User:LEa/PMOMM

PTMoMNbM 1: Lieblingslöffel (Treasured Ladles, Cherished Scoops)

What is it?

A zine (or a website) that displays drawings of all my favorite spoons. Possibly with a story to them or background info where I got them or where and when I use them.

Why make it?

No matter where I live (or eat on a regular basis), I have at least one—sometimes up to three—favorite spoons. I get irritated if it is missing for a longer period of time. Did it fall behind the cupboard? Is it hidden somewhere in my housemates room? Did it not come back from a dinner party? If the spoon is available but dirty, I will clean it rather than using a different one. Even though I have strong opinions about the spoons I use, I can't tell what makes a good spoon. Some favorites have been light and small, others heavy or large. My currently preferred spoon is really pointy (on both ends!), but a beloved spoon back home is very, very round. I also have favorite forks, but for some reason the shape and materiality of a knife is less important to me. Side note: I love eating out of bowls.

Workflow

Draw spoons. Write about spoons. Talk to others about spoons.

Timetable

This could be a short project, possibly made in a few days or a week.

Rapid prototypes

Draw your current favorite spoon.

Design your ideal spoon.

Describe the last dish you ate with a (any) spoon.

Previous practice

I have made zines before. I have drawn things before. I like drawing everyday scenes or objects. I am interested in story telling and would be curious what stories I can tell based on my cutlery. I have no previous practice relating to spoons.

Relation to a wider context

The spoon theory is a metaphor for the amount of physical or mental energy a person has available to do everyday activities. One spoon represents a small unit of energy, and spoons are limited. The term has been used in context of disabled, chronically ill, and marginalized people to speak about energy management. Some people affected by these conditions call themselves spoonies.

A friend with chronic illness has been telling me about a book they have been reading. Themselves part of the crip community, they wondered how it would be for someone living without disabilities to read about this. Maybe this project could evolve into an exercise for me to learn about chronic illness and how to better support and include struggling people in workshops, activities or social practices that I am involved in.

PTMoMNbM 2: Who's Singing?

What is it?

A workshop about bird sounds: As a group, we walk around with the Merlin BirdID app and identify the birds that are making calls around us. We then imitate the bird sounds with our voices, and in writing.

Why make it?

I like listening to birds, but I don't know a lot about them. To connect with local nature, it can be great to learn about the species that live close by. I also noticed about myself that I am not able to scream out loud, and I am quite scared of using my voice to do anything other than talking (e.g. shouting, singing, imitating humans, animals or other sounds). Recently, I read a post on Mastodon where the author was describing bird sounds by writing them out. This project could be a fun and interesting assemblage of learning about ecology, training our own voices, and exploring bird onomatopoeias in different languages or even scripts.

Workflow

I think this project would not need much preparation. Schedule: Find people to come along, ask everybody to download Merlin, go into the woods, to a field, or just out to the streets. Maybe bring pens and paper.

Timetable

This could be a two to three hour workshop, then taking some time to document and structure afterwards.

Rapid prototypes

Imitate a seagull.

Invent a new bird and its sound.

If you were a bird, what sounds would you make?

Write a poem made of bird calls.

Previous practice

I am interested in ecology and local ecosystems. In previous projects, I have explored psychogeography and walking as a method for artistic practice and research and I feel like this workshop idea relates closely to it. I made field recordings before, and the Merlin app records and saves the audio tracks by default. Walking, listening, noticing.

Relation to a wider context

Not sure, but here are some resources:

• Birdwatching in the digital age: how technologies shape relationships to birds
• Interventions in walking methods in political geography
• Wikipedia: Cross-linguistic Onomatopoeias
• Bureau Of Listening: A Manifesto for Applied Ecological Listening