Do you still care? LATEST

Cooking is a great way to extend hospitality to others. Do you prefer to be the guest or the host? [[the guest]] [[the host]]

hey that's super cool! taking the time to care for yourself is super important. [[cool.]]

sewing by yourself, mmm? Yeah I guess that's a pretty good choice, because you can have some quiet time and let your stitches set the rythym of your thoughts. Are you sewing for yourself or for another person? [[for me]] [[for someone else]]

Jenny Uglow says: "We might think we are nurturing our garden, but of course it's our garden that is really nurturing us" [[Yeah that's the vibe->cool.]] [[Nah I'm definitely nurturing my garden]] [[Who's Jenny Uglow?]]

Anastasia says: On one hand, it's good to clean alone so that nobody cramps your style/steps on the floor you just mopped. On the other hand, I personally get very bitter when I'm cleaning the house alone because it makes me feel like everyone else who lives here isn't doing any work. I prefer to do big cleaning jobs in a group rather than alone, because it makes the job seem more manageable and you can share the sense of achievement with everyone. [[Why do we clean the house when it's just going to get dirty again?]] [[please stop talking about cleaning, you're reminding me of all the chores I have to do when I get home]]

Ok ok. Well can you think of any activities you do where you nurture AND are nurtured in return? [[tell us about it->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]]

Why do we indeed? Why do we pick up plastic from the beach when so much of it is still rolling into the ocean? A lot of these acts of care seem futile, but it's good to remember that tending is an ongoing process. We don't eat so that we stay full forever, or wash the dishes so that they'll stay clean. We actually use those moments to reset our stomachs or kitchens or beaches for next time - we take the time to care now so things don't get really out of hand in the future. [[cool.]]

Hey that's interesting! Maybe that caring action feels more rewarding when someone else is on the receiving end - and if this is an activity that you enjoy anyway you're also caring for yourself by taking the time to do it :) gotta love that. [[cool.]]

Ok, you've thought about doing tasks alone. Now which of these is best? [[cooking with others->cooking]] [[cleaning with others]] [[gardening with others]] [[sewing/mending with others]] [[volunteering at a music festival (rock on, babeyyyyyyy!)]]

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She's a biographer! So maybe that means she's a caretaker for stories. Perhaps you've heard of others who care for stories? If you search for "the carers of everything", you'll find a story that Uncle Noel Nannup shares, and cares for. The story is about, among other things, human beings and their responsibilities in the world. <a href="https://www.propel.org.au/carers-of-everything"; target="_blank">click here to read the story in a new tab</a> [[The importance of stories]]

oh yeah ! Volunteering at music festivals is so rewarding, because the jobs are usually pretty fun and you get free entry to the festival! It's so rewarding, in fact, that it's viewed a little differently to other types of volunteering - maybe people see it as less selfless or giving, but is that really true? Most acts of tending give <i>something</i> back to the tender. And of course, just because festivals are fun doesn't mean they're not important. For hundreds of years, people have been marking out a few days of the year where they forget their worries, come together to celebrate as a community, and feel that their hard work has finally paid off. Someone has to make that festival happen, right? And when it's volunteers, who tend to the festival because they want to, rather than because they're paid to, it creates an awesome sense of care, tenderness, community and trust. So thank you, volunteers! <3 What motivates you to give care? [[respond here!->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]]

Type your response to print it in the gallery! Please press submit ONCE, and if you're in the gallery, click the laptop on your right. If you're not in the gallery, your response will be printed next time someone clicks the laptop. Limit is 100 words but feel free to submit again :) (input-box: 2bind $name, "=XX=", 1, "Name") (input-box: 2bind $answer, "=XX=", 1, "Answer") (link-repeat: "Submit")[ (if: $name is not "" and $answer is not "")[ <script> var sendData = JSON.stringify({ "name" : harlowe.State.variables['name'], "answer" : harlowe.State.variables['answer'] }); $.ajax({ url: "https://script.google.com/macros/s/AKfycbysbEmHp0IwxdcmuBMJ74VIsrzpWl3vsr32N_CXUw/exec", method:"POST", dataType: "json", data: sendData }).done(function() {}); </script> ] ] <script src=”https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.3.1.min.js”></script> [[Thanks for playing->Play again]]

