COZZZMONAUTICA edition in Yogyakarta

Pulau Semesta / Island Universe

COZZZMONAUTICA edition in Yogyakarta

Arranged by Ștefan Tiron

3.4.2018

“The surface of the Earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean. On this shore, we’ve learned most of what we know. Recently, we’ve waded a little way out, maybe ankle-deep, and the water seems inviting. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return, and we can, because the cosmos is also within us. We’re made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” – Carl Sagan, Cosmos

“Pulau Semesta / Island Universe” is an old cosmological theory initially espoused by mystic Swedenborg in which, without direct observation (no tools, no telescopes), anticipated ideas about galaxies/clusters/cosmic filaments. On earth it relates to island biogeography that shaped our understanding of evolutionary theory /Indonesian (Malay Archipelago) ecology & natural history, and species (both human & non human) dispersal as well as mechanisms of speciation (species formation =origin of novelty).

What kind of insularity is possible today? Waters are rising, islands get drowned, how to breach/jump cross over the ever widening gulfs btw various individual isolates data/world bubbles/island continents (and is it actually a thing to look fwd in an era where everything is connected, geo-located, swappable etc?)

Plan:

– fix a common calendar date & appropriate space: KUNCI Cultural Center, MES 56 and Lifepatch (one night from evening to next day when to invite people to sleep over/participate) we have to enquire if that’s possible/acceptable or how eager they are to join such a ‘mini camping’ astrocamp, and then map out the various parts (place to sleep, place for table with books, boardgamer table/floor, place for screen) of a makeshift spaceship inside the chosen space

– contact/investigate all manner of Yogya groups (sci-fi clubs, local zine or publishing houses, gamers, boardgame fans, sky maps collectors, Linux fans, physicist, retired school teachers, hacktivist, spaceship toy collectors, plamo fans, astronomer clubs, artists, scientist, musicians etc everything even remotely related to cosmos, sci-fi, space or the ‘insular’), discuss, invite them to present their work/organize presentations during Cozzzmo Yogya 2018 edition I’ve already came upon Kafe Astronomi these guys seem to be mega organized, have real life tracking log on astro events, merchandise, volunteer program, etc

– tech support we generally need a beamer for documentaries, movies + sound system/mike for speaker and potential musicians (they will provide also sleeping concert music idea is for people to actually sleep in the end during the event) people will also be free to move in & out & also take brakes or in btw

– it is always a free event free sharing of knowledge, nothing commercial, we usually only provided tea (sleeping tea, relaxation), maybe some space cookie sweets and nobody pays for entry fee – ideea is to enjoy this state of half dream half awake during presentations (as opposite to gallery, school or academia setting)

– when program is ready we can start general built-up of habitat (nothing big mostly decorative, lights, glow in the dark type) & announce people to bring friends, family (also children) to sleep over bring tents, sleeping bag’s (guess it’s too hot) for that, mats etc & give diploma next day to full cozzzmo space all night participants

– VERY IMPORTANT: to stay open & attentive with any suggestion or recommendations made locally, respect local custom & conventions & rhythms, should be even say curated locally & strong communal work, I can never emphasize enough that it’s actually only Yogya based on better internal know-how, auto-generated, internal knowledge of friends, word-of-mouth, volunteer, meet-ups, similar needs & common interests, largely an event that’s like small scale more intimate pop/anime/manga convention but with added space/science geek element strong emphasis on fem geek, feminist sci-fi etc intersectional

What is Cozzzmo? Cozzzmonautica has been largely a bottom-up collaborative, traveling, nomadic event, always hosted by local networks of amateur astronomers, space exploration afficionados, former science teachers, sci-fi communes & clubs collaborating with various artists trying to organize a thematic sleep over (with people coming over with sleeping bags, mats, favorite pillows to sleep for one night in the same environment). It is always no- or lo-budget, localized, regional and based on local fandoms, flows of passion, amateur/hobby researchers, informal networks. It draws inspiration from afrofuturism, sinofuturism, Soviet space exploration & cosmism, traditional paleo-astronomy, STEAM(promotion of Science +Arts) initiatives, Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series, failed & utopian space agency projects.
The crux of the event was temporarily transforming various venues into cozy makeshift spaceships by imaginative means – and inviting everybody to tuck in and participate in a series of lectures, documentaries and sleep concerts.
These art & science wonder shows and sleep concerts take place in galleries, regional natural history museums, university classrooms, private homes and clubs under the banner of The Space Agency for Nocturnal Journeys to the Origins of the Universe.
Here is a preview of the previous cozzzmo edition from 2017 in Timișoara, Shipwreck Cosmologies.