Photo by KS12

Why, if change is a natural state in anything that is alive, do we tend to be afraid of change and of the unknown?
Why if people is unhappy, often opts for trying to avoid the problem, rather than changing something in their life?
Why are parties a place to consume and disconnect from reality, rather than a space to deal with it collectively as they were in old tribal cultures?

Can we design experiences which spark in the individual a different state of consciousness? A moment of inspiration?

Photo by Conference Basics

Introduction

Our purpose for this intervention** is helping people to deal with Change* in an amusing way.

In this MakerLab we want to challenge makers, artists, hackers, sociologists, economists, healing practitioners, … to propose actions, processes, performances or installations which bring people to a different state of mind.
By crossing boundaries between scientific experiment, design process & artistic intervention, we want to create a new way of celebrating which rather than just offering time to forget , it takes us closer to shamanistic rituals of the 21st century.

We are looking for people that like to make this happen, people that are interested in creating a new generation of parties.

*Change |CHānj|, verb: make or become different.
For this party we mean to help people to deal with the unknown; acknowledge conflicts; to let it go, to be inspired for options
**The event took place during the People in Beta Festival (22nd of September 2012)

——- 

People

Installations & Performances

• Becky Bolton and Louise Chappell (Good Wives and Warriors): Illustrators and painters
• Martin Llavaneras: Video artist
• Luzie Weigelt: Maskenbildner
• Jose Muñoz: Process Designer
• Joachim Neuberth: Electronic Engineer
• Barbara Alonso: Dancer
• Pedro Pineda Ballester: Experience Designer

Visuals:

• Kreomancer
• Jacques-Andre Dupont

Music

• Paco Gramaje
• Tobi Dei
• Davic Nod
• Honig Caroli
• Cecilio (Slow Life)
• Laurine & Frankie
• Clément Destephen

somethingstrangewillhappen is facilitated by Pedro Pineda using the MakerLab Process.

Makerlab Process

1. Research background and provide a context for the event.
2. Find/invite people whose work is related to the context and the theme.
3. Facilitate various meetup to get to know the people & the space, to discuss concept and create vision collectively
4. Each individuals takes responsibility of that aspect of the event which he/she feels more inspired by.
5. Design the different aspects for the party (Individually or in teams)
6. Go through process -pre-experience it-. (while we walk through space, each aspect of the party will be explained by person responsible of it)
7. Make implementation plan, define needs, see what skills/resources are available within team.
8. Find best channels for the event & Promote the event
9. Look for DJs, which have a relationship with the concept. Confirm line-up
10. Build in space, Show each other last updates in each aspect.
11. Rehearse experience, (Go through space as responsible person tells what is gonna happen there)
12. Celebrate

Collective vision

Created to help all of us to understand the broader picture, but to focus on specific things.
we want to bring people together,
facilitating them to loose their face,
and immerse them in reality…….uncovering the naked true self by experiencing change

Flyer designed by Lea Kolling, Edited by Pedro Pineda

Concepts

A selection of the concepts chosen to be taken forward according to its relevance, our skills and its feasibility.  A full list of concept can be find below in

-resources-

A tipi structure (Good wives and Warriors)
A simple structure that creates a space in which people come together. Something that is perhaps unexpected in a (current) party context but refers to traditional notions of ‘gathering’. We will build a sort of tipi structure, large enough to have a bonfire inside that would encourage people to congregate – a social space that could break down any inhibitions. We are illustrators and painters so it would be a decorative structure – we have attached some images to show our idea.

The challenge (Xavi and Jose)
A test for those who like to take the risk and go deeper. An installation which will challenges people’s refugee in what they know, and invites them into the unknown. This space will have clues of the way, and make them curious about what comes but be dark, and include certain textures, which makes it even more disturbing.

The corridor (Jaques and Clements)
A combination of projections and sounds which creates space for confusion. Full of fog, lights and music that remind us of what we think of craziness and death.

Wise water and the white russian machine (Jossi)
Inside the elevator, take a ride to another level while the wise man will find you a special water, or the perfect cocktail. He will, with you find this special substance which might turn your day into something even better.

Loosing your face (Luzie)
Each guest becomes the face of another guest. Changing our identities means also losing ours. But does it matter? What is it so important in our faces which seems to be our whole identity? If you want to get into this space, you need to go through a check in.

Changing space (Pedro)
Moving walls which adapt to the changing moments. The walls are on wheels and react to the people. Creating little and big spaces, and a kind of shadow theater. Because the whole room will be on wheels it will adapt to the mood and the moment.

Visualizing peoples movement through the party with spacedeck

Development of concepts into an experience

Once we had an overall idea of what will happen, we worked out a way that it would make sense to people. This event is not random, it is a designed process. An experience with a purpose.

