Culture(s) of the common - Commons Lab

This Project aims to gather the terms and concepts forming the Culture(s) of the common. If defining a concept means to outline its meaning with key words and show the implications of its use, building a dictionary means to bring a new life and feature the abundance of common wealth. The project does not assume a new philosophy, but embraces multiple points of view and the diverse traditions forming the common. We certainly not aspire to create an unpaid work and are enthusiastic about the economy of the gift, the possibilities of task distribution, horizontal organization, collaborative practices and the transparency of wiki mechanisms.

In order to develop this project, we are aware of the need to make it accessible in a reasonable amount of time. Our experience tells us that there will probably be a need for a further and active involvement among the participants in putting more energy into the different tasks. In addition, we admit the difficulty of finding a “do” the minimum and sufficient that can continue the basic storyline of the common.

In the same manner, we would like to conceive this project (book/web) as a political instrument, a brochure with a common use. The search of a balance between education and dissemination is the substantial part of an initiative that aims to conclude in the next eight months.

For this, there are three work phases/methods:

Phase 1: Workshop

Those interested in the project will gather in a workshop celebrated in MediaLab-Prado, where Commons Lab takes place. Here we will make  first decisions and assign responsibilities, such as elaborating the first ontology (a list of approximately 200 words that would configure the initial core of the dictionary), to define a school of “ontologists” (the ones guarding the words, the ontologists, are to ontology what a gardener is to a garden) and also produce a style manual.

Phase 2: Wiki

Each author will be engaged in the writing of the first definition of a series of terms, as well as an index that organizes the various contributions from different project members may want to offer.

Phase 3: Book

Once the eight-month foundational period is concluded, the wiki will remain open to collaboration among the whole world, including members and non-members from the original team, and will continue to grow as a “Commons” project. Simultaneously, the initial body of work could be published (release 1.0) in a book (with an open license book and a free accessible pdf) in order to achieve new interpretations and forms of complicity that are different from the ones generated though the web