Bababa International Airport Meeting Minutes: 7/09/2010

6pm, Shop 1/101 Young Street, Redfern NSW 2016.

Members in attendance: The Comptroller (Cmp), The Out-Of-Controller (O-o-C), The Fat Controller (FC), The Master Controller (MC). Not in attendance: Uncle Eric (UE).

1. Liquid Commencement: Meeting commences with one bottle of Malibu, one bottle of Coca Cola, and a disproportionately large bag of ice.

Drinks are prepared in the following proportion:

• 1 part Malibu to 3 parts Coca Cola and differing amounts of ice.

Drinks are served in various vessels, one of these is not a cup.

2. Van Secured: FC announces that he has made a booking for the van and that it will be available for use on the following Thursday (14/10/10). It will be available from 4pm and will have to be returned by 5pm the following day. MC will liaise with MM regarding the pick up and transportation of the fridge.

3. Fragments, paper and the grip of a quandary: Discussion turns to the upcoming group exhibition at the Paper Mill. MC mentions the Delphi Method, a forecasting methodology invented by researchers working for the RAND corporation in the 1950's. The method relies on panels of 'experts', who are asked to contribute their opinions on the future of a given trend or topic via a series of questionnaires and mediated group responses. Seeking to balance the power of expertise against the fallibility of an all-too-human psychology, the method reflexively massages the participant's responses until consensus is achieved. Discussion turns to using the Delphi method, or some other method or procedure, to process the information extracted from the global-newspaper-set. Except, where the Delphi Method calls for the engagement of 'experts', BI would instead look to an alternative set of enlisted soothsayers; people without any explicit expertise, but with connections to life and, therefore, with insights into how it might be lived in the future. Discussion then turns to the problem of condensing the idea, could we explicitly gear it towards producing the information component of the Vending Machine? The use of the global-newspaper-set is questioned, with the dwindling of foreign offices and the centralization of news-agencies noted as causing a kind of 'sameness' across the set. Although this is only a hypothesis; it could very well be that when the set is collected there will be an incredible diversity of content, fact and interpretation. O-o-C proposes that highlighting this sameness would serve to comment on it. O-o-C states that he is not interested in making this comment. FC suggest using the exhibition as a launching pad for other back-burner projects such as New Movement & Co. General discussion re-iterating the positioning of the work in relation to the the upcoming vending machine project. Particularly with regards to research, the space would be turned over to the conception and production of the objects. Cmp attracted to the in-built deadline of this arrangement. O-o-C questions the gallery-as-studio model.

General consensus reached on the lack of presentable ideas. No solution in sight.

4. Conscription Curating: Discussion of a curated exhibition in which artist's names are featured on an invitation before an actual invitation to participate has been extended. Thus forcing the curated artist's into a decision, either deliver on the fraudulent promise of the invitation and exhibit, or ignore the dilemma altogether. The exhibition would be held at the Airport.

5. Pide Ordered: Pause to order pide from Erciyes.

6. Reader Recounted: O-o-C relates an anecdote in which TM woke up only to find her partner Samuel Whiteman chuckling while reading the previous weeks minutes on his i-pad.

7. Bike Racks Expanded: Bike-rack designs discussed. MC proposes a design that is not a design at all. Instead of a bike-rack proper (a detailed and discrete form with corresponding conceptual logic and justifications) we would propose to stage open workshops where participants would be invited to set their minds in motion and create their own bike-racks.

Our contribution would be a light-weight, portable design studio containing the means and materials relevant to bike-rack design, with the necessary provisions made for every step of the process. Including digital tools such as computers equipped with the relevant software, paper, pens and a small library. Our role would be to work as instigators and participants in the work shop, ensuring that the venture had mobility, while remaining invisible with regards to the development of the participant's rack-ideas. As a participating group Bababa International would also develop it's own bike-rack.

If the idealism of design could be condensed, and expressed as a desire for the active transformation of the world for the better, then the competition invites a confident and discretely conceived vision of the world as it should be. Our contribution would eschew this certainty, instead opting for an immersion in a positively constituted indeterminacy. Founding the whole endeavour on the potential fruitfulness of deliberation, process and a diversity of outcomes. The aim is to encourage autonomy, agency and novelty.

The expanded designer, the designer of the future, is not an individual with a historical umbilical cord and a set of stylistic intentions. The expanded designer seeks the re-definition of the role of design, opening it up to those who use and animate it - everyone.

Discussion turns to the application. Cmp will research community groups who might be interested in the workshop. FC will do research into materials, including the possibility of a rigorous, production aware approach to how the materials will be selected and deployed. O-o-C and MC will develop the written component of the application, and MC will develop the eight required images.

Application due on the 18th of October.

8. Taco Venture Pushed Forward: Discussion turns to proposed taco stand at GOODGOD. Debate centres around the construction of the stand. Cmp proposes a space-within-a-space, expressing excitement over the possibility of erecting a small awning or roof above the service area. There is controversy over the suitable height for the roof, and whether it would be better to have it low, thus constraining the customer's movement in an interesting way or whether it should allow for free movement. Various formal aspects of the stand are broken down and argued over, however there is a general resolution that the construction of the stall will be largely dependent on the physical constraints of GOODGOD itself, as well as the opinions and wishes of GOODGOD's management.

Pricing is discussed, with some controversy over terminology i.e. should the cash register be referred to as the 'point-of-purchase' or the 'point-of-sale'.

Randomised pricing is discussed, the idea being that on some nights the tacos would be completely free, no money exchanged, only tortillas.

9. Distribution Divided: Discussion of zine distribution with MS. Thursday-Friday of the following week set for the completion of the task.

10. Money Matters: Cmp explains an exchange with LL regarding pricing for web development. LL has made an offer of $700, which, in the Comptroller's opinion, would be fair due to the straight-forward nature of the work. The CMP also floats the possibility that the work may either be more or less difficult than he has estimated and as such, in order to maintain fairness, we should be willing to adjust the fee. Making his meaning clear, the CMP maintains that if we are willing to charge more, then we should also be willing to charge less also. However, this depends on the variables, which remain in a state of flux. Note: Is there a distinctly Daoist approach to business?

11. Catering booklet served: O-o-C draws words forth regarding the upcoming BICSS (Bababa International Catering Service) booklet. He has devised a scheme in which the publication will be organized along the lines of the meals; breakfast, lunch and dinner. The content will centre around the meals, with short essays, images and menus corresponding to each.