i am small... it begins.

so... i am small the world is big starts... so far one picture taken... i´ll see if i can put it up... looks like i cant til i work out enough spanish to navigate my way round pablos´s laptop.

Its half hour number one and for me that means i am interrested in getting this all started.

every half hour i shall be trying to contact one person in a given timezone. Today we are working backwards from +12 GMT... so at one thirty i shall be trying to contact somebody in that timezone... its a weird one. i shall also be trying to keep you up dated and find out some interesting things about those places.
i want to reach out... i want to know what it is to live out there... in the world!

Where are you?

what is the biggest problem in the world today?

What is the biggest problem you face in your life today?

answers to iamsmall@accidentalcollective.co.uk

speak real soon!

Skype around the globe!

Dear all…

As part of "i am small THE WORLD IS BIG" we are looking for people from all round the world to Skype with us!

We have divided the project’s 14 hours of duration amongst the different time zones, so that every half hour will be dedicated to a different area. What we are looking for is for people in these time zones to be connected for half an hour onto Skype and wait for a call from us.

So, if you know anybody around the world (it might be even yourself) we would really appreciate if you could read and pass around the following information.

Thanks a lot!

Pablo

……………………………………………………………….


Dear Potential Skypee....

We are Accidental Collective, South-East England's most exciting live-art and performance company. 2010 has seen us embark on our most ambitious and wide reaching piece of work to date. And we want you to be involved through Skype!

"i am small, the world is BIG" is a multi faceted, interactive performance-installation which seeks to bridge the gaps in our understanding of ourselves as individuals and the world at large.
Taking in such questions as "what one thing would you change to make the world a better place?" Accidental Collective seek to reach beyond their own experience of what it means to live in the 21st Century and speak to and of the world.
We're setting up a ‘sweatshop’ where voluntary collaborators will be stitching together a reconfigured world map. We'll be inviting people to change the world in their own ways and we'll be attempting to encapsulate the wealth of experiences and ways of life from around the world... a big task
In the first of many incarnations, i am small, the world is BIG is being installed in the Senate building of the University of Kent over the 26th and 27th of February this year. We are using the closest English University to mainland Europe as a launch pad for this exciting, ongoing work.

As part of our ‘out-reach’ into the world we are going to attempt to Skype one person in each of the worlds time zones every half hour for which the project is live. We'd be looking to talk for about 5 minutes about what its like where you are, the climate, politics, news and anything else really... we're just reaching out into the world... reaching out to you... We're working around the world from the International Date Line and would love to speak to people of every age, gender, creed, and any other way of categorizing the myriad of fellow humans around the globe.

What do you reckon?
5 minutes to connect with someone, free... are you?

Please look at the table below. And if you live in one of the states GTM zones and are free at the times stated, we would love you to be involve (times are stated using the 24 hour clock):

SATURDAY 27th February
GMT your time Countries (some examples)
+12 1:30 – 2:00 New Zealand
+11 1:00 – 1:30 Vanuatu, Solomon Islands
+10 00:30 – 1:00 Papua New Guinea, Eastern Australia (Sydney)
+9 00:00 – 00:30 Japan


FRIDAY 26th February
GMT your time Countries (some examples)
+8 23:30 – 00:00 Western Australia (Perth), Philippines, China
+7 23:00 – 23:30 Thailand, Vietnam
+6 22:30 – 23:00 Kazakhstan
+5 22:00 – 22:30 Pakistan
+4 21:30 – 22:00 Oman, United Arab Emirates,
+3 21:00 – 21:30 Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Moscow
+2 20:30 – 21:00 South Africa, Sudan, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Romania, Ukraine
+1 20:00 – 21:30 Namibia, Algeria, Europe
0 19:30 – 20:00 Portugal, Mali, Cape Verde, Ghana

