Social Alchemy Network


Social Alchemy Network Rhizome Commissions Proposal Project Summary: The Social Alchemy Network is an experiment in on-line / off-line social networking for social good. The project utilizes some fundamental internet and real-world social networking tools and technologies, and combines them to create an engaging, fun, and evolving method of individual and collective participation in making positive actions for beneficial social and environmental change. Project Description: The basic components of the project include: • 100 tangible “artifacts” in the form of sub-surface laser etched glass objects. • a custom community social networking website. • an interactive map to track artifacts in space and time. The general idea is to provide people with tangible, durable, 3-dimensional objects that associate to on-line "identities" and histories with other people within the network. The artifacts thus become physical icons of the connections between people and the actions they are taking in the world. The artifacts will be made of crystal or glass polyhedra. Each transparent artifact will have written within it (by sub-surface laser etching) the website URL (“www.socialalchemy.net”), a unique code number (“ABC001”, “DEF002”, “GHI003”, etc), and a 3D image or symbol (such as a tree, a bird, a bee, a globe, etc) within the volume of the piece. These artifacts will be distributed to people at multiple social events in the San Francisco Bay Area with instructions to take the artifacts home, go to the website URL, and enter the unique code number into a designated form on the home page. The web system will then direct the person to an invitation page that describes the project and invites the person to create a community membership profile (with basic personal information). The member’s profile will display an image of the unique artifact that is now prescribed to them. Based on the member’s interests, the web system will offer an arrangement of options to take action in some local sector of social or ecological benefit (simple tasks, such as picking up trash on the beach, or buying fresh food for a homeless person). The member chooses a task, takes a few days to perform the task, reports the completion of the task to the web system, and is then prompted to write on their profile blog about their experience (which can include embedding related images or video). A new arrangement of task options is presented, and this process repeats itself several more times until the member has been “initiated”. The member is then prompted to select another person at a social event, and give the artifact to them. The new person then takes the artifact, goes to the website, becomes a member--and can then directly see the lineage of people, tasks, and stories that have been performed with the artifact that is now in their possession. The new member can also contact and become “friends” with “initiated” members to perhaps get advice on similar tasks previously performed. This process continues, person after person after person. “Initiated” members are invited to donate money ($20+) to produce additional artifacts (which are then shipped to them, or distributed naturally). The theme of the Social Alchemy Network project will play on images, symbols, and terms of the ancient alchemical tradition. The community website will include a home page, a join page, member profile pages, artifact profile pages, and an interactive global map that tracks the time-space locations of artifacts.

Production Budget: Web Developer: $1800 Web Designer, Artist (me): $1000 Content Manager: $300 100 Crystal Artifacts (outsourced): $1900 URL and hosting: already established Total: $5000 Production Timeline (2010): April: Order and have delivered 100 laser etched glass artifacts (6 - 8 weeks delivery) May: Design and develop community website at www.socialalchemy.net June, July, August: Distribute artifacts at local summer events and festivals, and monitor website. Bios & CV: This will be a collaborative project. The following people and organizations will be involved: Michael Gaio (myself) - Artist and Designer : I am a conceptual designer, graphic designer, interaction designer, and user experience designer with nearly 12 years of concentrated experience working with innovative web projects. I've been involved with projects for organizations such as Harvard University, AutoDesk, and the Buckminster Fuller Institute. See my website, bio, portfolio, CV, blog, artist statement and more here: www.michaelgaio.com Alain Bloch - Web Developer : a Ruby on Rails web developer and programmer. Alain is a good friend, and someone I've worked with already on several web projects. He has worked on robust web projects such as www.call2action.com , www.kenwilber.com , and www.peopleandplace.net . See his profile here: www.linkedin.com/in/alainbloch Content Manager (person yet to be determined): this role will include preparing and organizing the task information. This person will likely be a student or non-profit activist who is very familiar with local social and environmental issues. I personally know dozens of qualified people who can fill this role. David Ulansey - Advisor : a professor of Philosophy & Religion at the California Institute of Integral Studies, David has taught classes on the Mysticism of CyberSpace, Alchemy, and Evolution of Consciousness. He is a founding member of www.planetwork.net and www.speciesalliance.org . He website is here: www.well.com/user/davidu The sub-surface laser glass etching will be outsourced (likely to www.lasercrystalawards.com or another similar source). Work Samples: Here are a few examples of projects I have designed, architected, and produced that are associated to the Social Alchemy project: HyperHive: a similar, yet not full realized project experiment produced in 2007 in coordination with Pollen Nation's "Bee-In Social" event (of which I was a Co-Producer and Creative Director). The "Bee-In Social" event, which was intended to bring greater social awareness to the plight of the honey bees, was held at Grace Cathedral in downtown San Francisco, California. Near the end of the pubic event, Julia Butterfly Hill introduced the "artifacts" of the HyperHive: a paper "hyper-flyer" that was passed out with instructions on how to fold it into a small envelope packet which would then hold a handful of flower seeds passed out to each person. Instructions on the packet included the URL and a unique code number. People's assignment was to go home, plant the seeds in their yard, and then log into the HyperHive project website to report on it. Although the event was a rave success, and much was learned from the HyperHive experiment, it was not as successful as it could have been due to lack of development time and funding. Social Alchemy is an opportunity to do the concept right! http://www.pollennation.org/naturalize http://www.pollennation.org http://hyperhive.com Hyper Flyers: in addition to the HyperHive artifact, I have made other types of "hyper-flyers". The first hyper-flyer was a flat paper flyer that could be cut out and constructed into a 3D tetrahedron (with 4 sides). This was made for the "Summit at the Summit" social event in Mt. Shasta, California in 1999. The second hyper-flyer was nearly identical in 3D tetrahedral construction, yet was designed for promotion of my own projects at an alternative technology gathering in Mt. Shasta in 2005. HyperFlyer 1 - Summit at the Summit HyperFlyer 2 - Evolution of Technology Event Flash Maps: I have produced a variety of Flash-based interactive geo-maps, including maps for EarthDance International, Harvard University, the Buckminster Fuller Institute, the Sacred Land Film Project, a Flash Mapping component, an open source 3D globe, and several others. We will likely leverage upon the open source 3D globe for the Social Alchemy project (to plot the space-time distribution of artifacts). Jalaka Global Network Map EarthDance Community Network Map Sacred Land Films Project Map Harvard and BFI: EarthScope Map Open Source 3D Spinny Globe On-line and off-line social networking : Alain Bloch and I have both contributed toward the development of this emerging social media website (which includes some of the elements that Social Alchemy would require): www.call2action.com . I've produced my first social network widget that can be installed on FaceBook, MySpace, and dozens of other social networks easily: http://www.clearspring.com/widgets/497adfb36dac795b . I have personal connections with several founding event producers for principle social events and festivals such as: www.earthdance.org , www.symbiosisevents.com , www.harmonyfestival.com , and several others. Primary: Michael Gaio, CV, Artist Statement "SOLVE ET COAGULA" "Separate, and Join Together", the primary dictum of alchemy.