Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Flying kites and balloons for aerial photography engages people in ways often not considered, as the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (PublicLab.org) demonstrates. As an ideal, Publicly Initiated Scientific Research (PIScR) is a way we engage in research creating new ways of knowing and understanding, of exploring and doing, of tapping into our potential and of giving rise to unheard voices. As Gertz and Justo argue in their book "Env. monitoring with Arduino": understanding brings knowledge and with knowledge comes the power to make decisions that can change our lives for the better - from holding polluters accountable, campaigning to lower electricity and gas bills, to getting to know ourselves again for the first time! Our role is to untap the potential of people to address issues that are important to them; to acknowledge and push for a belief in people - in their abilities, their skills, their passions, their knowledges; which at the moment is highly undervalued and underestimated. Play is a key component in our work at Citizens Without Borders: engaging with individuals and groups through play it is not only the way we learn but it also builds memories and experiences harnessed in enjoyment for doing something close at heart; it makes us feel a part of something greater. When engaging with DIY technologies and engaging in DIY research there is a very powerful element at work - there is genuine joy when learning that you are able to do, sense, or create something you did not think you could, especially, when you have made the invisible visible with your own hands. Playfulness embodies a sense of "involvement and detachment, self-expression and self-transcendence, individuality and cooperation" (Gwen Gordon, 2013). Boundaries become fluid, defences dissolve and give way to spontaneity. I believe that it is in this context and with this attitude that exploration and experimentation for discovery in publicly initiated scientific research can be kindled. It is important to continue giving impetus to this by creating playspaces because many people are already taking initiative in solving their own problems, they are ingenious and resourceful, imaginative and creative - and they know the power that knowledge can bring.
Citation preview
the playspace of
@UCL_ExCiteS | @CwB_london
publicly initiated scientific research
…an initiative within Citizens without Borders and Extreme Citizen Science
Symptoms of State &
culture
Status of Science
(Self-)trustCognitive / technical mastery
stature of science
symptoms of society
self-trust
Touch|Play|LearnDIY for community engagement
squishy circuits
from DIY to DIT (doing it together)
Helium-filled
weather balloon
camera
Balloon Mapping
Explorerof the Worldplayshops
DIY: doing it- discovering it- designing it- yourself
Exploring borders
through arta new grammar of artistic expression
a new grammar of expression
PLAY
TRUST
UNDERSTANDING
…let’s FACILITATE
…let’s VALUE
…let’s ACKNOWLEDGE
DIY manifesto• DIY = empowerment & sense of ownership• DIY = independence• DIY = creativity• DIY = understanding of things and taking
charge• DIY = the right to choose• DIY transforms consumers into contributors• DIY is saves you money!
…in Extreme Citizen Science
we commit principles of participation and inclusion, openness and acknowledgement, collaboration and creativity
we encourage a science that reduces barriers, increases democratic participation, recognises the importance of each participant and allows all voices to be heard
Extreme Citizen Science is science by citizens, where anyone, regardless of their background, can take ownership over and investigate issues that are of concern to them to bring about meaningful change
“…it is a kind of science that questions the state of things”
contact: [email protected] website: www.ucl.ac.uk/excites