SATURDAY 27th February
GMT your time Countries (some examples)
-3 11:00 – 11:30 am Argentina, Brazil (Sao Paulo),
-4 10:30 – 11:00 am Bolivia, Venezuela
-5 10:00 – 10:30 am Peru, Colombia, New York,
-6 9:30 – 10:00 am Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Mexico
-7 9:00 – 9:30 am USA (Denver) Canada (Edmonton)
-8 8:30 – 9:00 am Los Angeles, San Francisco
-9 8:00 – 8:30 am Alaska
-10 7:30 8:00 am Hawaii
-11 7:00 – 7:30 am Tonga, Samoa


If you might be able to be connected onto Skype between the above mentioned times and you'd like to take part in this innovative and all encompassing art event then send us your details to iamsmall@accidentalcollective.co.uk from there we shall endeavour to create a timetable and will be in touch with you shortly.

We'd love to hear from you!

Accidental Collective.

This project is kindly supported and commissioned by The Gulbenkian Theatre and WorldFest 2010.

----------------------------
Accidental Collective
www.accidentalcollective.co.uk
www.theworldofaccidentalcollective.blogspot.com

POSTER

A while back we bought a second hand sewing machine with our meagre budget... Last Saturday Daisy came around my place and used it to put together the poster for i am small THE WORLD IS BIG. I think the final outcome is a thing of beauty. And that comes from me, who up to now had always designed the posters for our projects using rather crude tools. As a n homage to her creative vision and her perseverance, and as a second part or follow up to her first round against a hand-operated sewing machine here is a little video.

And of course, below you can see the final poster. You would think that something relatively minor like a poster or a postcard would not make us loose any sleep. Unfortunately, we have a somewhat perfectionist streak. Which means that we have to carefully consider every little thing, including the relationship between the publicity material and the project. Daisy and I agreed that, even though the poster does not illustrate the project's aesthetic it does reflect its sentiment/ethos rather nicely... Judge for yourself.

Pablo

The internet is for...

As I am sure I have mentioned before I have a slight weakness/addiction for BBC documentaries. Recently I have been hooked on Dr. Aleks Kotroski’s The Virtual Revolution. Trekkie Monster, resident of Avenue Q, would do well in watching the second episode, Enemy of the State?, because he would quickly come to realise that the internet is not just for porn. In said episode Dr. Kotroski investigates how the internet can be used as a tool for individuals to “play David to the state’s Goliath”. The example that most stuck in my mind is that of Austin Heap. This young American living in San Francisco responded to the post-election disturbances in Iran with direct action. As civil unrest worsened, the Iranian government blocked sites such as Facebook and Twitter to restrict its citizens’ ability to upload information, photographs and footage of the repression onto the internet. On the other side of the globe Austin Heap sprang developed Haystack, a piece of encryption software that allowed Iranians to access the blocked sites without being detected. The story seemed to resonate with i am small THE WORLD IS BIG. As tiny individuals we can make a difference, whether big or small, that can reverberate throughout the world. Moreover, the fact that the internet had been used as a tool for empowerment is also relevant to our project. We are currently investigating the possibilities of using Twitter and Skype throughout the piece. Although the use of this technology will be somewhat reduced in February’s presentation, we fully intend to expand this aspect of the project in future versions.

You can see The Virtual Revolution by visiting http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00qsbvv/The_Virtual_Revolution_Enemy_of_the_State/ And for those of you reading this from abroad (unfortunately BBCiplayer is only available in the UK), you can still find out about this fantastic documentary series by visiting http://www.haystacknetwork.com/ Finally, to learn more about Austin Heap and Haystack go to http://blog.austinheap.com/haystack-good-luck-finding-that-needle/

Pablo

SPACE II

This is somewhat overdue, almost two weeks to be precise. As I mentioned in my previous post logistics and practicalities have, at this stage, a tendency to take over. But I have managed to steal a few hours to give you an update on our developments.

