, all lowercase alphabet for 1.5”)
  • Strategy 1: hand cut with craft foam and make handmade stamp handles
  • Strategy 2:  settle on size and have craft foam cut by danger awesome
• Ink: Tsukineko oil based ink stamp pads and versacraft oil based ink stamp pads
  • Can be thickened using glycerin

Concrete Next Steps

1:  create 1-pagers for promotion to different organizations and individuals

– What do we want to do (1-week residency.  Who? Why? What? When? Where)

– Costs?

– What we will build/do/use

–  drawing/Photoshop sketch of bike cart with all elements

– is there another drawing of other strategies/forms? i.e. tent; lean-to; storefront window?

– Can be multiple one-pagers; can be adapted for multiple cities;

– dry riverbed in the southwest – poingnancy of stitching cozies and flotants in dry areas;

– WEAD (Lauren Elder) connection – – floating stuff;

– Literacy for Environmental Justice

 

Potential 5-year plan:   Residencies; build on project; write this in to our 1-pager?

Year 1: Boston

Year 2: summer Minneapolis (4-week residency)

Year 3: SF: literacy for Environmental Justice

2:  experiment with stamps and broadsides:  make; decide process; determine stamp ink, etc.

3. Set dates for 1-2 test crochet sessions and invite people for test

3.1. Make tuffet; tarp; or both for test crochet sessions

3.2. Make list and invite/schedule meetings with key stakeholders/potential hosts for July residency

–       Begin broadside stamp documentation

• Document every meeting (Jane & Andi); 1-2 broadsides each
• Incorporate documentation into outreach
• Incorporate documentation technique into test stitch n’ bitch sessions