indymedia gathering @ seoidíns

by Paul Baynes Wed Apr 27, 2005 20:12

Introductory note:
This is a report back on last night’s meeting. The meeting was not formal and did not have an agenda. This meant that it was liable to wander off into random areas of discussion.

Nonetheless, the meeting was very valuable. It solidified the indymedia concept for me, and I found the discussion very instructive. Interaction in cyberspace alone is certainly worthwhile, but it is limited.

The following is an attempt to order what happened into some kind of minuted format based on my own memories. I would welcome responses from others who were present.


MINUTES:
1) MEDIA / INDYMEDIA
This meeting was billed as an indymedia gathering, but in actual fact the meeting had two strands, essentially: indymedia, and the Dolphin's Barn community gardening initiative; these strands were interwoven somewhat. There were about 10 people present.

We began with a discussion about how best to utilise indymedia to publicise the community garden. We will continue to keep a diary of the progress of the community garden as we have been doing. However, it should be remembered that the garden is primarily a physical undertaking. It is a form of direct action rather than something to be discussed. But there were several useful suggestions about a consistent, definite system of disseminating reports of our progress.

Dunk showed a 6 minute video about the indymedia centre which was set up in 2004, in the region of Mountjoy Square. We had a discussion about the media in general and indymedia specifically. Some topics:
• Successes and failures of indymedia centre May 2004
• How to engage local community
• Sustaining contact with local community
• The nature of news – how people interact with the news; what is news? *
• Accessible news
• The word 'media' is simply a plural of the word 'medium'; a medium is simply a means to transmit a message *
• The use of printflares, audioflares and so forth. eg during the bin tax campaign
I am not best placed to give an account of this as I was not involved at the time. Nonetheless, again the discussion was instructive.

There was also an interesting technical discussion about open publishing. Again, someone else would be best placed to report on this, as I was not following the discussion closely. I also was one of the first to leave.

As stated in Dunk’s posting above, there was also IFSO software which was kindly donated (but I don’t think it WAS Ciaran…)


2) GARDEN:
The meeting also served as a forum to discuss the continued development of the community garden. A few of us who are involved were able to answer questions and inform people about how things are going, some of our goals, etc. Everybody present gave some of their ideas of what the point of such a community garden is, whether they had actually visited and dug this particular garden or not.

I am not going to name anybody who was present in deference to people’s privacy, and to the fact that indymedia appears to be largely anonymous. However, I did keep track of everybody’s ideas and responses, and a selection follows:

The point of the garden is…
• To build community *
• Making use of otherwise unused land or an otherwise wasted space
• Essentially, to make a park
• To show that people can work together
• To show that people can organise themselves and achieve something together
• It allows people to get their hands in the earth
• To grow food to eat
• A form of god – getting sustenance from the earth
• To tend food and know where it comes from, as opposed to getting it from a store and not knowing any of its background
• Garden works when the community is involved
• Being in the earth is a grounding personal experience
• Garden as a place to play / relax / drink alcohol / work / think / eat / etc.
• Garden could form part of greenway through Dublin city encompassing Phoenix Park, Botanic Gardens, and the two canals
• Garden could contribute to making Dublin an eco-city
• A space for art and creativity – murals?
• Trees and plants surviving in city in the midst of concrete is an end in itself
• A car free space (all too rare)
• An indymedia angle
• Garden to engage people – see below:
• To engage with community
• To engage with each other
• To engage with nature
• To engage with god (though not all of us believe in him / her / it / them / me)
• Physicality of garden helps to ground the abstract, eg ideas of community

The example of another garden in Barcelona was given, which sounds like it merits a full indymedia feature to do it justice – essentially, a mental hospital which was vacant for 54 years was taken over by the community.


CONCLUSION:
Anyway, that’s about it from me. As I said it’s not a mental exercise. At 1830 tomorrow (28th April 2005), we’re going to do some community gardening. All welcome. I will conclude my unashamedly subjective account by saying that I ignorantly stuffed my face with two large plates of Seodín’s fantastic food.


* In the interest of full disclosure: one of my personal hobby horses/pet issues



LINKS:

1) Re: tree walk:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69290

2) Re: opening of community garden (12th April 2005):
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69341&condense_comments=false#comment104938

3) Re: gathering at community garden (14th April 2005):
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69380&condense_comments=false#comment105149

4) Re: initial workshop for community garden (3rd April 2005):
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69248&search_text=grassroots#comment104530
(see post further down the page entitled 'Community Gardening: how to do it')

by dunk Wed Apr 27, 2005 02:40

we had a good night
@10 attended, IFSO ciaran gave out free software
again lovely food was had and good talk
we showed mayday workshop film from lastyear from the media centre

by R. Isible Tue Apr 26, 2005 17:28

It's hard to know what would be. Dunk is a regular contributor to indymedia.ie for a long time and is as much part of it as anyone else. That's the point of Open Publishing.

Dunk has taken a very valuable initiative which is all part of the spirit of active participation and doing things for yourself. The more of this sort of thing the better.

However, no one speaks for indymedia.ie (including me, this is just my personal opinion as one person involved in one aspect of indymedia.ie).

by Cheeky Tue Apr 26, 2005 15:30

Are saying, Anthony, that Dunk's initiative is a personal one and doesn't have the collective agreement of those involved in running indymedia, namely editors, technical people and whoever else?

by dunk Tue Apr 26, 2005 15:21

IFSO (irish free software organisation) will be there this evening and will distribute free software to those that want it
http://www.ifso.ie/index.html

the IFSO gnu playing its harp

by Anthony Tue Apr 26, 2005 14:52

.. about this event, it would probably be best to email Dunk at [email protected]

by Paul Baynes Mon Apr 25, 2005 18:40

7.30 in the pm.

Hopefully see you there!

by In the dark Mon Apr 25, 2005 17:54

What time is the Indymedia night at Seoidín's house?
(Come on guys: you've had to be asked the where and the what time).
Seeking enlightenment.

by Anthony Mon Apr 25, 2005 14:56

The address is 23 Inchicore Road, about 6 houses after Kilmainham gaol. It used to be a shop but is now a private house.

by questioner Mon Apr 25, 2005 13:48

A map would help

by . Mon Apr 25, 2005 03:51

is it?