On Monday 1^st February we had a much awaited visit to the Senate Building. This was the first time we were properly able to explore the space and spend a significant amount of time in it. Our aim: to find our specific relationship with the building, and how we would situate i am small THE WORLD IS BIG within it. We were accompanied by Laura Hobbs (4^th year dramaturge student) and Sebastian Grau (MA student in European Theatre History). They had requested to see us in action because they will be writing about our creative process and the project in their respective dissertations. In the end their role was not merely passive and they helped us quite a bit, not just moving furniture about and figuring how to draw a crude plan of the space, but by asking questions that pushed us towards clarity. But I digress….

The two main practical issues we set to resolve were the audience’s route through the building and the layout for the ‘production line’ in the upstairs room. I will attempt to discuss the intricacies of the audience’s route first. i am small THE WORLD IS BIG will take the shape of a journey where the audience will be led though different rooms and areas: through the automated sliding doors and into the foyer, up the stairs to a welcome desk, into the main chamber and out again, down in the lift, into a small waiting area, into the vox-pop ‘booth’, and back out through the foyer into the wider world. The journey follows a logical, almost intuitive route through the building. Interestingly, it describes the outline of a spiral, first inwards towards the centre (where the large world map will be remade), and then outwards towards the world itself. This is strictly speaking not a one-at-a-time experience because for the most part, the audience will pass through communal areas (foyer, stairs, chamber, and waiting room). However, in line with the project’s concerns, we did want to offer some space where the audience members will stand as an individual: alone or in the company of a single performer. We therefore decided that the journey down in the lift will be taken by one person at a time, and designed the vox-pop ‘booth’ as a one-to-one performance exchange. The lift, to us, is a crucial moment. Even though the ride only lasts 10 seconds we hope this time spent alone will serve as a direct stimulus for personal reflection. This emphasis on the individual is also reflected in the way in which people will be led through the building. For Schengen Smile we used instructive posters and other similar devices that very clearly shepherded the audience: you must go here, you must wait here, you most not enter here, you must proceed here… For i am small THE WORLD IS BIG we wanted to use a less authoritative attitude, as we did not feel this would suit the project’s ethos and sentiment. We therefore have to strike a delicate balance between letting people know where to go and what route to follow, and maintaining a friendly and warm tone.

The layout of the production line, on the other hand, is set and secured. One the one hand is is always easier to work on the layout of one particular room (in this case the upstairs Senate chamber), rather than a whole route through a building. On the other hand, this is, at the end of the day, the project’s main thrust so it is not surprising that we were able to achieve a great level of clarity so quickly. When we first settled on the idea of setting up a ‘production line’ we instantly decided that the layout should be circular rather than in rows. Our aim was to quote, reference, or allude to industrial sweatshops rather than actually recreating one. Due to the project’s concerns the circle presented itself as the best and most logical option. Coming together, community, making a joint effort. Circle, circle, circle. On a more practical level, this option was the best one to fir the octagonal chamber where the ‘production line’ will be placed. But one question remained, how would be the circle organised? Since this ‘production line’ is made up of several stages and there are several workstations we would have to find logic to its layout. At the same time we were interested in the possibility of also quoting, referencing, and alluding to international conferences/summits. How would this be done? The answer came with a picture.

The above photograph was taken during the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh in September 2009. The layout suited out ‘production line’ perfectly:

- an outer circle of independent tables (for the cutting, the shredding, the sewing machines, and a workstation for the audience to directly contribute towards the map-making)

- an inner circle of chairs where collaborators will stitch their personal fragments by hand

- a central area where other collaborators will stitch together these disparate fragments, creating a large re-shaped world map on the floor.

We then simply decided where each of the various stages of the process and workstations would be placed. Our final decision was shaped by the building. On the one hand we followed its symmetry and alignment. On the other hand, following a spatial narrative, we placed the cutting-table nearer the door used by the audience to enter the space and the shredding-table on the far end. This layout will allow the audience to come into the circle following a spiral route (into the room, along the outside of the circle, and then into it). The route will be emphasised by the movement of collaborators coming and going on their shifts.

And so this is it. The stage is set.

Pablo

PEOPLE!

