John: It works beautifully. It's essentially flocking behaviour. In other words, complex groups like flocks operate on only a few basic rules. For flocks the basic rules are:
1. Separation: steer to avoid crowding local flockmates. 2. Alignment: steer towards the average heading of local flockmates. 3. Cohesion: steer to move toward the average position of local flockmates. Use these rules and you can create fantastic artificial flocks. It's the same way with a large group forming a circle: 1. Square yourself to the centre 2. Place your chair slightly behind your two neighbours (it seems strange to think that every point on a circle can be behind every other point, but Escher's geometry was never do easy to play with!). That's it. What happens is that each individual carries those simple instructions and this elegant structure emerges in SECONDS. And then this is often followed by an audible sigh as people experience the transcendent moment. I love doing this especially with large groups. Once I had 200 youth do it and was amazing. They couldn't stop talking about it. Try finding the rules that will get a large group into a square. That would be an interesting exercise. Do it without telling them where the corners should be. I can't imagine that without a table, they would form a perfect square, especially with a facilitator standing in the centre. It would be too awkward near the corners to be looking straight across a row of laps. I'm certain the chair would want to ache inward, like a super-ellipse (thanks Alex!) The learning here is that it seems to me that circles are natural forms of human geometry. We do not have 180 degree peripheral vision, so if we need to take the world in, it has to curve around in front of us. As a result, it is true that circles animate agency, because it feels to each of us as if the shape is there for our own benefit. And we all experience the benefit equally. The world is curving in front of ME, and doing exactly the same thing in front of YOU. Anyway, this is a great thread...keep it going! Chris --- CHRIS CORRIGAN Bowen Island, BC, Canada http://www.chriscorrigan.com ch...@chriscorrigan.com (604) 947-9236 > -----Original Message----- > From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of John > Moore > Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2004 2:23 AM > To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > Subject: Re: Properties of circles > > Chris: > > >From unreliable memory, isn't a circle geometrically the shape that > contains > the most area with a given amount of boundary. So there is an analogy > about > it being the way to include as much material as possible. And that's the > spirit of the circle, to include perspectives not exclude. > > By the way, I found your final element (how the group can make a perfect > circle) breathtaking. I couldn't believe it when I read it, I had to get a > pen and draw an arc to understand it. I assume from what you say that > this > works pretty much everytime you do it. Quite brilliant. Thanks for > sharing > it ! > > John > > -----Original Message----- > From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Chris > Corrigan > Sent: 09 January 2004 23:01 > To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > Subject: Properties of circles > > > Hi folks: > > I was writing out the basic script that I use for opening OST meetings > last > night and while reading it I noticed that I spend a lot of time > introducing > people to the ideas and properties of circles. I think circles are > fundamentally important to process, and so I'm collecting other people's > notes and properties of circles. > > So here is my script with the three things I usually do to bring the > circle > to awareness. Have a read and then ask yourself what you can add to this. > What are the other cool properties of circles? > > Circles are really rather neat forms of geometry because > they force us to have a look at things in a particular way. For > example in a circle, we don't really know who "the leader" is. In fact we > may be forgiven for thinking that the leader is either not here, or is > each > one of us. And as a leader who is not here cannot do anything, it must be > that each one of is a leader. > > Also circles teach us that there are some things that can > only be done by groups. For example, you will notice that this circle of > chairs isn't really a very good circle. It's actually a strangely > distorted > ellipse. That is because for one person to set up a perfect circle of > chairs on their own is a nearly impossible task. But I'll show you a > small > miracle. I'll stand in the centre here and ask all of you to stand by > your > chairs. Now square up so that you are facing me and when you've done that > check to see that you are sitting slightly behind your two neighbours. > Now > sit down. Have a look around. You have just made a perfect circle. This > is > something only a group can do and it took only a few seconds. If I had > had > to do that it would have taken me hours. This is important to note. It's > as if we all carry the coordinates for calibrating a circle within us but > they can only be activated by acting along with several others. > > Finally, here's one more thing about a circle. If I stand > in the middle then you will all agree that you are looking at me. But none > of you will agree that you have the same view of me. You can see me, but > your perspective is absolutely unique. It is not shared by anyone else. > We > agree on the object of our observation but none of us share the same > perspective. Remember that today as we work on these issues. Without > each > perspective we would not have a full picture. If you were all behind me > then none of you could say with certainty that I had a face. By > surrounding > me we have the whole picture, but we have to ask one another about the > pieces that we are missing. If you folks sitting behind me want to know > how > many fingers I'm holding up, you have to ask this person I'm facing. > That's > how it is with problems too. Remember that today. > > > So what else can we build into our openings about circles? > > Chris > > [PS Florian.some of this probably qualifies as "even"] > > > > --- > CHRIS CORRIGAN > Bowen Island, BC, Canada > http://www.chriscorrigan.com > ch...@chriscorrigan.com > > (604) 947-9236 > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, > Visit: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html > > * > * > ========================================================== > osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu > ------------------------------ > To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, > view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, > Visit: > > http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu, Visit: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html