Science-Artificers Guild, Int'l, 2010

JOIN US: SAGI -- a Nonlocal Action Thinktank -- invites you to network, collaborate and collectively dream, design and build exemplars of Cultural Rebirth with us as we envision and embody the future in the present. Let's create practical exemplars as the foundation memes for the next few decades. What visions of ourselves do we need to actively embody to ensure our survival as we move forward?

SAGI offers exemplar projects for the hot futures of a New Renaissance as an alternative to Apocalypse. It is a vision rooted in the negentropic forces of life itself. Let's transcend boundaries in diverse fields, including durable lifestyles, political theory, health science, intelligence, macrohistory, women's studies, art history, deep economics, ethics, medical best practice, communications theory, and more. Today's research challenges are so complex it takes many minds to find viable solutions. We urgently need new options for collective participatory wisdom. SAGI is one such option -- may we commend it to you.

VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY: The transdiciplinary Science-Artificers Guild, Int'l (SAGI) is a glocalized association for artists, scientists, engineers, artificers, mentors, healers and others interested in work that crosses the artificial boundaries separating contemporary arts and sciences as well as the divide that separates thinking and doing. Together, we form a Virtual University or Subversity of Scholar-Practitioners.

SCI-ART FUSION: We feature illustrated articles written by artists and scientists about their own work as well as articles by historians, theoreticians, philosophers and other researchers that are particularly concerned with issues related to the interaction of the arts, sciences and technology in contemporary society and their contribution to a positive creative and sustainable future society for our grandchildren.

Negentropic Futures: In today’s complex and turbulent world it is vital to have artful futurists who can collaborate on collective projects, focus on action codified in exemplar projects and validate actions towards a better world. Unfortunately current ‘education’ systems focus almost exclusively on the individual learner and have separated the learner from the praxis of the lived life. Furthermore classrooms separate the learner from design, production and integration of learning into community life.

Future Perfect Tense: SAGI argues that overcoming this separation of thinking and doing is one of the key challenges for modernity and in futures in particular. We applaud wider application of "Intern" programs, learning while doing. We encourage mentoring at every scale in every niche opportunity. Ideas at the leading edge of culture cannot, by their very nature, be adequately reviewed by conventional peer review processes. There is simply no one there capable of graspng the concepts adequately. But those who can, DO...

Subversity: The periphery is a source of power in terms of new research directions. Smaller universities are vital in this regard. On the outer periphery are independent scholars and further in are 'pracademics' and in the inner sanctum the 'career' academics with little or no 'outside experience.' Incredible skills and enthusiasm are possessed by those effectively excluded from the conventional University system by the systems of exclusiveness and preciousness so dear to the academic profession. Universities are no longer relevant in that the public sector, banking, armed forces, large corporations etc are all downsizing. Part-time work and associated 'multiployment' is in the increase. The informal sector is booming. We encourage 'Polyphonic Multiversities.'

DEFINITIONS: We may be able to meet this challenge as ‘Artificers’ - innovative individuals who look forward wisely and solve collective problems today through applying their ingenuity with what is available. Integrating thinking, doing and being in ancient times was called Poiesis and in Medieval times ‘artificing’ and today can be seen in Action Learning and the Artificer.

Artists in Action: Many artists in this technical age are faced with perpetually learning new protocols for artistic production. Several media require elaborate production knowledge and technical skill. Much of this leading edge tech has to be self-taught, then unique applications in art may be discovered. One needs technical craft to produce digital fine art, for example. Today's artist also has to find and meet commercial and competetive goals in promotion, marketing and design.

Practicum: Blending personal and business acumen in the enterprise of your life. The four principles, as well as examples, of the Science-Artificer approach are discussed including their exemplar projects. Finally, the importance of the Artificer approach to ‘futuring’ and creating living breathing examples today of a future our children can live with is emphasised and collaboration sought. Having a product in demand now means you're dead in five years. The University system cannot solely answer 'how can we then live?' (note live not think). A system of learning needs to be practical and respond to the huge transdisciplinary and intergenerational challenges upon us such as:

• environmental and economical
• social, ie crime, violence and unemployment
• ethical, ie from genetic and biophysical engineering
• from 'classroom teaching' to 'elsewhere learning'
• artificial intelligence and the web

Research Training: To be real you have to get out in front of the competition and indeed even the customer. Not so far that the customer is lost sight of but rather far enough to be able to explore alternative futures in which the customer may find herself in 20 yrs or so. Further the conventional academic qualification ie the PhD is in many ways inappropriate for professional students ie the 'business' of business is lateral thinking, decision making in turbulent environments, compromise, constant innovation, rapid and decreasing product development cycles, multi management etc. None of these readily fit into a conventional PhD.

