Ingleisando November 23, 2006
Posted by felipefonseca in : Egonet , trackbackI am part of MetaReciclagem, an open network of
people who develop projects applying a de-constructive
approach to technology and media. The project was
created in 2002, and since then has developed a
number of different actions all around the country.
MetaReciclagem grows with independent labs that
we usually call “Spore”. Anyone who understands
what MetaReciclagem is about can create her own
lab and join the network. Actually, one can be part
of MetaReciclagem by joining a mailing list, that is
a pretty much open way to do things, heh?
In 2004, I applied to a call by the Waag-Sarai fellowship,
and have tried to develop a structural approach to
MetaReciclagem. That’s when we realized is nature of
an open network:
http://metareciclagem.org/material/waagsarai/metareciclagem_en.rtf
From then on, a lot of things have been developed…
a lab in a public park where everything is recycled,
where we would re-assemble old computers (painting
the CPUs and doing other things like a big 9-screen
linux desktop), deliver them to social projects and
host workshops for the community of Sacadura
Cabral:
http://metareciclagem.org/gallery/v/santoandre/parquescola/?g2_page=2
http://metareciclagem.org/gallery/v/santoandre/sacadura/
Then the city administration has changed, and we
created a lab downtown São Paulo, in Olido Gallery.
We have successfully developed a lot of projects
and articulations there, until the new city administration
realize we were there and start asking for paperwork
of our volunteers (they have hired three people, and
there always were around 12).
During that time, we kept ongoing conversations with
the Ministry of Culture, which led to the creation of
the “digital culture” action of the Pontos de Cultura
project:
http://www.cultura.gov.br/sys/skins/cultura_viva_capa/img/cartilha_cultura_viva_en.pdf
(PDF)
For the implementation of that project, we have had
a series of gatherings all around the country. Among
more practical subjects like multimedia with floss,
adminsitration of cultural centers and online tools,
we would have “metareciclagem workshops”, in
which the participans would get screwdrivers and
invent things. But the best part is that the people
responsible for those workshops are people who
have done a lot of great experimentation, experienced
on open source tools such as puredata and others.
One example is the ground piano, built with really
low-tech sensors (made out of aluminum paper and
old computer keyboards):
http://estudiolivre.org/el-gallery_view.php?arquivoId=1849 (video / ogg-theora)
This year, we have lost our lab in São Paulo, mostly
for political reasons - we have got closer to the Minister
of Culture, and the city administration is on the hands
of the rival political party. Now we are planning to
create, starting on january, a laboratory that will
focus on low tech media experimentations. There
are MetaReciclagem projects happening in different
parts of the city, some of them poor communities
such as Cidade Tiradentes, where we are, next
week, starting an experimental wi-fi project. What
we lack is a space with open access to call everybody
who has ideas about media appropriation to play
around with donated computers (which we get
every week).
Cidade Tiradentes:
http://www.amcidadetiradentes.hpg.ig.com.br/tiradentesd.jpg
There is also my presentation at WOS4:
http://blogs.metareciclagem.org/fff/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/Metareciclagem_wos.pdf
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