martes, 22 de julio de 2008

comienzos



Yo soy KellyAnne. Viví el año 2007 en la ciudad de Buenos Aires, durante que estuve re inspirada por todos los espacios horizontales, auto-gestionados, y autonomos que encontré en la ciudad y la gran cantidad de proyectos piolas de arte y cultura accessible que uno se ve en cada barrio. Cuando volví a EEUU para empezar mi último año de la universidad en Bard College y escribir la tesis universitaria de antropología me dí cuenta de que linda oportunidad sería poder escribir sobre algo que no puedo aceder por libros, algo que está pasando en las calles, plazas, y corazones de gente en este minuto, afectando y siendo creado por gente que conozco. Entonces despues de un semestre de leer y pensar mucho con dos profesores increibles, estoy de vuelta por los meses junio, julio, y agosto para conocer más, hablar, aprender, y participar.

Estos son los comienzos de un proyecto que todavia no se sabe como va a seguir transformándose. En parte, es mi tesis universitaria, pero lo quiero llevar mucho más allá del mundo académico.

La idea básica del proyecto es una exploración de los espacios autónomos y horizontales en Buenos Aires. Me interesa entender lo que pasó en los ultimos años despues del 2001-2 y ubicar donde están los movimientos sociales hoy en día, ahora mismo. Más específicamente, me interesa la expresión cultural y artistica que sale de estos espacios y como está unido a los objectivos políiticos de ellos: las maneras en que gente están haciendo que su política es creativa y como se incorpora el arte como algo transformativo, participativa, y colectivo.

Este blog se llama, "learning as we walk", que significa 'aprendiendo mientras caminamos', tomado de la misma frase que leí en referencia al proceso de la formación de espacios horizontales en Argentina, poniendo enfasis en el valor del camino y el proceso en vez de un final predeterminado. Me parece una buena manera de pensar en los trabajos que hacen los grupos que estoy visitando y tambien de explicar como va creciendo y cambiando este proyecto mio.

La idea de tener un blog es para que el proceso de comunicación, digestión, y analisis de toda la información y las historias que estoy juntando no sea cerrado y unidimensional, sino que dé lugar para tener aún más diálogo y discusión y esforzar mi mismo a estar mas transparente y ser responsable a la gente acá que me han abierto sus vidas y proyectos.

Cualquier persona que quiere agregar algo (palabras, foto, video, etc.) por favor, hacélo! o mandáme mail a kmifflin@gmail.com

y perdoná mi castellano, sigo aprendiendo....

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This is me: KellyAnne. I lived in Buenos Aires for a year in 2007, during which I was incredibly inspired by all of the horizontal, self-managed, autonomous community spaces I encountered and the neat art and cultural projects that were coming out of every corner of this city. When I returned to the USA to begin my final year at Bard College and write my senior project in anthropology, I realized what an incredible opportunity it would be to be able to write about something that I couldn't read about in books, that is happening in the streets, plazas and hearts of people right now, affecting and being created by people I know. So now after a long semester of reading and thinking and learning with two wonderful advisers, Pierre Ostiguy and Diana Brown, I am back in Argentina to learn more, talk, meet, and participate.

This is the beginning of a project that is still figuring out what it is going to be. it is in part my undergraduate thesis, but mostly something I want to take beyond the academic university system.

The basic idea of the project is an exploration into the horizontal autonomous spaces that exist in this city. i am curious about what has happened in the past 7 years after the economic and political crash in 2001/2 and want to get a sense of where the social movements of Argentina are right NOW. Narrowing that down, I am specifically interested in the artistic and cultural expression coming out of these spaces and how that is linked to other political aims. I am interested in seeing the ways in which people are making politics creative and incorporating art as something transformative, participatory and collective. I am working on getting a snapshot of some of the colors and sounds coming out of these spaces right now and an understanding of what they are excited by and what projects they are putting together.

I am calling this blog 'learning as we walk' after the phrase I often read about used to describe the process of forming horizontal spaces in Argentina, valuing the process as opposed to any final goal. I think that's a good way to think about both the ways that the groups I am visiting work and the ways that my own project is growing and changing. I don't have the answers, I don't even know if I have the questions, I am learning and moving every time I talk with new people and leave my house.

The idea of having a blog is so that the process of communication, digestion, and analysis of all of the information and stories I am gathering is not closed and one-dimensional, but instead to give a chance for further dialogue and discussion and to force myself to be transparent and accountable to the people here who have opened their lives and projects to me.

Anyone who wants to add anything (words, photo, video, etc.), please do: kmifflin@gmail.com

1 comentario:

JennaBeth dijo...

A thought: I sort of feel like the best way to test what you've learned would be to institute a horizontially organized movement in Bard, or NY, or Maryland, or wherever you feel like. But these movements aren't written about or read about much because that's not what they are -- they're about action, and since you've been learning about them through action, you should try and teach about them through action too. ya know? Of course...that makes it into a much bigger project, probably, but didn't you say you want this to be more than a thesis? Like a launch into something? Maybe instead of thinking of it as a thesis, you should think of it as a tool to send you into your next step, wherever and whatever that may be post-Bard. ?

Oh, and I had a crazy dream about Santiago today in a middle-of-the-day nap. I went back to the old fam, and everyone was the same -- Felipe had some lame kinda boring looking girlfriend, Myrna sort of ignored me and Ani was ecstatic to see me. Strangely, there was no giant wall surrounding the backyard, and they had a large white emaciated (think Rapa Nui) horse. Just thought you should know that.
Paz, amor y suerte!