Ahh. Imagine sitting around on couches and beanbags with a bunch of friends and working away with a cuppa and a chat. The work you're doing is meaningful because it's satisfying and it improves some little detail of your life - but it's not so important that it's stressful. This is a great setting for talking about our experiences, learning from them together and sharing knowledge that helps us navigate life. [[mmm. knowledge sharing]]

Have you ever been a part of community gardens? Or maybe visited Perth City Farm? Things like that take a lot of love to set up, and while their founders always hope that they'll continue into the future, they rely on the ongoing care of the community to make that possible. For example, Perth City Farm stands on a site that was once pretty wrecked and contaminated by industrial waste (the soil was actually toxic and unsafe to touch). About 30 people cleaned it up, and over the next 5 years the gardens grew, it provided job opportunities, ran courses, showed students the importance cultural links to the natural world.....it did a lot of awesome stuff. And yet it was still threatened - there were plans to rip the whole thing up for high rise developments and car parks. Suddenly, they needed more people to care for them in totally new ways. [[care is protesting]] [[care is protecting]] [[care is communicating what's important to you]]

There was once a discussion between artists from different collectives in Indonesia called "Toilet (T)issues #1: Toilet tissue and other formless organisational matters". Artists had banded together into collectives and pooled their resources to rent buildings that they use as studios, co-working spaces, meeting rooms, and whatever else they need. They wanted to have a formless structure where everyone was equal and pitched in together, but somehow the cleaning and upkeep tasks like buying water or toilet paper kept falling to the same people. It's a long discussion, so maybe you should just pick one part that you want to hear: [[Binna from Casco's solution]] [[Wok the Rock's explanation]] [[Edwina's story about interning in Sydney]]

There's been a lot to protest about over the years. Sometimes when you're worried about the direction your world is rolling in, it helps to go to a rally just so you know you're not the only one who cares about the it. What's worth protesting for? Have you protested as an individual or in a rally? [[Tell us about it...->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]]

yeah. what would you protect? [[answer here->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]]

How can we communicate care to other people? Anne is a textile artist who runs workshops and volunteers at the Steiner school. We had a chat to her about practicing tenderness: "I think we teach children when they're little that the world is good... You teach them that the world is good, you go and you do good things, you go down to the beach and you collect shells, you look at things and you build sandcastles and feed ducks and do all these things and you look at things with appreciation." [[the world is good and I want to go and do good things]] [[the world sucks but I'm still trying]]

Welcome! You may have noticed that as strangers in art galleries we tend to ignore each other as we go about our separate journeys. Click the blue text to explore [[Wow that's so true, I'm ignoring someone right now]] [[Hm, there's no-one in the gallery right now]] [[You are Wrong! I always interact with fellow gallery-goers!]] [[I'm doing this from home, you Fool]] [[.->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]]

Oh wow - why is that? [[It's just silly that people ignore each other]] [[I want to know what they think about the art]] [[I want them to know what I think about the art]] [[I like talking to people]]

Ok, you're a solo traveler in this reflective thinking exercise. On that theme, if you had to volunteer to do one of these activities alone, which would it be? [[cooking]] [[gardening]] [[sewing/mending]] [[cleaning]]

Oh, there's someone in the gallery with you? Maybe you should ask them if they want to have a cup of tea and answer some of these questions with you. [[They're on board, let's do some more questions!->I'm going to ask someone else in the gallery if they want a cup of tea, and maybe they can do this thinking activity with me]] [[I'm going to do this alone today]]

Ok, you're a solo traveller in this reflective thinking exercise. On that theme, if you had to volunteer to do one of these activities alone, which would it be? [[cooking]] [[gardening]] [[sewing/mending]] [[cleaning]]

Why? [[for human connection]] [[to share ideas and opinions]]

Good point! It's important that us human beings keep talking to each other, and keep talking to new faces as well as old ones. Back in the day, there were traditions and societal structures in place that ensured young people would hear stories and lessons from their elders. Having moved away from the old structures, what is there in our lives to fulfill the function of passing down oral history, giving culture some continuity, and encouraging communication between generations? There must be something we're doing that stops us from getting so caught up in the now that we don't learn from the past or protect the future, right? [[mmm. knowledge sharing]]

