In 1997 I gave a workshop for FioCruz, the biomedical research and tropical diseases hospital in Brazil. I was working with scientists and the workshop was to bring back the very human and personal element of working with and/or living with HIV for those who always worked in the world of research. I came into one of those rooms with the tiers of chairs bolted down and down way way at the bottom was the podium and the spotlight for the expert presenter-type person. Of course everyone else was in darkness, thus giving the expert a really magical quality. I suppose. To me, it sucked all the air right out of the room.
So I said 'we're moving to the hallway' where there were plenty of windows, tons of light, chairs to move around... The organizers got a bit nervous about this (there were offices surrounding us, and there were only two possibilities - one, that we might disturb their work, and two, that they might want to come out of their offices and play with us ;0) So they found me a great room with enough room at the front for us all to be together, good lighting, and a little tray of espresso fixings so you could have your little cafe's nonstop whenever you needed a little zip. Thank god for room enough to be in a circle together, eh? Changes everything. That same week I presented at their national AIDS conference, and they gave me a big ballroom complete with marble floors and crystal chandeliers. At one point when it was time for everyone to move I suggested they dance their way to their next seat (after all, when you're in Brazil you notice people dancing while in line for sandwiches or at any old time). All 150 of them got up and danced for about 10 minutes before they found their seats, with the music all in their heads. Someone was videotaping all the presentations at the conference and when the closing conference video was shown, people saw all that dancing in the glamorous ballroom and wanted to know how they missed hearing about that huge conference dance party... Ah, chairs... Sometimes you just have to dance between the solid parts to get more of a feeling for the spaces in between... - - - L i s a H e f t Consultant, facilitator, educator Open Space Technology and Experiential Learning 2325 Oregon Berkeley, California 94705-1106 USA (+01) 510 548-8449 [email protected] www.openspaceworld.com - - - L i s a H e f t Consultant, facilitator, educator Open Space Technology and Experiential Learning 2325 Oregon Berkeley, California 94705-1106 USA (+01) 510 548-8449 [email protected] www.openspaceworld.com -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of (David Koehler) Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2002 4:50 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: OS Diary 1/13/02 Response to bolted down chairs... After becoming involved in OST, I have become very aware of how inviting (or not) physical spaces are, especially in institutional settings. Bolted down chairs, which you often find in high schools and churches, certainly convey a quick impression on who has power and who doesn't. I remember a discussion we had when I was on the city council a few years back. We were planning on remodeling the council chambers. The desks for the council and the mayor were up off the floor on a platform. The audience was at the back of the room behind a row of tables with a banister in front and consisted of bolted down chairs. After a long discussion, it was decided that the council members desks would be set on the floor, so as to not give the impression of being above everyone else. However, the mayor keep his desk in the front and center of the room about three steps high. And of course, not to give people the impression that they had any real say so, the banister and bolted down chairs remained. What kind of world might this be if government operated in open space? Just a thought, Dave Koehler * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== [email protected] ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of [email protected], Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