A Science-Artificer or artificer learner now may be defined as:

someone who while being deeply and broadly technically skilled is reflexively orientated and who ethically and participatively explores the big picture and prioritises, chooses, designs and enacts forward wisely by creatively developing prototypes towards a world transformed. [Paul Wildman 15-12-03]

French: Bricoleur - A bricoleur is a ‘Jack of all trades or a kind of tinkerer, a professional do-it-yourself person.’ There are many kinds of bricoleurs - interpretive, narrative, theoretical, practical and political. The bricoleur produces a bricolage - that is, a pieced-together set of representations or components that are fitted to the specifics of a complex situation [closest English equivalent – tinkerer – though usually used disparagingly]

French: L’esprit Accor – is the art of blending skills, of combining traditions of the past with the modern innovation, adding the generosity, discipline, imagination and warmth which can carry our work to a higher level of excellence. L’esprit Accor then is a transforming vision of success (the closest English equivalent is – efficacious magnanimousness/morale – 20 per cent fit).

Critical Futures Praxis – here futures related praxis is used to problematise or criticalise the present.

Futuring – proactive action research to establish actual futures oriented demonstration projects today – to show that a different future is possible. This may be termed Futuring ‘acting ahead wisely’ and is called in this study Artificing commonly know as Artificering. Here reality is established through enactment that is the braiding of thinking and doing. Certainly in terms of futuring this research project suggests that a Artificer approach may be seen as one direct application or manifestation thereof.

Intentional Action Research - in this concept action research is directional and intentional in that it anticipates a change in the status quo and works from that perspective backwards

Communicative Action - Communicative Action refers to active citizen engagement in discourse-ethical dialogue with diverse others in order to develop actionable outcomes towards a better collective world.

"Compassion is the deepest form of memory." --Eve Ensler

SAGI THINKTANK

“The concept of learning is changing from an emphasis on cognitive learning only to one of linking learning styles, seeing connections in dissimilar ideas, and applying new knowledge in new ways. This group will dialogue about how learning can meet the needs of the present through hands-on action, and, at the same time in parallel, focus on creating new knowledge for the future.” ~Wildman

Founding Members:

Paul Wildman, Ph.D., Australia
paul@kalgrove.com

Iona Miller, CHT, United States
iona_m@yahoo.com

ADVISORY BOARD

Paul Henrickson, Ph.D., Malta
<prh@tcp.com.mt>

Leane Roffey Line, Ph.D., USA
<leane@polymathix.com>

Laurence Gartel, Digital Pioneer
<gartel@comcast.net>

Leutrell Osborne, Sr., CIA veteran
<iiculture@mac.com>

David Valdez, Musicologist, USA
<d.valdez@comcast.net>

Robert Pope, Science-Artist, Au

Paolo Manzelli, Science-Artist, Italy
<pmanzelli@gmail.com>

SAGI Annual Conferences

2009 -

GREY LITERATURE Prize

Each year SAGI awards its choice in Grey Literature, i.e. that which exceeds the bounds of conventional peer review.

** Changing your mind because of emotion - that is faith.
** Changing your mind because of thinking - that is philosophy.
** Changing your mind because of facts - that is science.
**Changing your mind because of manipulation is mind control.

