January 28, 2005

Interdisciplinary event focuses on collaboration

By Lewis Taylor 
The Register-Guard
  

"It's not a lecture. It's not a rave. It's not a discussion group. It's not an art show."

Now that you've heard what it isn't, here's what it is: Multiple galleries, theaters and spaces featuring academics, urban planners, musicians and artists. There will also be organic food, massage and "healing."

Some of the featured participants include Richard Taylor, a University of Oregon physics professor who specializes in analyzing the paintings of Jackson Pollock; Alder Fuller, an evolutionary biologist with an interest in the developing field of "complexity"; and Tom Atlee, founder of the Co-Intelligence Institute and author of "The Tao of Democracy: Creating a World that Works for All."

"It's a way to build an experience," Jair says. "(A way) for people to get the idea of sharing and collaborations and to show that there are connections between solutions in art, science and community that the everyday media tend not to present."

Jair, who doesn't use his last name, is fond of finding new ways of looking at the world - and new ways of describing what he sees. He prefers the word "metamedia" to "multimedia" because, he says, it implies there are qualities within all disciplines that can be brought together. He believes "Imaginify" will allow attendees to revise their own "patterns of perspective for thriveable culture" and will address the theme of "free culture."

Beyond all the big words, he says, a metamedia cooperation is about sharing.

"Technology has actually, finally caught up, or is in the process of catching up, to people's capacity to share and to do that in an unhindered environment. That's what the free culture concept is about. The idea that we're sort of all in this together and the more we can share our knowledge base, the greater wisdom we can develop."

No stranger to arts events, Jair studied music composition at the University of Oregon. For his senior recital project, he organized a performance at the Soreng Theater with his music collective, Theurgic Seed.

Jair followed up with a CD and DVD tied to a Web site. He maintains the site and "thriveable community resource network" at imaginify.org.

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