there are no passengers on spaceship earth.
we are all crew . . .  

philosopher herbert marshall mcluhan  

during the summer, i borrowed a book from lutz koebele. it’s entitled, charas | the improbable dome builders, by syeus mottel

in 1970, r. buckminster fuller was approached by six former nyc gang members who wanted to build a geodesic dome. their idea: to “get into the country, put up a few of these domes, and start living away from the congested streets in contact with nature,” according to fuller. after a few hours, they found themselves having an earnest and important conversation, and the young men of charas decided to begin implementing fuller’s ideas. they wanted to create a program that would develop a sense of community autonomy, reclaim public space and give their lives a newfound sense of purpose. within four months, the charas group had had an intensive study of solid geometry, spherical trigonometry and principles of dome building. they worked together to construct a geodesic dome on a vacant lot below the manhattan bridge. “instead of knocking other people down, with the false idea that somebody’s got to die so that I can live,” fuller wrote in 1973, “the kids and the gangs in the streets of new york are coming spontaneously aware – literate and confident – that there is enough to go around for everybody – that it’s got to be you and me. the movement is in the streets, and it is wonderful news for humanity. the people i see in charas are beautiful people, and their work is the best news i know.”

book | charas: the improbable dome builders, by syeus mottel . . .

1973 pdf | charas: the improbable dome builders, by syeus mottel . . .

charas: the improbable dome builders & the future action . . .

if you’re interested in knowing more about tensegrity & lutz koebele . . .

today is autumn equinox & nancy skolos has a birthday . . .