February is well and truly upon us, which means there are only three weeks until i am small THE WORLD IS BIG opens its doors. If we have been somewhat absent from this space it is because we have now entered our production schedule proper; meaning that every day there’s something to decide, to do, to make. As a result the posts that will follow this one are somewhat retrospective (and will potentially be quite short).

Right now I wanted to tell you about people: the wonderful people who have come on board to the project. It strikes me that up to now we have never really worked with other ‘bodies’, other ‘doers’, other ‘makers’. So it is somewhat comical that we find ourselves in a situation were we are collaborating with over 20 individuals. That’s it, Accidental Collective jumps into the deep end! But don’t worry; we are taking like ducks to water.

At the beginning of January we sent out a call for participants who will become an integral part of i am small THE WORLD IS BIG. Due to the project’s themes we tried our best to gather people from a wide demographic (ages, backgrounds, etc). Once we had a significant number we organised a few meetings (on the last two Saturdays) where we gave some basic information about the project, noted their availability, answered questions, and also did some sewing/stitching (we prefer a hands-on approach). It was fantastic to meet everybody. Especially because it suddenly felt the project was happening. This is it.

i am small THE WORLD IS BIG was no longer an idea in our heads, but a reality. Moreover, we realised the project’s potential to generate ‘community’. As we sat together in the upstairs room of The Jolly Sailor (thank you to Ian - the landlord- for making this space available to us), there was a true coming-together. People who had never met before were embarking on a joint, creative effort. Together, each contributing their little bit, we were going to make something big happen. To say that this filled us with excitement is probably an understatement. This accidental community was full of potential beyond the project itself. If anything, one of the most direct benefits of these meetings was the exchange of stitching tips. The mother of more than one gentleman will be awfully proud that their son is picking up a needle and thread, and familiarising themselves with this ‘alien’ technology. On a more practical level, for us, these meetings were highly beneficial because suddenly it was not just three brains thinking about the project, but many more. Even though we had come up with the basic structure and framework of the project, some of the individuals involved clarified our thinking with their questions, whilst other still gave us some very interesting ideas: could the ‘workers’ do something in unison at some points, could the centre map be photographed every hour on the hour…

So, as a little tribute to all these people, here is a list of names of those who are involved to date:

Lewis Barron, Amyie Butler, Muriel van Cruchten, Jo Dyre, Olivia Farrant, Richard Franklin, Sebastian Grau, Laura Hobbs, Maggie Johns, Lorraine Keene, Liz Knowles, Phoebe Marsh, Jessica Nine, Alex Norcott, Mez Pondole, Hannah Riches, Estelle Rosenfeld, Daphne Seale, Marc Shilling, Alice Taylor, Catherine Ward, Gemma Williams, Paul Williams, Alex Wood

Thank you, thank you, tank you. To each and every one of you (and a special danke to Sebastian who let us upload the pictures he took during the first meeting).

And of course… We sill hope that more will join. The more the merrier!

Pablo

FIRST SESSION

So...

Earlier this evening we all met at chez Rick's for our first session of stitching and sewing. There is, of course, nothing special about messing around with paper, needles and thread. But the fact that we were finally sitting down and experimenting with the finer details of the project was something we had all anticipated. So much so that we felt it was appropriate to document the moment (that and the fact that I have been meaning to properly test out my new laptop's recording capabilities - thanks Santa).

Fuelled by tea, jaffa cakes and crisps we gave ourselves wholeheartedly to the task at hand. As we tortuously progressed along the path of atlas-stitching ideas came to mind, questions arose, tips were exchanged, and a few bad jokes were shared. The process, I have to say, is quite meditative and sedate; something which we hope our collaborators will appreciate.

And here it is... For your eyes' delectation... Accidental Collective at it!

The final result, although not seen in the footage, was quite important. In just over an hour we managed to achive a significant chunk of reconfigured world map. So, we can only speculate, the final outcome of the project should be of an impressive size.

Later on Daisy, bravely, attempted to use Rick's mum's old hand-powered sewing machine. As a tribute to her courage and determination here is another little video. Unfortunately it was Daisy 0 - Singer 1. At least for now...

Pablo