RADICAL INCLUSION : An Island-Building Workshop

For getting to our one another’s approach to practice and the eco-system of self

Exploring Our Creative Ecosystem: A Journey of Self-Discovery

Duration and Materials

Duration: 1.5 - 2 hours

Materials:

• Paper (A3) and pen/pencil

• A computer (optional)

• Access to a space, either outside or inside, where random materials and objects can be sourced

  
  
  
  

Part 1: Assembling the Bodies

What is a Body?

When I say body, I do not only mean the physical organism. I refer to a body as a dimension of being through which experience arrives, is shaped, gets organized, and acts in the world. Each body possesses its own intelligence and capacity for knowing and experiencing. We often consider “body, heart, mind, and soul or spirit.” Additionally, there is the system of chakras and many other frameworks for understanding the multiplicity of bodies we each contain. Let’s think beyond the known systems.

1. Name your bodies. As many as you want.

2. Find objects/substances for each of them. (15 minutes)

3. Add one more space for the unnamed and unseen bodies.

4. Use the edge of the paper (or a string if not using paper) to create a perimeter around your bodies. This is your island.

   
   

Reflective Questions

• Are all of these bodies a part of your (creative) practice?

• Which of these bodies do you use to present your work?

• Are they the same bodies that make the work?

• Which of these bodies are not allowed into the studio? Or which have you never invited?

  
  
  
  

Part 2: Shaping the Terrain

The Bio Sphere

Your island is an eco-system. It may even have several eco-systems.

Reflective Question: Describe the climate, topography, landscape, vegetation, and wildlife of your island. (8 minutes)

Architecture

Your island is inhabited by your many bodies. Do they live outside in the raw and untouched wild? Are there buildings, villages, or factories? What kind of architectures or infrastructures exist on your island? (8 minutes)

Law

Others will visit your island. Which parts are accessible? Which areas are off-limits? Are there specific behaviors that are forbidden? Must visitors be accompanied? What is the shape of their freedom while there? Will they meet all the inhabitants or only some? (8 minutes)

Temple

Your island has a temple. Perhaps the whole island is one big temple, or maybe there are many temples. What is it dedicated to? Find an object to represent ‘the temple’ and label it however you wish. (5 minutes)

Creation

In your work, do you invite others onto your island? Or do you send out evidence or signs of what happens there? Perhaps you cultivate or produce goods on your island for people to experience elsewhere. (Just a thought.)

The Concept of Fellowship

In the temenos, you will also visit others’ islands. A lot. Each time a person engages in profound listening, it can be seen as a kind of island visit. Sometimes we build bridges between islands and meet in the middle. Occasionally, we even create new islands that can be co-inhabited. We maintain our own islands and ecosystems while collaboratively building a shared world. This is one way to understand partnership and fellowship.

I hope we can build an island together that welcomes all of us, where experiences can unfold that might not occur in isolation.

Radical Inclusion

In my view, Radical Inclusion means two things:

1. Inviting all the inhabitants of the island into the creative practice. Without exception.

   I believe this occurs through the temple as a kind of technology of alignment. If all the inhabitants share the same seed of faith and orientation, nothing that happens on the island is irrelevant. All is enfolded.

   
   

2. Being hospitable hosts when others visit your island.

   And being gracious guests while visiting the islands of others.

   
   

The Art of Hospitality

What does it mean to be hospitable when someone visits your island?

• What qualities might a host possess who has mastered true hospitality?

• What experiences do you wish to provide to others?

• How do you invite people to come?

• How do you encourage them to open themselves to whatever they might encounter on your island?

  
  

What does it mean to be a gracious guest on another's island?

• What qualities should you activate while visiting?

• What kind of impact do you want to have on the ecosystem and its inhabitants?

• What do you want the consequence of your visit to be after you leave?

  
  
  
  

Building Our Shared Island

How will we construct this island together?

• How can we ensure that everyone feels welcome and at home?

• It should be harmonious yet vibrant and promising. Harmony can sometimes be dull. If we’re building an island together, it should be one we all want to visit and perhaps invite others to.

  
  

This island will be shaped by our faith in its formation. As artists, we engage with faith continuously. We proceed with the belief that something meaningful will occur, and then it does. I ask us to proceed with the same faith together, believing that something powerful, meaningful, significant, generous, and exceptional will arise from our time together this year.

If we nurture this belief, I am convinced it will take root in our experiences.

Navigating Our Journey

A simple navigation tool may assist us in finding this island as it forms. I present to you the compass of Love as a tool of orientation. It’s straightforward: ask yourself at any moment, “What am I in love with now?”

For this to work, you must assume you are always in love with something. It helps track where you direct your attention, which is also where you invest your love, resources, and vitality.

• If you feel sleepy, perhaps you are in love with what your unconscious mind holds for you in dreams.

• If you feel restless, maybe you are in love with your freedom of movement.

• If you ponder what to do this year, perhaps you are in love with possibility.

• If you’re wondering when I will stop talking, you might see me as an obstacle, and that feeling of being trapped will grow.

  
  

Love intensifies whatever we focus on.

The Temple of Your Island

Consider the temple on your island. It serves as an anchor for your love. If you continually bring your attention back to it, you will serve that point of devotion with your presence and actions, with or without effort.

Think about our shared island. What would you hope it could be dedicated to? The more curious and considerate we are of one another, the more this island will emerge.

It will require a lot of balance: tending to our individual islands, welcoming others, visiting their islands, and constructing this shared island for all of us.

Let’s take it slow. I don’t want us to force this island or our shared temple into existence. I prefer to have faith that it will form gradually, day by day.

Conclusion

In this journey of self-discovery and creative expression, we will explore the depths of our individual and collective experiences. By embracing our unique bodies, shaping our islands, and fostering radical inclusion, we can create a vibrant ecosystem that nurtures growth and connection.

Let us embark on this adventure together, with open hearts and minds, ready to welcome all that unfolds.