it seems to be that many of you have very different conceptions of what e10 should be and it is great to read the passion that exudes from the conversation and to follow your thoughts. it seems to me that your individualities should not hamper each of your goals within the collective or as individuals, nor should you obsess about the minutia of choosing a website name or if the word e10 denotes exclusivity. obviously all of your goals are larger, but it is the nature of the blog that there does not seem to be a voice of hierarchy or organization.
three of the most successful moments for this collective have been the field trip that was organized 3 years ago, the trip that many of you decided to take to marfa the following year, and the blog itself (each separated by about a year). each of those events was marked by active organization and action which i think should be the standard for the collective. if a website is a next step, a small organized group should enact it and then filter critique from the entire collective.
one topic that i do not see evolving concerns the physical location of marfa. a website, database, sustainability and discussion are all important, however i do not see how those topics relate directly to the physicality and reality of the small property on philadelphia street. this topic should be addressed in the conversation more. in a way, we were given a grant, and the grant is based upon specific stipulations. in regards to marfa, much of the tenets on which we should base our discussion should involve those of The Adobe Alliance, which are to address issues of earth building, specifically adobe, and and the concern of low cost housing. i think it is within this framework, the framework outlined by the organization who has offered us possible use of this property, that we should address marfa. i'm sure that within this framework we could develop very specific ideas or manifestations and it would be productive to focus within those constraints.
for example, and possibly as one suggestion, within these constraints, each of us could produce a work (an architectural project, photo essay, lecture, exhibition) that relates directly to specific concerns and convene in marfa to discuss with criticality these topics with interested community members, Simone and e10 (new and old), or we could meet in marfa to engage the property with specific goals of documenting, proposing through model or drawing, and acting on the property itself. perhaps the new members (perhaps members is not the right word) of the group do not know the history of how the property came to be or the history of e10, which might be enlightening. i plan on being in marfa within the next two to three months, so perhaps we could try to organize something in marfa.
i hope these thoughts are helpful. i don't always have time to respond so i try to be as astute as possible.
