Oct 26, 2009
Sep 8, 2009
Join us at Ecoshack/Fall '09
COMING THIS FALL: Workshop "experiments" at our design lab in Joshua Tree.
3 days, 10 people, lots of creative ideas... Join us.
More info at http://ecoshack.com
• Workshop #1: Oct 1 - 4, 2009
• Workshop #2: Oct 22 - 25, 2009
Ecoshack's 5-acre design lab is an informal place where architects, designers and artists can test ideas, interact with like-minds, and generally hang out in one of the most amazing locations on earth (Joshua Tree, CA).
Workshops at Ecoshack's lab give creative people a chance to get away from the computer and into the world.
WORKSHOP FORMAT
We keep things simple. The idea is to come out to the site for a 3-day period, make stuff (architecture, sculpture, furniture, mixed media, video/film -- whatever), and hang out with other people who make stuff. Each workshop can accommodate 10 people, and is led by Ecoshack founder Stephanie Smith with help from an intern/assistant.
The experience is collaborative. You will work on your own project, but you can also participate in group discussions and give feedback and assistance to other workshop attendees. You will also receive one-on-one feedback from Smith.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
You do not need to be a professional architect, designer or artist to attend. However, these workshops are not focused on learning new skills, and there will be no formal instruction on any particular topic.
The workshops work best for people who have creative projects or ideas and want a place to test them, working alongside other creatives, and under the direction of an "expert" i.e. Smith.
Attend one of the workshops if you:
•like the idea of getting your hands dirty and are looking for a chance to make things
•are looking for an opportunity to temporarily install, tinker with and document a creative project
•want to explore new visual, material, structural or experiential ideas
•value the opportunity to get/give feedback and informally collaborate with your peers
•want to reinvigorate your practice, your approach, or even explore a new career
•want to turn a vacation in Joshua Tree into a creative and interactive experience that could enhance or even change your life
Register for a 3-day workshop at http://ecoshack.com. The $200 workshop fee does not include transportation, meals or lodging.
Sep 3, 2009
Ecoshack Design Lab: Fall Workshops
New Ecoshack website at ecoshack.com
And check out the workshops we're planning in Joshua tree this fall...
Aug 24, 2009
Bolinas 'Free Box' (Ecotopia Road Trip)
Stop 8 on our 'Ecotopia Roadtrip'...
"The Bolinas Free Box is a cultural landmark in the town of Bolinas, California. For more than thirty years, it has been a place where locals have dropped off items they no longer needed or wanted -- clothing, books, appliances, bicycles, and the like -- and other locals have stopped by to browse, in hopes of emerging with a treasure, or at least something useful. Several generations of Bolinas children have been raised with wardrobes coming mostly from the Free Box."
"The original Bolinas Free Box was established almost by accident in 1974. Late one night as they were hurriedly preparing to move out of Bolinas, a young couple dumped a dozen or so large cardboard boxes filled with books, clothes etc. into the unlocked side vestibule of the Bolinas Community Center. When morning came, it was apparent to passers-by that there were some nice things in this soon-messy load of miscellaneous stuff. A local musician named Dharma Badger took it upon himself to organize everything neatly, and make small signs denoting where each kind of item should be placed: trousers, shirts, skirts, shoes, books, and so on. By the end of the first day, several other local citizens had deposited bags and boxes of their own unneeded items, which other locals quickly came and picked through, and thus the Free Box was inaugurated as an essential institution of Bolinas..."
More info
Aug 10, 2009
ECOTOPIA ROADTRIP (Aug 12 - 20) Any ideas?
To celebrate the launch of WeCommune we're heading north.
Ever read the classic 1975 utopian novel Ecotopia? People in Northern California and the Pacific Northwest break from the US to form their own country. We love the book because in Ecotopia, everybody lives in a commune!
With Ecotopia as inspiration we're visiting as many 'communal hotspots' as possible in an 8-day period: Ojai, Big Sur, Santa Cruz, Oakland, Bolinas, Sonoma County and beyond... from Aug 12 - 20, or so.
Know of any must-sees? Should we visit you? Post your ideas (and invites) to the 'Wanna Start a Commune?' FB wall.
We'll Tweet from the road.
These are the stomping grounds of counterculture's forward-thinkers: The Merry Pranksters, The Diggers, Ant Farm, and the "hippies who built the internet." (Don't believe it? Read 'From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Stewart Brand, the Whole Earth Network, and the Rise of Digital Utopianism').
We're gonna honor what's old, experience what's new, and spread the word about what we're up to with WeCommune.
Speaking of WeCommune -- we've launched! Simple tools for deeper community. Check it out at WeCommune.com (click on 'visit our commune' to get a feel for how the system works).
Happy communing!
Stephanie
Jul 23, 2009
May 11, 2009
The Nomad Yurt at 'Gypset Style'
Ecoshack's Nomad yurt is featured in the LATimes:
"The roof of the Palihouse in West Hollywood was the setting Thursday night for a party for a new book called "Gypset Style." The book, by travel and design writer Julia Chaplin, celebrates and profiles chic people who lead gypsy/jet-set lifestyles and travel around the country and the world. They are the new generation of chic beatniks and bohemians...Revelers try out the glow-in-the-dark yurt, designed by eco-architect Stephanie Smith."
Apr 22, 2009
WSAC in 'L.A. 2019: Cults, Collectives & Cocooning'
Ecoshack founder Stephanie Smith and Wanna Start a Commune? are in:
LA 2019: Cults, Collectives, and Cocooning
Opening Reception: May 2, 6-10 pm
May 2-June 27, 2009
LA 2019: CULTS, COLLECTIVES & COCOONING suggests a destiny of collaborative and community based ventures that focus on the group rather than the individual experience. Objects, installations, photography, drawing and video works by emerging and established artists the exhibition explores three themes: real and fictional intentional communities, the power of the collective versus the individual, and sustainable solutions for future living.
More info
Apr 3, 2009
WSAC on NPR
WSAC was featured on National Public Radio Apr 2 '09, in story on "All Things Considered" by Jennifer Sharpe called "A Social Experiment: Communes In Cul-De-Sacs." Listen to the podcast.
Apr 2, 2009
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