1. During the day, things start to be build at the space. People walking through wonder about the strange paintings, the white pallets, and glass walls being built. What is happening? Why are things changing here?
2. At 23:00 people come to the door and confront themselves with the question: Are you ready to loose your face? People have to decide, Do i really want to do this? Is it the place for me? Am i willing to go through this?
   If they are, they get through a check,  and finally get a temporary new identity. They get the face of somebody else who is also in the party. This is thought for two purposes. 1: Confront people with their own self. They might randomly see themselves acting totally different as what they would normally do. this means, my face is not me, there is more to me that my physical appearance. 2: Empathy with the others. By seeing people which have their face, they think of themselves, they understand themselves, and have a relationship to it.
3. They arrive then in a foggy corridor. Can see nothing but disturbing lights and involving music. They ask themselves : Where do i go now? Do i take the safe route or the dark one? What is after this or that door?
4. Take a door. Guest can choose which door they open, and if they want to go in. Or, maybe they are curious, the normality wasn’t enough so they take a new door.
   1. The bar: Is a safe place. We find what we expect to have there. Drinks, Music, Seating / Dancing. But there is something more: Moving walls, The space adapts to the guests. We change our moods, so why not the space?
   2. The challenge: A dark corridor. Strange signs, Strange feelings. Guest ask themselves, Why i am here? This is dangerous!!
5. The next level. Finding peace.  If we overcome the fear, then reach a tipi, with a fire in the middle. We find a space to reflect on our journey, and other people that have go through and can share with us their experience. We find our self in a moment of calm, and can envision the next step. There is little packages which can hold your dreams or wishes, throwing it in the fire means a willing act to make it happens.
6. The next cycle. There is no end to our journey. We decide where we want to take it. Each step inspires us to look for something else.

Conclusion

This process (party, event, celebration,...) replicates in a short time different stages that we go through as we develop in our lives.
There is something that inspires us to do things different. As we separate from normality, or what others consider normal, we find our self challenged by our doubts. There is some people that doesn’t want to try (they don’t go in the party) But for those who decide to try, there is still many stages at which the whole process is questioned. For example, we are curious to find something new. We try out, but as soon as we find something where we feel safe, we have the possibility to stay there, to stop our process. If we decide to continue it might be even more scary. We get into spaces where it seems that there is no body. We find our self alone in darkness, everything is questioned, you might feel again that you want to go back to safeness.
But for those who adventure one step further there is calm and peace. Then you know you have reach something new, something that you were longing for even if you didn’t explicitly know it. And this is not the end, when we are there, we are able to see new things, and we set our self on a new path. Agan feeling alone on our way, again with making the possibility to reach a new level.

This party, was an intent to prototype spaces where we might put our self through to accelerate our inner process. It should be something enjoyable, and give the possibility to each individual to reach as much as they want. But it should challenge us too, and put us into uncomfortable positions, so that inspire us to do the same in our everyday life.
We wanted to create a party where people didn’t come to forget their everyday, but to be inspired, to see possibilities and to celebrate life.

Collage visualizing the process and experiences that people went through. Photos by Kay Strasser and others

Resources

Keywords

Ritual - Before Consumption - Why - Personal - Enjoyment - Relax - Calm - Trance - EXPECTATIONS - Transformation - Dance - The BODY - MIND - Believe - DEATH - CHANGE - LIVE - Disappear - Uncover - Switch  Faces - Identity - Come Together - Immersion - The Moment - Experience

Questions

• Do we make people go through something or create opportunities that they can decide to join or not?

• How do we create safe spaces for people to feel they can express themselves?

• What would we like to put our self through? What do we want to change?

• How do we make people feel we are all humans, but keeping individuality?

Concepts (Pool)

• A meditation, inner trip, getting together @ Backyard (Tom)
  Using the tipi as a space for people to gather. Leading meditation or other kind of sessions which will work with the inner side of people. (People can just come here by  passing a challenge, thus making it accessible just to those who really want to be here)

• A separate space: Create small-different rooms for people to find -the right- space. How do we create spaces that eliminate barries?

• A fire: A place to sit together, maybe with a shaman that leads a ceremony. How to make it in a way that remains serious and that just for those who really want to be there? (keep jockers outside?)

• UV paint: Painting people faces with uv light. They can't see them selves but just others. Do people paint one another, or do we create tribal graphics which we paint on everybody? (curated vs participative)

• Breanking your image of your selves: As people come we/they paint their faces in a way that they loose all their work. ie red lipstick cross

• Activating water: Bottles of activated water, creating a doubt / curiosity. Big bottles with essences, plants and colours, wild flavours? A library with a lot of different bottles, with a wise man giving the right water to the right person.

• Creating a mantra: Mantras are repetitive songs which in some way or another help us to live in the right way, or to acces the right energies. Could people create their own mantra at the party?

• Random bar: A bar where what you get is an act of randomness and not what you orther. Drinks could be presented in glasses with different colours. People pick up random things.

• Pitch black room: A room all in black, with people dress in black which touch you, with loud music that disorient you. Playing with the feeling of non-place, non real. Why do we need to feel secure?

• Room / box for dressing up: A room with all the nessesary to change your self

• Magic mirror: A mirror which habe (on the side) a lot of different elements like mouse, beard, eyes,... with a magnet so that you can customize your reflection

• Fake news: Disturbing reallity, or explaining it? Posters placed in the room explain things like why there is a random bar, or that the drinks have mdma inside.

• Your face is mine. Masks with pictures of the people, given to second persons.

• Carnival?

• The spontaneous organization

• Drinks for you. To get a drink, you need to prepare one for somebody else

• Different dancing floors/grounds. Fluffy, Sticky, Jumpy, slipery, ...