That then we’ll imagine a proposition
& proposing it in the present as an “is” that’s always already
& will be manifest henceforth & wherefore in equal proportion to
its maybe being not so certain then. That is, I want to say a way to (un-)make sense of any state of not-play is–– it must be–– through play.
That we can–– let’s–– see it otherwise also. If it is in use then it
is invariably that thing, & when it is play is both that thing &
some or all of its potential variants. So we can feel it then as if
from the inside sensing the inner still, not even as “or” to it, but
always both ways, all at once. That there is a card on a string &
what’s on the recto & what’s on the verso & the third side that
comes in twirling it. To animate that “what” as what comes what becomes
it.
& to say a place, moreover, its name, well, let’s look it up. Let’s make it provisional-conditional. So it’s for as-ing as much as to-ing, toward making ways all during.
I’m calling it Almost-Although as a way of bringing it about & you upon it. It is a two-month long experiment in community.
&
you and how you already know what it is, which is why I’m asking. This
is the first time we’re doing this, but we’ve been playing all our
lives. We’ve been picturing things to be this & not-this and
ourselves to be knowable & beside that knowability for so long, so
this is a way to unfix. & what I would like to unfix is that we
have these jobs as representations of roles and reasons & how we
know we’re done a job is the thing is done so it has stopped feeding (I
mean both passively & actively doing that; feeding-feeding) as a way
of changing. So to initiate a changeability via collaboration that
annunciates itself so that it dances when it does, it dances what it
undoes. So to try out our own selves as variably, that we might play a
dream of it, to be doing & imagining it all while conceiving
playfully of that simultaneity.
But it’s simple. You are invited to participate in this that is called Almost-Although at Rose Mt Cottages in Shandanken, NY. I
am inviting you to commit to participating for somewhere between 3 and 9
days, sometime in June or July. There are shared cabins for you to
stay in where you’ll have a bed, a little space for your things &
shared bathroom. Or, if you prefer more privacy and/or wildness, there
is ample room for camping. I’m aiming to arrange it so that roughly a
dozen participants are in play at a period & those periods shift
readily in constant overlap. The property where we’ll be is situated in
the Catskills–– really in them–– so that you can take off
hiking directly from your cabin w/ little concern for trespassing.
There’s a studio building that we’ll share–– it’s an old “clubhouse”––
& has large doors for loading materials & electrical sockets for
power tools. There’s a pavilion that sits alongside the Esopus Creek
for performances & more ritualized community gatherings. There’s a
swimming hole just upstream. There’s a grill & 2 shared kitchens
& we can build fire pits & there are picnic tables for sharing
meals. There is no cost to stay at & contribute to enacting what
Almost-Although is & is becoming, however food is not provided.
Transportation is likewise not paid for, but I would like to help in
arranging carpools. Conveniently, there is a bus stop a short walk up
the road from Rose Mt Cottages, where you might be transported to
directly from the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal.
This is the kind of magic thing you want to wear on the outside & the inside. So, you’ll get a pouch for that, if you like.
The
way to participate is by playing three roles. How you conceive of
interpreting them & acting upon them is up to you entirely. You
might choose to be all of them all at once in some moments or maybe just
focus on one. The way it works is this.
ROLE 1: Choose
from the list the role that best describes the way you characterize
your activities ordinarily. This is the role you feel most comfortable
in. This role is also a way of describing your area of expertise.
Hopefully (I am guessing) it is something you love.
ROLE 2: Choose
a role from the list that will mark your intention for your
participation within Almost-Although. You might think of this as an
aspirational role. You’ll notice that the list freely mixes practical
& playful roles. Within this context, they are interchangeable.
You can play a gardener & think of what a gardener might be
like (perhaps like Thomas Jefferson or Rudolf Steiner or like Chauncey
Gardiner or like the dubious physicality attributed to Jesus
post-resurrection when he is mistaken by his weeping lover, or just
maybe not like a man at all).
ROLE 3: This role is assigned. It will be decided either by necessity or by chance or some combination thereof. It is a challenge.
As a germinal gesture, I have compiled an anthology to locate a starting point for discourse, a commons, a summons, a provocation, an embarrassment of perfumery. It is my hope that its reading & rendering might emanate in excess of itself. This anthology is available online as a (very large) downloadable pdf for any interested parties & bound editions are also in the works.
Lastly & quite importantly––hark!, notice!–– you’ll be in touch! Yes? You'll soon receive an email from Almost-Although (almost.although@gmail.com). Respond to this email thusly, w/ A) your selected roles 1 & 2, & B) three
periods during which you would like to participate, in ranking order
from most preferred to also doable. Again, these periods should be
lengths of 3 – 9 consecutive days during any part of June & July.
ROLES
actor
archivist
artist
bachelor
bachelorette
builder
cameraperson
cook
costumer
curator
doctor
gardener
ghost
helper
host
hysteric
interviewer
lawyer
librarian
mouse
musician
operator
poet
preacher
secretary
sound designer
singer
teacher
transient
twin
web designer
witch doctor
Role glyphs by Rachel Jackson.