When I started this Point of Sail project one year ago, writing briefly about my friend Piper’s advice, “Start where you’re at”, and estimating that 2010 would be a “good year”, I had only a few simple ideas of what the year may hold. I love this about our universe: It takes such simple looking seeds of information and intent and develops intricate ecosystems of ideas, story, and living forms.
Now, reflecting on all that grew out of a year of uncertain floating (ship log), securely docked 20 miles south of San Francisco, swimming in ideas, imagining, despite some harsh realities the possibilities for an emerging ecological era, all-the-while still searching for meaningful, gainful employment, I am often bewildered as to where to start. The exercise of writing here is like trying to write down a wild dream, mid-dream, in order to remain lucid. And like an index finger may revolve around it’s nearest ear, I have come full circle.
The notion of “starting where you’re at” and two other notions my friend Piper relayed to me, have rooted, blossomed, and re-seeded since last year. These notions and the generally accepted dynamics of living systems and ecology (namely Positive Feedback, Self Organization, and Emergence) have bubbled up to the surface of my attention. Starting where I’m at means more than “looking to the moment”, it also means looking to the place.
Thomas Berry, in his book, “The Great Work” talks about this as the importance of understanding our “ecological geography”. I am attracted to this idea both as body of work I can contribute to (e.g. drafting ecological geographies), as well as a guide to being present on the Earth, as Thomas puts it, “in some mutually enhancing manner”. The idea of ecological geography is where I’m at.
This geography shows us more than the structure of the planet, it provides a basic understanding of the interrelated systems in which we find ourselves. It is an art which has been centuries in the making, and may now finally be coming to fruition- just in time.
A 14th-Century nautical chart of the Mediterranean Sea.
The Opte Project’s “graphing” of the internet (see lead image) offers a broad sketch of the immense complexity, and familiar beauty of our fledgling informational ecosystem. The maps the project produced have captured many people’s imaginations. As a part of the Creative Commons, they have been presented in a variety of contexts and are part of the permanent collection at The Museum of Modern Art.
Creative processes and technologies are emerging to describe ecosystems of all kinds, in all kinds of ways.
Ecosystem model of Caribbean reef foodweb- from the Pacific Ecoinformatics and Computational Ecology Lab (foodwebs.org)
To fully embrace this art however, to give it meaning in our lives, consideration must be given to the structure, function, and interrelations of all ecosystems: living, informational, and industrial. It attempts to tells a deeper story while allowing us to derive our own meaning- our own true sense of place.
Conceiving of ecological geography in this way, I have been looking for signs of it in the world around me as well as on the web. It’s popping up everywhere, and developing rapidly.
A Google Images search for “Ontology” will open the door into a state of the art. Ontology- the study of the nature of being- is currently merging with the field of Computer Science…
The beauty is that the information age, a product of the industrial age, may be what allows us to properly understand the controls and impacts of our societal systems- enabling us at an individual level to collectively and effectively steer this ancient vessel of human presence. At least, that’s the dream.
So, I’m left to wonder: as a humble drafter with 6-years experience drafting, modeling, and rendering architectural bits of the industrial ecosystem, how can I help?
Until that point when employment marks my place, I will be splitting my time living aboard the Bruja Dulce in Redwood City and living in the Sierra Foothills at Skyline Eco-contemplative Retreat Center. In both places I find myself amidst a sea of possibilities. I feel open to following whatever trails beckon me into this emergent ecological era; whether graphical or physical in nature, whether by hire, by further study, or by my own rambled blazing.
Karisa will be moving to one of these areas in the late Winter. We’ll be together, somehow, and maybe we’ll begin some collaborations of our own.
point of sail 