Cometes

From the beginning of our residency in Santa Mònica, the guild participants engaged in various dynamics to cross-reference our interests and our research. One of the practices was the search for quotes that somehow pointed to issues we wanted to work on. We imagined that, if we extended this to the other groups, we could generate conversations and exchanges within each working group, and facilitate dialogue and the generation of ideas together.

Cometes does not pretend to follow conventional academic standards for citation, which raises questions about the very nature of citation: what is considered appropriate to cite and what sources are perceived as valid? Is it possible to quote a meme, a comic or an oral story? To what extent can academic formatting detract from the same quote and content?

BACKGROUND

- A project with different working groups. It is also adaptable to one working group with several people.

- The materials needed according to the type of materialisation decided upon. In our case, a person to design and do the layout for the sheet, the necessary printing services, microphones and consumables.

INGREDIENTS

1. Invite different groups or individuals to look up their quotes. We recommend that each group ends up selecting a maximum of five.

2. Compile all the quotes from each group and arrange them in different ways to get a first feel for how they interact with each other.

3. Convene a joint meeting and do a read-out with everyone involved. If you consider it appropriate, make a collective map of quotes.

4. Choose the format most appropriate to what you want to convey. In our case, it was a printed format, with 33 sheets of different sizes and colours and a cover page, to make it easy for each participant to create and bind their own set of quotations. We also included microphones, so that participants could read the quotes aloud.

5. Choose a time to meet or a cultural event where the dynamics can be deployed.

6. Make or order the design and layout for the sheets. If you have chosen another format, make the versions that best suit your purposes.

7. Carry out the creative action. 

STEPS

In relation to the format, it would be interesting to experiment with different adaptations of the prototype: with a fixed table installation where to consult Cometes, with a web page that functions as an archive and at the same time allows the different quotes to be remixed in a digital space, or with an extension of the quotes to a large format, such as posters or canvases.

We also propose translating the quotations so that they are available in the main languages (in our case, Catalan, Spanish and English), as well as making audio and Braille versions.

Finally, we also propose to repeat this prototype once a year, in order to generate an archive that will allow us to keep track of the group's role models over time. 

RECOMMENDATIONS AND ADVICE