Short Abstract:

Let's explore the experimental, heterodox and imaginative world of labs and open formats that get us together. We will discuss their relevance as pedagogical spaces for ethnographic experimentation and the need to document these methodologies so that they may travel, learnt and reproduced elsewhere.

Long Abstract:

Let's explore the experimental, heterodox, imaginative and improvisational world of labs and open formats that get us together. Meetings are one of the fundamental mechanisms for the circulation of academic knowledge. And yet, despite their relevance, in these exchanges we usually resort to the most conventional formats: paper presentations, round tables, etc. This lab has a twofold goal. First, we aim at discussing the relevance of meeting formats as pedagogical spaces for the apprenticeship of ethnographic experimentation. Second, we argue for the need to document these meeting formats so that they may travel, be learnt and reproduced elsewhere.

Hence, this lab is organized in three parts:

i) 'Lab is not blah', an open discussion foregrounding the value of these formats as ways to experience and share ethnographic practices, along with the need to document them in order for them to become learnable and teachable. Some already produced documentation will be presented, you may find it here: https://colleex.wordpress.com/colleex-open-formats/

ii) We will experiment with the Postcards and Ethnography format (by Mascha Gugganig) and it will be accompanied by an modest 'impromptu' exhibition that serves as a point of departure into further discussions around experimental modes of the ethnography.

iii) Hands-on part, we will propose participants to get involved in documenting some of the labs in the conference (we will approach them for their collaboration in advance). The documentation will be later shared in a second informal meeting during the conference.