Futures of Difference

BARTALK curators James Parnell and Yun Lee have been giving a workshop on working across differences, pulling from their working methods and experiences as organisers of BARTALK.

Navigating differences within work environments and communities can be difficult. In many community organising spaces, there is an assumption that we hold the same politics, visions, and ideas. When proven wrong, these assumptions can lead to fractures and distrust.

This workshop is about coalition building, and exploring and honouring differences between and within unlikely partnerships. We will share historical and contemporary examples of coalition building, discuss problems we face when organising collectively, and through various exercises, practice coming up with projects with new collaborators, and seeing how our differences can strengthen the projects we work on together. 

The workshop lasts 1-3 days and involves:

• Presentation on coalitions
• Collective brainstorming on issues that come up with working in groups
• Identifying working styles and the friction caused by these differences
• Speed dating with different participants to find intersecting interests and working style compatibility
• Brainstorming possible collaborations between strangers
• Finding collective values 
• Conflict Arena game
  
  Past Workshops
  Nov 2024, Collaboration Station, unsettling x Platform BK x de Appel
  Oct 2023, Erasmus University, Rotterdam Arts and Sciences Lab
  Sep 2023, The Hang-Out 070
  Oct 2022, Erasmus University, Rotterdam Arts and Sciences Lab 
  Aug 2022, Cape Town Creative Academy
  Jun 2022, Not Enough Collective x State of Fashion Biennale
  Feb 2022, WUR OtherWise, “Resistance and Movements Capita Selecta”
  Nov 2021, Willem de Koning, Transformation Design
  May 2021, Stroom The Hague