Science-Artificer

FROM ACTION LEARNING TO ARTIFICER LEARNING

Artificers then may be seen as a type of action learning that:

· Focuses on the learner, not only the thinking (academic education) but also action (although much action is seen as ‘behaviourist’ vocational education), such that it…

· Draws from experience, yet is proactive and intentional, towards a better world and…

· Embraces the overall Design process covering Idea | Design | Implementation
(I | D | I): including intelligent understanding of the basic concept; prototype design; establishment and critical reflection on subsequent outcomes by…

· Embodying the agency of the learner; not only in seeking to address structural issues/projects but is also…

· Directed to the good of the person and the good of society (integrity and ethics) i.e. virtuous action towards the good (of) society by…

· Linking action directly to the priorities from the ‘global problematique’ and is concretised in an exemplar project or master piece, that…

· Moves from praxis to poiesis i.e. from doing to making and shaping, i.e. action as prototype development, for the general good through a focus on critically informed instrumental action.

Artificer Learning or Artificer Learning then is a form of action learning focused on the learner - who learns by making or shaping an action decided on collectively and intended for some particular application towards a better world. Such learning is always threefold – internal to the learner (integrity, values etc), external to the learner (ethics and how the world works), and bridging between the two (dexterity delivered content).

PAUL WILDMAN SITES

http://www.kal.net.au/

or a more direct

http://www.kalgrove.com/adultlearning/

Paul Wildman [Kalgrove Pty/Ltd - http://www.kal.net.au/ ]

PO 73 Northgate 4013 Brisbane Australia

ph +61 7 32667570. Mob 0412027818

Bush Mechanic in other languages Ummanu http://www.piney.com/BabGloss.html The Seven Sages, who wrote the great epic poems such as those of Erra and Gilgamesh in the Babylonian epics. ‘Ammenon, another of the forms into which Enmenluanna was corrupted, is in (1) Akkadian ummanu, 'artificer,' 'artisan,' which, when translated into Hebrew, becomes Kenan and in an abbreviated form, Cain.’ (George Barton). In the Apocalyptic literature Jubal, Jabal, Tubal-Cain and Naamah are all summed up under the name Genun. Pilikam, [(2) Sumerian ‘with intelligence to build.’] In (3) Babylonian Semitic it would be literally Ina-uzni-eresu, or, ummanu, ‘artificer.’ The (4) Hebrew translation of this is Kenan, which means ‘artificer.’ Also Melamkish gives us the Hebrew Lamech by the simple elision of the first and last consonants. Langdon makes the suggestion that Lamech is the Sumerian, Luma, an epithet of the Babylonian god Ea as the patron of music. (Barton, George, Archaeology and the Bible, p. 323). No. 4 on the list, Ammenon is the Babylonian Ummanu, meaning ‘artificer,’ and is the equivalent of Kenan (Cainan) which means ‘smith.’ (5) Hindi Jugaadu – artisan. (6) American – farmer astronaut. Juggad. n. an improvised or jury-rigged solution; inventiveness, ingenuity. Jugaad literally means a work around, which have to be used because of lack of resources and will power. This is a Hindi term also widely used by people speaking other Indian languages, and people of Indian Origin around the word. Jugaado/Jugaadu a person who practices Jugaad [see http://www.jugaadu.com/ ]. (7) French bricoleur. In (8) ancient Greece a word also often used for craftsman was demioergos (public~demios and productive~ergon). (9) Japanese daiku – the carpenter the great among craftsmen he is the master builder and the designer through the use of his carpenters sketch book where ideas, prototypes and experiences are recorded via. Tatami layout (tatami are floor units that link all rooms in a common denominator were originally a mat the size of two men sitting and eventually came to mean the whole floor unit of about 1x2mtrs) sketch of floor plans which is drawn by the family that will live in the home in conjunction with the daiku in order to achieve Enfilade [old French – to thread a needle - from Sennett (2008:259&263)] The sequence of, interface and flow between, rooms of a house so that one room yields gracefully to another – based on floor plan and door design, generally with a vista down the length of the building viz. Queenslander hallway ~ in all a crucial aspect of architectural design. Other terms: sub-altern, demiurge, practical philosopher, futuring, critical futures praxiser, anticipatory action learner, Prohairesist – Greek for one who chooses ahead wisely – (Bushie extended to acting ahead wisely); one who practices Poietal knowledge ((10) Greek) viz. producing – forming and making and therefore designing - i.e. artificing; Phronesisist – Greek for one who practices wise action, practical wisdom (Bushie actually!!) ethical praxis. Creactivist (Paul Wildman).