I'm struck by how much the shoe shop reminds me of buildings in the Pacific Northwest (Washington state and Oregon). I didn't realize how heavily influenced that area was by Scandanavian settlers until I moved there and saw all the old Sons of Norway halls.
Watching your gathering reminds me of the meditation groups we used to have at the intentional community house I lived in in Los Angeles. I always made a big dinner for people before the gathering, and afterward we'd often bust out guitars and have a singalong (or "hootenanny" in our parlance). I think we need more of these semi-private/public types of gathering spaces, where new people can come in and be welcomed into a homey atmosphere. There's a lot of things I don't miss about that community, but the Monday night gatherings are one thing I do.
Thanks, Rebekah! And yeah, that's interesting to hear about the Pacific Northwest. I think there's a whole area of the Midwest that has a strong Scandinavian imprint, as well, although in the days when I spent time in the States, I hadn't yet got to know this part of the world.
There's something important in the "semi-private/public" nature of these spaces. Sam Ewell pointed this out to me, a while back, that for people to step across the threshold into your private home is a big ask. It helps a lot that the shoe shop is somewhere that almost anyone who lived here before 2015 has already been inside. It's a liminal zone, I guess, between public and private. In that sense, Ray Oldenburg's "third place" theory is relevant – one of the bits of The Great Good Place that made an impression on me was his description of how the move to the suburbs after WW2 changed the nature of socialising, the ease and informality of the "third place" giving way to the higher stakes and potential awkwardness of one couple inviting one or two other couples over for dinner and having to spend a whole evening together. (The subject of various post-war dramas, come to think of it...)
Beautiful film Dougald! And your house is excellent! It's interesting to know only a small corner through the Zoom-window, then to see the whole setting like that.
Yeah, it does help to piece the shape of the place together a bit, doesn't it? What I notice is how the space was taking shape over the time that Mattias came and filmed – the last interview bit (where I still had long hair!) was filmed a couple of years ago, when the shoe shop was still mostly chaos, though we had the bookshelves up. And there's a clip with pumpkins on some small shelves stood against a gap in the wallpaper where we were waiting for the big Finnish piece of furniture that once belonged to Anna's grandmother, which is the one I tend to sit in front of these days when hosting calls.
I loved it, and felt a renewed inspiration to create a space in my "village" for this quality of conviviality and conversation. I am convinced that the super-wicked problems are best met, at least initially, with better knowing the land, people and more than humans among us. Well done Dougald and family
Thanks, David. I'm thinking a lot just now about the next phase of the work we're doing with the school, how we identify a pattern language of some of the different kinds of space and undertaking that belong within the field of "regrowing a living culture" and how we could be supporting people who have had some involvement with our work to put these things into practice. If you're around on today's Tuesday call, I'll probably share some thoughts there!
Very excited to hear more of your and Anna's thinking about all of this. I am moved by this work and am endeavoring to support others in this way, through my work at rootconnections.org. Would love to discuss more if there is collaboration that is wanted beyond what is already happening in the spaces you help convene so beautifully.
I just watched the lovely gentle film and it made me feel happy that there are good people in the word trying to do good things. Best of luck with the project.
Beautiful film, well done Mattias and all of you! I hope to be there sometime in the flow of life...looking forward to the Regrowing a Living Culture discussion this Friday ♥️
I'm struck by how much the shoe shop reminds me of buildings in the Pacific Northwest (Washington state and Oregon). I didn't realize how heavily influenced that area was by Scandanavian settlers until I moved there and saw all the old Sons of Norway halls.
Watching your gathering reminds me of the meditation groups we used to have at the intentional community house I lived in in Los Angeles. I always made a big dinner for people before the gathering, and afterward we'd often bust out guitars and have a singalong (or "hootenanny" in our parlance). I think we need more of these semi-private/public types of gathering spaces, where new people can come in and be welcomed into a homey atmosphere. There's a lot of things I don't miss about that community, but the Monday night gatherings are one thing I do.
Thanks, Rebekah! And yeah, that's interesting to hear about the Pacific Northwest. I think there's a whole area of the Midwest that has a strong Scandinavian imprint, as well, although in the days when I spent time in the States, I hadn't yet got to know this part of the world.
There's something important in the "semi-private/public" nature of these spaces. Sam Ewell pointed this out to me, a while back, that for people to step across the threshold into your private home is a big ask. It helps a lot that the shoe shop is somewhere that almost anyone who lived here before 2015 has already been inside. It's a liminal zone, I guess, between public and private. In that sense, Ray Oldenburg's "third place" theory is relevant – one of the bits of The Great Good Place that made an impression on me was his description of how the move to the suburbs after WW2 changed the nature of socialising, the ease and informality of the "third place" giving way to the higher stakes and potential awkwardness of one couple inviting one or two other couples over for dinner and having to spend a whole evening together. (The subject of various post-war dramas, come to think of it...)
My friend Bruce in Dunedin runs a museum in the front half of his house- The Museum of Natural Mystery.
https://www.royaldunedinmuseum.com/
Beautiful. I loved the window washing scene. And the shoes!
Beautiful. The film. Your family. Your home.
Beautiful film Dougald! And your house is excellent! It's interesting to know only a small corner through the Zoom-window, then to see the whole setting like that.
Yeah, it does help to piece the shape of the place together a bit, doesn't it? What I notice is how the space was taking shape over the time that Mattias came and filmed – the last interview bit (where I still had long hair!) was filmed a couple of years ago, when the shoe shop was still mostly chaos, though we had the bookshelves up. And there's a clip with pumpkins on some small shelves stood against a gap in the wallpaper where we were waiting for the big Finnish piece of furniture that once belonged to Anna's grandmother, which is the one I tend to sit in front of these days when hosting calls.
I loved it, and felt a renewed inspiration to create a space in my "village" for this quality of conviviality and conversation. I am convinced that the super-wicked problems are best met, at least initially, with better knowing the land, people and more than humans among us. Well done Dougald and family
Thanks, David. I'm thinking a lot just now about the next phase of the work we're doing with the school, how we identify a pattern language of some of the different kinds of space and undertaking that belong within the field of "regrowing a living culture" and how we could be supporting people who have had some involvement with our work to put these things into practice. If you're around on today's Tuesday call, I'll probably share some thoughts there!
Very excited to hear more of your and Anna's thinking about all of this. I am moved by this work and am endeavoring to support others in this way, through my work at rootconnections.org. Would love to discuss more if there is collaboration that is wanted beyond what is already happening in the spaces you help convene so beautifully.
I watched the film - and it works for me!!! <3
I love Happen Films, and this is a beautiful addition to their work.
I just watched the lovely gentle film and it made me feel happy that there are good people in the word trying to do good things. Best of luck with the project.
Beautiful film, well done Mattias and all of you! I hope to be there sometime in the flow of life...looking forward to the Regrowing a Living Culture discussion this Friday ♥️