Instructions for Park Ritual 

Module II of the Emergency Algorithmic Survival Kit (A.S.K.)



Ingredients 
Friends
Concord Grapes
Coconut Water
Lindt Orange Chocolate
Lindt Salted Dark Chocolate 
Colored Pencils
Show and Tell Objects (Object)
Big Piece of Paper (BPOP)
Park Blanket
Nuts 
Dried Fruit


Instructions
I. The Preparation

  1. Invite friends to the park
  2. Invite friends to bring a small show and tell item (Object).*
  3. Lay out a Big Piece of Paper (BPOP)
  4. Draw cardinal directions (North, South, East, West) on BPOP
  5. Arrange friends in a circle around BPOP. Invite them to consider where their Objects would like to live on this map. 
  6. Take a moment. Embrace silence and anticipation.

  • II. The Countdowns

  1. Tell friends they have 10 seconds to place their Objects on the BPOP.
  2. Take a moment. Embrace silence and anticipation. 
  3. Tell friends to consider the Aura of their Object. Invite them to tune in to the shape, color, texture, and Boba - Kiki spectrum.
  4. They have 10 seconds to draw the Aura around their own Object. Expect chaos. 
  5. Take a moment. Embrace silence, silliness, and stillness.
  6. Invite friends to consider the revealed shared topography. What are some similarities? 
  7. They have 10 seconds to draw a bridge binding their Object to someone else's.
  8. Take a moment. Embrace stillness and curiosity. 
  9. They have 10 seconds to draw a word onto the Bridge. It should be the first thing that comes to mind. 
  10. Take a moment. Share your work together. 

*This may be something picked up on the journey over - a pebble, a sticky note, a flower, a twig, a trinket etc.  

[Optional] At any point, you can reveal to friends that these Objects are their temporary Avatars. They represent a moment of time, a fragment of the whole, but never the whole. The bridges are communication channels. Never reveal the process of the Countdowns in advance. Be curious. It is meant to be ugly and silly. 

Lessons
  1. Constraints are the catalysts of creativity. 
  2. The Countdowns let us tap into the immediacy of what needs to be expressed. It lets us tap into what’s right behind the fingertips. Be strict about The Countdowns, and your friends will thank you. 
  3. The hand tells the brain what we need to know. Give permission to scribble. 


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