I will soon be publishing a case study about my work with the ‘Media Sandbox‘; the new commissioning scheme run by iShed based on a communal open innovation model supported by (basically) free social software tools and structured using blended facilitation techniques. We ran the launch event in November 2007 and are now in the ‘open innovation’ phase.

One of the tools we are using is an open mailing list which is there to help the projects at the core of the community share their work, research questions and findings, problems and other stuff with a wide open audience and vice versa.

We are deliberately not ‘actively facilitating’ the list or the comments on the research journals on the site in order to gain as natural an idea of what tool is good for what, and what people like to use, and what type of interaction different people like. A report will be forthcoming later in the year about all this stuff, but in the meantime, a brilliant list occurrence occurred:

Wall artwork at Duke of York pub

One of the projects’ members, Dan Course from Thought Pie is working on a thingie which helps people pass ‘happy packages’ to eachother around the city, so is naturally interested in where people feel happy around the city. Very sensibly, he asked the mailing list the following question:

“Hey Media Sandbox, We’re thinking of locations around Bristol where you’d feel a sense of Happiness for being there, I’ve got a few but would really like to hear what makes you happy….These are mine:

Top of Cabot’s Tower, just made it up the steps and the view!
Middle of the downs, must be doing something pro-active
Top of Park Street, just cycled up it
Suspension Bridge, too nice
Asda’s CD rack, I’m gunna buy some new music
M32 sign on the M4 West, I’m nearly home!

It could be anywhere and anything! Also, I know somethings are a very personal happiness but would love to hear those you feel fine to share…”

The response was really very touching so I’ve copied it below. Asides to being an interesting research point, potential future meeting locations for the group, classic example of brilliant mailing list use, this was a coming together of people living around Bristol who simply wanted to share things they like about the region so I thought I would copy it here.

Here are the lists’ replies to date:

Ed Mitchell

Walking up stoke’s croft looking at all the ‘street art’ graffiti and ongoing debate taking place on the walls that the PRSC have put up (apart from their worrying tendency to use it to advertise stuff)
Walking around welshback around the docks
Coming over the top of richmond road montpelier at the end of a long run when I suddenly see all over south-east bristol as a view
Watching my cat sit on the neighbour’s garden shed and growling at the birds flying overhead
Eating lunch in saint nick’s market
Going to ashton court festival (ahem)
Running around the docks in my lunch breaks
Going to the cadbury pub and bumping into friends serendipitously
Strangely – turning off the m4 when I used to drive and knowing I’m home
Walking around the mendips, chew valley, wye valley
Climbing in the climbing centre in saint werburghs
Climbing outdoors
Camping at nearby beaches, farms, mountain sides

Dan Dixon

That bit on the M4 just before I turn off onto the M32.
My back garden when the sun is out.

Saint Mary Redcliffe Church

Vanessa Bellaar Sprujit

Walking under the arches
The crossing just before Picton Street (mainly because of its graffiti)
The tunnel on the way to the Eco Houses and Farm in St Werburghs
The Docks outside the Industrial Museum
St Mark’s Road Sweet Mart
Gorgeous surf beaches less than 2 hours away
Renato’s and King Street + Queen Square in the summer
The warehouses on Welshback
The Bristol General Hospital area
Developments like the Pro cathedral and the fire station >>> need more

Tom Bennett

I love that little bridge between the Arnofini and the Watershed. Especially at night, crossing it from the Arnolfini side.

Wall art
Carole Bemant

Talking of bridges, the little painted bridge in Montpelier overlooking the rail track nr Fairfield School premises!

Fiona Haser

The camera Obscura takes all my votes

Annie Warburton

Neopolitan ice cream coloured houses in Totterdown and Cliftonwood – impossible to be unhappy amid so much colour
The very name Totterdown.
The playfulness of street names: There And Back Again Lane. Zed Alley
The alms houses by Christmas Steps
Walking to the Downs and hearing lions roar
The hills – being forced to look at things from a different angle at every turn
The tilted rocks of the Avon Gorge – imagining the tremendous force to create such angles
The serenity of St. George’s
Bristol laid out glittering as I turn off the M5 at night
The majesty of Avonmouth’s abandoned industrial buildings

Pig at Saint Werburghs City farm

Mark Leaver

Driving down Fremantle Road towards the blue house
Walking down Nine Tree Hill to Stokes Croft
The butchers then the greengrocers then the bakers then the secondhand bookshop, Gloucester Rd
Squirrels at Brandon Hill
Going over the Suspension Bridge
The game bloke at the farmers market
Cranes = change

Becky Pratchett

Running along the Pill cycle track through the Avon gorge
Picnics and reading weekend papers on the downs
The view from the top of the Trenchard Street carpark
Arts trails – great for nosing in people’s houses
The deer at Ashton Court
Walking in the Mendips
Half marathon day
Getting the ferryboat to the Nova Scotia and drinking Thatchers outside on summer nights
Drinking Bristol Beer on Grain Barge and watching boats go by
Summer evenings sitting outside Arnolfini with friends (drinking again…)

Dan Efergan

Standing on the ferry, heading around from Watershed to the SS GB, in the morning as the sun’s coming up.
Walking up Picton Street, saying good morning to the various characters (Italians, Mary, Café ladies)
Skating down York Rd on spring mornings (but anything outside on spring mornings is great)
Looking out from my apartment (above Werburgh allotments), particularly on windy nights when the trees are making great sounds
Sneaking out onto Tobacco Factory roof
Cabots Tower

Projection on the being knocked down Tollgate House

Xavier Keeling

Things that make me go aaaa..
Borders in the evening – coveting the picture books and old tv dvds.
toy shops
fireworks night on Windsor Terrace – magnificent, especially with hologram specs
kites on the downs
Camera Obscura – watching kids laugh pointing at tiny little people
view down on suspension bridge from downs
cider nights out, where you get to see the happy wacky side of bristol folk.
bomb-lobbing teadybears (and other great graf images)
having giggle in back room in duke of york with friends
watching competitive neighbours having garden wars, always amusing

Tarim

Anywhere you can see the Green Light on the horizon. It took Tarim nearly 20 years to discover what it is…

<spoiler>

It’s a very tall pole with a green light on it! Located on the site of an old beacon and the place of Wesley’s first outdoor sermon, near Kingswood. It was missing for much of last year because it had to be
replaced and Tarim hasn’t seen it over the past few weeks – but he’ll be really happy when it’s back

Vicky Brophy

Three or four green lights in a row e.g. around Temple Meads roundabout (it is possible!)
Roads shut at festival time e.g. St Paul’s Carnival kicking off at Portland Square
View of Clifton from a hot air balloon – particularly Park Street (it looks flat from above)
Gardens of Phillip’s House in the Uni Grounds (spent many a sunny lunch break there)
Clifton suspension bridge bouncing up and down underfoot when loads of people head home at the end of the Ashton Court Festival (although think they may ban it these days)

Lamppost writing