Become the change you want to see in the world | SMLXL - Engagement Marketing and Communication principles from Alan Moore

Becoming the change you want to see in the world

September 8th, 2009

Was what I suggested was “my little Do” after I presented at the Do lectures @ Fforest in Cilgarren on Saturday. “My big Do” was asking people to take the language I had presented and use that to challenge what they do, and how they make stuff, both as individuals and as organisations and see what comes out different – and hopefully better.

Do was created by this exceptional person, Dave Hieatt.

Dave Hieatt. Photo by Johnny Moss. http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=do%20lectures&w=67157602%40N00

I have to say, that I don’t think I have ever, been more inspired by so many people – both by those that spoke and those that attended.

It was my friend Howard Rheingold who suggested at a conference recently, that in the networked society, where information flows, that the thing to do is, not to stand @ the back of the queue of information, but to stand in its life enhancing flow. Well, I think that I was standing in a river flowing at full tilt in the green lands of Fforest.

I arrived on the Friday afternoon, and managed to squeeze into the Teepee to hear Patrick Holden (Director of the Soil Association), deliver a compelling and in may ways electrifying presentation on food security. Explaining that our methods of food production, and distribution, combined with the growing concerns over energy presents us all with an acute problem.

Embarrassingly for me, like Hermione Granger, my hand was straight up for questions. In fact I had tons of them. Has food become a deeply political issue? Are the supermarkets actually hollowing out the value and in fact long term viability of food production in this country? Why do people prefer battery farmed chickens over free range in exchange for the life giving properties of lager? Why have the British disconnected from where food comes from, and what can we do about it?

Hilary Benn’s adviser on food policy was there, also asking questions – with a great deal of dignity and understatement, Patrick suggested that perhaps the shadow minister policies were moving deck chairs on the titanic – it was definitely a frank exchange of views.

On Saturday, I got to listen to another extraordinary person Gabriel Branby, CEO of Gränfors Bruks, a company that makes the best axes in the world – his story was about how one builds a successful company predicated on quality and ethics. In his beautiful Swedish lilt he indulged us in his passion.

Gabriel Granby

Take away unnecessary materials and production processes, and add knowledge, he urged us. We even got a wood chopping class. It was like an hour spent with Yoda, albeit with a Swedish twang.

Small forest axe

Tim Birkenhead inspired us about what we can learn from studying birds, which was hilarious and thought provoking.

Next up, was Rolf Potts talking about Vagabonding, a means of traveling extensively, lightly and in deep context of the cultures that one travels through.

Gregor MacLennan, Campaigner for Amazonian peoples’ rights, I think, not only inspired the audience, he moved them, and I think the words, “I am not worthy” sprang at least to my mind. His story of how he enabled communities that flourished in the rainforests, to resist the avarice of mining companies and the complete lack of ethics of the Lima government in protecting its own people, had the entire Do audience leaning forward. Gregor and his team helped the Atwa, I think was the name of the tribe, to first hand draw maps, from memory of their homelands, noting rivers and where they found food, and raw materials, where they fished etc., And then Gregor helped them to begin to take that implicit knowledge, and build that knowledge into maps through GPS that clearly demonstrated, how mining concessions were threatening the very existence of the Atwa.

Gregor, also touched on something very close to my heart, the idea that a people will only be free when they control their own communications. The Lima government brutally put down a peaceful protest by the indigenous tribes of the rain forest, which the Lima government claimed was terrorism and initiated by the tribes people. The film and photos that Gregor’s team managed to publish on YouTube demonstrated the power of Franz Fanon’s words, that a people will only be free when they control their own communications. Now armed with mobile devices, laptops and access to the wider world through communications technologies, these people have greater power to expose those that wish to do them harm.

There was a strange sense that, Claire and Dave Hieatt, had rather artfully, aligned speakers from very different worlds and perspectives that made a great deal of sense. As I was on next, talking about my No Straight Lines project. Highlighting that we are in a communications revolution through which we are renegotiating the power relationships between people, communities, society, organisations and even governments and then Tom Taylor spoke about Post Digital Design

Tom Taylor

Printing newspapers, hacking analogue technology and connecting into into the networked society was powerful stuff, and resonated with my talk which argued that we need to use a new language for the networked society. Tom works through the Really Interesting Group, a multi-disciplinary organisation that does ‘post-digital design’, which is sort of about taking the web into the real world is in my view, great. I did not get to see everyone “;+( But I know that many people left that tent @ Fforest with more ideas than they arrived with, more inspiration, that they arrived with and more friends than they arrived with.

Here is a film that Russell Davis made of what happens when you plug the internet into mass industrial printing machines

the most fun Ben’s had all year from russelldavies on Vimeo.

I was also moved by the people who came, who I met over breakfast, lunch, dinner and a few beers. The food was amazing, and so was the entertainment. Katy Carr, being the highlight for me, who led some serious rabble rousing singing on her ukulele in the Fforest pub. We had a lovely chat before she left on Sunday.