Why: Manifesto 1.1

illutron is a haven for innovative thinking between art and technology. The physical location is a rusty barge in Copenhagen Harbour.

Here singing plants grow, and classical music plays together with electronic music.

illutron is a space for adventures and experiments. Artistic and technological frontiers are challenged. Experiments can be based on intuition instead of reason.

Here people are creators, not consumers. Here the audience is participants, not passive observers. Here anything can happen.

Creative thinking emerges from below, as long as a fertile creative environment is fostered, where small seeds can find nourishment and grow roots and flowers.

Technological progress happens in dialogue with the surrounding society and refers to the past and the future. Our art is a joint creative process in a group, a dialogue between the group members and with cultural undercurrents in society. Art involves the audience; they become actors in dialogue with the work of art, with its story.

Illutron offers collective illusions, fascinating illustrations and blinding illuminations, embracing new inspirational stories in and about the world.

We make the works of art and source code available under Creative Commons. We encourage others to expand on our work.

Our work

• Fosters interaction with the audience

• It is a living process and not a static product

• It is based on recycled materials

• Refers to its inspiration in the society

• Credits all involved (including the tea person)

• Make the works of art and ny source code available under Creative Commons.

• Encorage others to expand on the work, as long as Illutron is given credit.

This manifest may not be printed on dead trees, but must be in dialogue with the times/our time and Illutrons members. If it takes on fixed and recognisable form the project has stranded/run aground.

How: Values 1.1

We pull together as team

Handling 500 tons of steel is not possible without everyone having the mindset of working for the common good of the barge. The return you get out of this approach is tenfold. Everyone should trust that everybody else has this mindset as well. Pulling together as a team requires an ongoing dialogue about vision and direction an important dimension that should not be taken lightly.

Support initiative

We strive towards an informal structure. Don’t confuse this with non-leadership. The structure reveals itself through who takes responsibility, and who takes initiative. Make sure to look for good intentions in people’s initiatives and find ways to support or improve their process.

Find your role

Finding your role in this project can be a challenging task. Feel free to ask for help and feel free to say out loud if there is a role you would like to have. Having a role makes the experience much more rewarding. In the end, only you can find your role because it relates to the direction you want to go in your life – the barge has proven many times to be a stepping stone for other opportunities.

Give space and respect different needs

Everyone has different needs – some need a cabin, some need lots of workspace and some just need a hug once in a while. Make sure you give space and accommodate other people's needs. It is your own responsibility to verbalize your needs to the community.

Everyone is an artist hence nobody is an artist

Everybody pulls together to make art and everyone contributes to the art. Therefore the role of being “the” artist is non-existing.

Disagreeing on aesthetics should be done with mutual respect

We are different; we have different approaches and different solutions, which that is okay. This makes the barge project interesting, and no one should feel personally threatened because their style is questioned it should be embraced as an opening for dialogue. The dialogue should be filled with mutual respect.

It is your own responsibility to minimise the burden of the collective

If you use a dish – wash it. If you use resources or buy things on the barge account that is not related to the barge projects it is your responsibility to notify the accountants so they can bill you. Be proactive in everything you do so nobody has to ask you to clean the dishes, pay the bill etc. Make sure to notify the Saturday meeting if you put a burden on the ship that seems out of the ordinary.

The person who acts upon something decides on it

We don’t have time to decide everything together so if you take action and do something you also have the freedom and responsibility to decide on how it should be done. Responsibility in the sense that you should be aware of the common good of the community at the barge. Furthermore it is your responsibility to communicate your plans and actions to the rest of the community.

Sunday meeting is your chance to affect the direction

Sunday meetings should be kept short and effective. Here bigger decisions can be heard in plenum and everyone who is a member has a vote. Decisions on the Saturday meeting should be treated with the uttermost respect.

Embrace newcomers

Every newcomer should feel welcome and feel that they can participate at some level. So smile. This gives your brain endorphins and makes for nicer pictures.