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Anastasia says: Maybe so! On one hand, isolation and loneliness are widespread challenges that have become harder to overcome since the pandemic, since we started spending lots of time online, and since we became afraid of strangers. On the other hand, sometimes we need ~alone time~ to reflect and recharge, and the art gallery is a beautiful, quiet space to do that. [[I'm going to ask someone else in the gallery if they want a cup of tea, and maybe they can do this thinking activity with me]] [[I'm going to do this alone today]]

On one hand, isolation and loneliness are widespread challenges that have become harder to overcome since the pandemic, since we started spending lots of time online, and since we became afraid of strangers. On the other hand, sometimes we need ~alone time~ to reflect and recharge, and the art gallery is a beautiful, quiet space to do that. [[I'm going to ask someone else in the gallery if they want a cup of tea, and maybe they can do this thinking activity with me]] [[I'm going to do this alone today]]

Wow! It's great to share knowledge I suppose. Is there anyone in here right now you could chat to? [[yes, I see a victim!->yes! I'm ready to have a chat]] [[no, I'm so alone.->I'm going to do this alone today]]

Yay! What are your names? (set: $name1 to (prompt: "First person's name:", "snart")) (set: $name2 to (prompt: "Second person's name:", "club")) Ok $name1 and $name2, it's time for you to have a discussion. What is the best task to do by yourself? [[cooking]] [[cleaning]] [[gardening]] [[sewing/mending]]

When we made our first Snart Club project, we didn't know much about <i>making stuff</i>. We went to a makerspace called The Artifactory - a big warehouse full of intimidating tools and machines like the angle grinder, the laser cutter, the arc welder and the drop saw. We were scared to use the tools - we didn't know how. So we would substitute a tool we <i>did</i> know how to use, but which was pretty ineffective for the task we were trying to complete. Inevitably, someone more experienced would walk through the door just as we were getting desperate and say "You know there's an easier way to do that, right?" And that was a great way of learning! People were generous enough to give us their time and show us how to do our projects. THere was never any question of whether our ridiculous projects were worth doing - everyone else there was also working on strange, often pointless projects because it was fun and challenging. Anyway, makerspaces are great for knowledge sharing. [[where else do we share knowledge?]]

Gee. Open source software is great - it's how we made this game, and attached the printer to it! We even emailed the guy who made the printer software to ask him about knowledge sharing. He is called James, and he said: "My favourite part of working in the open is seeing other people build on my work; I suppose in part it’s validation of my idea or approach, but it’s also very satisfying to (even indirectly) help other people achieve their goals." [[cool.]]

Hmm. Maybe at clubs that people are part of throughout their lives? Like sports clubs, scouts...[[or open source software]] What do you think? Where do you share knowledge? [[answer here.->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]]

A researcher from the University of Oslo, Sveinung Sandberg, explained that "Cultures and subcultures are created, upheld and crumble through the telling of stories. Myths, folktales and canonized stories of organized religion have systematically arranged meaning and enabled people to explore the differences between right and wrong." (2016, //The importance of stories untold: Life-story, event-story and trope//) So that would mean stories are important for knowledge sharing and building human connection right? They're a easy-to-understand format for sharing values, ideas, and life lessons. [[mmm. knowledge sharing]]

"I asked this really hard-nosed curator how to turn (the dishwasher) on and she glared at me and replied, “Can’t you ask somebody else who actually has time!” The next person to come into the kitchen was actually the cleaning lady, so I asked her and she said, “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that, but you just press this button under here.” So it was one button, but this curator didn’t have that time. I thought afterwards that it was probably also code for the cranky curator not actually knowing how to turn the dishwasher on." A couple of themes came up when Edwina elaborated on that experience. She said that in big organisations people don't know what they're working for, they don't have a shared purpose because they're all put in individual lanes to do their jobs. They can very easily say "that's not my problem" because they know exactly what their job entails. It's also interesting to note that the curator didn't know how to solve the problem of the dirty dishes, and so avoided it completely. Do you think that everyone who lives in a space must care for it personally? is tenderness towards a space essential to working within it? [[Tell us about it...->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]]

