HOW DO WE POWER A TEMPORARY AUTONOMOUS ZONE?
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PROJECT OVERVIEW
The term temporary autonomous zone (TAZ) was coined by poet Hakim Bey who envisioned individuals standing -- for moments in time -- on land ruled only by freedom. To Bey, the creation of a TAZ is the act of empowering a people. It enables individuals to transcend formal structures of control by creating their own boundaries and systems of existence. In practical terms, a TAZ is a group of individuals with a collective purpose, who devise their own rules and courses of action. For this project students were asked to envision a real situation in which the creation of a TAZ would be necessary. Project groups chose from five general categories: pandemic, natural disaster, war, protest, or off-gridding. They developed plausible details for their TAZ situations by engaging in research that established historical precedent for events similar to their own. This research resulted in a descriptive context that begins each group’s story. Fictional examples of temporary autonomous zones were presented through the reading of novels; students incorporated characters from these novels into their own fictional scenarios. You will hear bits of those scenes performed today. Project groups were each charged with determining how the people of their TAZ might meet their seven basic needs for shelter, water, food, health/security, waste management, heat, and communication. They researched the array of possibilities, applied those possibilities to their unique situations, and made informed and collective decisions. These decisions are depicted in the posters and descriptive explanations you will hear today. Finally, groups assessed the various ways they planned to meet their needs, isolating one need that required the generation of power. They devised a viable method for this power generation, drew up plans, created prototypes, revised and re-drew those plans based on new knowledge gained by prototyping, and eventually began to build. The hands-on learning process was underway! For many, this phase of the project presented the steepest learning curve, demanding perseverance, innovative thinking, and a true growth-mindset. Today you will see the results of these real world skills in the form of wind turbines, solar water stills, methane collection, solar energy capture, and even a steam generated engine! |
BLOG PROMPTS
Blog #1: Initial Observations on Group Dynamics Last week in IC you got a taste of what it's like to work with your new group members. Think back to the two blocks in which you tackled your first benchmark and sought your first sign-offs. What aspects of your group members' personalities and/or work habits came out that were worrisome, hopeful, surprising, or otherwise notable? Discuss your thoughts around what you observed. Remember to use a diplomatic tone, and to leave out all names. Blog #2: Enhancing your TAZ Now that you have decided how you will provide your TAZ with the seven basic needs, it is time to figure out how to enhance your TAZ. This could mean coming up with additional (perhaps non-essential) options for filling your intentions, or for providing for your seven basic needs. In short paragraphs, come up with more items that need to be powered in your TAZ. Describe the different ways these new items may be powered and explain how they would contribute to life in your TAZ or help you achieve your main intentions. Blog #3: The Pros and Cons of Project X Discuss your thoughts. What are the positive and negative aspects of the Project X system at NWP? Back up your opinions with support. Blog #4: Your Executive Functioning Read about the following skills called "executive functions." Which do you excel at? Which do you struggle with? Give concrete examples from your own experience to explore how these play out in a project. Blog #5: Not-a-Blog This one really is not a blog. Still, it should be done on your blog document, and will be checked off as a blog on the IC Checklist.
Blog #6: Making it to Exhibition The exhibition is on May 9th (only 11 IC days away!). What will be your key challenges in meeting this deadline? Be specific. If you will have no trouble at all, discuss how that situation came to be. Give specific examples. Last Blog! #7 Answer one or more of the following questions:
SPOTBLOCK RESOURCES
Mathematical Systems
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