Paige and Octavia sat with me in the Flock House Omaha Project gallery to review their responses to the 7 questions. Octavia explained how a Flock House in a school would offer a unique space that supports creative envisioning and problem solving. Its design is part covered wagon and part earth lodge. These associations suggest connection to nature and mobile living as transition to a new way of living.
Paige spoke about the power of a “fictional future,” such as Mary Mattingly’s vision of a post human, technical adaptation for species survival in the Anthropocene. (Anthropocene – the current earth period during which human activity has the dominant influence on climate and the environment) We are in a period where “everything can go in a different direction.” Our desires are paradoxical, because we are seeking both “seclusion and togetherness.” “The (NYC) Flock House is a “secluded circle” that is “created in a different way” because of the materials they used and its spherical design. You enter it and step into a unique space “isolated from normative thinking.” Yet, a circle of people in the Flock House embodies “togetherness.”
In essence, the Flock House is about “bringing people together to generate new ideas.”
Time spent in the Flock House brings “focus.” It is a state of mind that is “the main driver of success. Mindfulness – being in the present.” Octavia explains that children will benefit from such a space. It will open dialogue about the connection between the “things we want to carry out” and the “mental focus” that helps us lay and keep a strategy for success.
We focused on the “atmosphere” you feel in the Flock House. There is “fantasy,” because the mind freely begins to move in new directions. No distractions. There is relief in open-mindedness. Light comes through the walls, illuminating the space at low levels from all directions. Inventive. Playful.
Octavia is starting to plan a project for her students. This year she will teach kindergarten. Her idea stems from the simple observation that there is “water anytime there is rain.” If we are ready, we can capture the water to use when it is not raining. She is starting to envision a rain barrel project. A useful invention of a rain barrel system, that will also be art – both painting and sculpture.
Recycled materials fit into the school curriculum when projects reclaim and reuse everyday materials, and do not throw them away.
Paige responds to a possible gathering of Flock Houses. “Many creative ideas could be generated by a group of people who are already aware.” It could be “a lot of fun playing music and building fire pits.”
The idea of a portable structure carries with it the potential for mobility and adaptability. It would be calming, if you had to move suddenly, to have a plan, a mobile structure, and a group to embark together.