Wok the Rock lives at this artist collective, Kunci. He said he felt like a parasite because he never bought toilet paper or water for the place - but at another artist collective, Ruang Mes 54, he takes on more care-taking responsibility. Does that suggest that caring and responsibility start in belonging? As in he feels like he belongs to Mes 54 more than Kunci? Or perhaps he was involved in the initial setup of Mes 54 and he has a very visceral understanding of how much work went into it and how special it is. Do you think that everyone who lives in a space must care for it personally? can tenderness be equally shared? [[Tell us about it...->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]]

"We’d had exactly that same dilemma about who is cleaning and who is not. For example, two staff members had sarcastically signed off an email to the rest of the team with, “Thank you, Your Lovely Housewives.” While we are working with domestic workers in the Netherlands, many of whom come from Indonesia, it is in fact a global structural problem that we can find in all our own houses, and organizations as well. Hence, we decided to clean our office every Monday all together after our regular general team meeting. At first, we cleaned for an hour or even more. Now, as we do it every Monday it doesn’t take as long, and we set a rule not to clean for longer than thirty minutes. It’s manageable and it also brings a kind of physical relation to our space, so we feel more “ownership” I guess, to use an economic term." Do you think that these kinds of rules or structures will make people feel more responsible for the upkeep of the space? or is it just a way to force them to do something they don't care about? [[Tell us about it...->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]]

Is there somebody in the gallery that you could offer a cup of tea to? [[Yes! Let's go together->I'm going to ask someone else in the gallery if they want a cup of tea, and maybe they can do this thinking activity with me]] [[Hm, there's no-one in the gallery right now]] [[I'm going to do this alone today]]

[[tell us about it...->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]]

as Taylor Swift says, "at least I'm trying". read a poem by Maggie Smith and come back: <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/89897/good-bones"; target="_blank">click here to read the poem in a new tab</a> [[Maybe things will be ok.->the world is good and I want to go and do good things]]

it's nice to be the guest, or the receiver of tenderness. we are all guests being hosted by the earth. do you think it's important, or even possible, to give tenderness back to the earth? or maybe we can give tenderness to its future occupants. can we receive tenderness through time? [[I have thoughts to share about this!->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]] [[woah, too much! I'll keep exploring in here.->cool.]]

In his essay, "Hostipitality", Jacques Derrida quotes Klossowski's "Roberte Ce Soir": "The master of the house, having no greater nor more pressing concern than to shed the warmth of his joy at evening upon whomever comes to dine at his table and to rest under his roof from a day's wearying travel, waits anxiously on the threshold for the stranger he will see appear like a liberator upon the horizon. And catching a first glimpse of him in the distance, though he be still far off, the master will call out to him, "Come quickly, my happiness is at stake." [[hmm, I guess the role of the host is as much dependent on the guest as that of the guest to the host->cool.]]

[[Submit another response->click here when you're done, and your answer will print in the gallery!]] [[Play again from the start->Passaggio senza titolo]] Anastasia Beasley and Zoë Sydney Snart Club 2021 Special thanks to: Adelio Kilcullen, tech consultant and printer extraordinaire Anne Williams James Adam All the staff of MJAC and MAC Joseph Kilcullen, installation assistant References: Choi, B., Pethick, E., Thajib, F., & Syafiatudina. (2015). TOILET T(ISSUE) AND OTHER FORMLESS ORGANISATIONAL MATTERS. http://kunci.or.id/articles/toilet-tissue-and-other-formless-organisational-matters/ Derrida, J. (2000). HOSTIPITALITY. Angelaki : Journal of Theoretical Humanities, 5(3), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/09697250020034706 Nannup, N. (2003). CARERS OF EVERYTHING. Propel Youth Arts WA https://www.propel.org.au/carers-of-everythinG Sandberg, S. (2016). THE IMPORTANCE OF STORIES UNTOLD: LIFE-STORY, EVENT-STORY AND TROPE. Crime, Media, Culture. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1741659016639355 Smith, M. (2016). GOOD BONES. Waxwing Magazine. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/89897/good-bones

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Welcome! You may have noticed that as strangers in art galleries we tend to ignore each other as we go about our separate journeys.
Click the blue text to explore

Wow that's so true, I'm ignoring someone right now

Hm, there's no-one in the gallery right now

You are Wrong! I always interact with fellow gallery-goers!

I'm doing this from home, you Fool