Chapter 3
“Movement and expansion.”
         Losing the Kotema property at Narbethong was a sad and difficult time, for all those who had made a connection with the land and community there. But from this has come an even stronger determination to acquire land as a community rather than via the generousity and hospitality of individual members.
      Our experience at Narbethong has shown us that the pressures on the individuals in these situations and on the community as a whole are untenable and certainly unsustainable.

          The hospitality, love and nurturing given amongst and to this emerging family, by those who also gave us welcome on the land itself, will never be forgotten nor underestimated.

          It is our hope to show in all that we do, our thanks to Russell for our name, and our love and appreciation to Monika for the multitude of small and large ways that she has enriched our lives and community.



The Black Spur Road
Painting by Michael Smith
          These words, I suspect no words can express our appreciation for this extraordinary gift, better than our actions do.
         And so, after much sorting, moving and gifting, we begin our farewell journey across the mountain, the last trailer is loaded and we travel down the beautiful Black Spur road, through the magnificent trees, mystical light, and past St Ronan’s Well.
         On the way to new year ConFest 05/06 in early December, the Gypsy Kitchen found itself at Folk Rhythm and Life festival at El Dorado. We arrived at around 5:30 pm with no clear idea of our proposed function there, and were introduced to the organizers; Hamish and Bill. We were asked if we would be able to provide dinner for around thirty of their volunteer crew that evening.

         I almost wish that I had been a witness and not a participant of the next few hours; as benches were erected food was unloaded and preparations for the meal begun as the tarps were drawn up and anchored above. As the burners were set up and gas connected the pots were full and ready for cooking. Around two and half hours from our arrival, we had unloaded and built a kitchen, prepared a meal and had a crew of hungry volunteers sitting around us eating a nourishing meal, the first of many that summer.


Excerpt from Community News-Letter, December ‘05

“Dear Friends,
         We are very nearly moved out of Kotema; the property at Narbethong, with the settlement date just days away at the time of writing this, thanks enormously to all those who have assisted in the relocation of the vast collection of “stuff” that had accumulated over the years there. We farewell this special place with some sadness but we also are energised with the excitement of the new possibilities and opportunities that are presenting themselves almost daily. We are in the process of establishing ourselves in St Andrews where we have found a warm and loving welcome.

The Gate House at St Andrews


         Recently some community members attended the Folk, Rhythm and Life Festival at Bilyana (www.bilyana.com) near El Dorado and established a Volunteer’s kitchen or care centre there.
Much thanks to the truly impressive festival organisers for giving us this amazing opportunity. As well as having a rollicking good time we have further explored and perhaps partially defined what it is that we do and where we may be able to take that next, there is much talk of more festivals and more volunteer care centres in the not too distant future. Probably the most delightful part of the festival were the gorgeous human beings we encountered there, the generousity of spirit, effort and resources shown us by the festival organisers, volunteers and participants will long be treasured and remembered.

         As for the immediate future, Kotema (whoever we are) will be establishing a communal kitchen at New Years Confest as we did with the Gypsy Kitchen at Easter Confest ’05. The New year is already bringing us much change, movement and growth and we look forward to welcoming it in with you all.”

Joy,
Kristen.

A Community With Theoretical Underpinnings

       The philosophical underpinnings of the Kotema Community entail a Systems approach to manifestation. In this way the philosophy of natural science and cultural creation coalesce.

         The Systems approach is respectful of the fractal nature of manifestation – from the stable systems of the sub-atomic to those of the Galactic Super Cluster.

         The Systems Culture merely aligns itself with the principles evident in other stable systems. Life is taken as the principal systems metaphor for the Kotema Community.

         Kotema Community is seen as a protective membrane within which cells (see Kotema Community Plan) self organize.

         Kotema Community sets a perceptual environment as well as a physical one. People are happier and healthier when they do what they always wished they could do and if they feel others will benefit from their actions. So Kotema Community gives permission and assistance with initial energy, afterwards leaving the new cell to self organize within the protective membrane of the Kotema Community.

         Currently there are several linked cells operating within the membrane of Kotema Community. These include the St, Andrews Home Base, The Gypsy Kitchen, Kotema Fire Circus, Market stalls, Jewelry making, Web Site construction and maintenance, Acoustic Music Nights, Recorded Music Production and handcraft production such as Fire Toys, Dream catchers, Devil Sticks.
         Both the St. Andrew’s home base and the Gypsy Kitchen are model workshops of the Systems approach.

The Gypsy Kitchen is a Community Kitchen Workshop that travels to festivals, starts a cooking process based on what ever food it takes or whatever the organizers kindly donate or what the festival goers themselves bring to the kitchen.
         Once there it begins the workshop starting from the ground up building and planning around the features of the land, hauling tarps and tying ropes in an atmosphere of play. Enthusiasm spurs enthusiasm and before long a functional kitchen is operating. Within three days the members of the Gypsy Kitchen Crew take a back seat and watch the systems spontaneously self organize as hundreds of people feed each other.

 
        The St. Andrew’s home base is designed around the more static system dynamics of Eco-systems. Each niche is a self-contained area of self-responsibility. The environments are largely pre–set but the notion of organic transformation is understood. Each niche develops in response to its primary occupants and the niche they occupy affects each primary occupant.

         This brings us to the main subject of this discussion, that of feedback. These dynamics of the interaction of the environment and the occupants are also systems. But whereas many systems are obvious as in the case of the niches or the occupants themselves, the systems of feedback are less so – being processes.

         The above feedback dynamics are known as upward and downward causation, the effects of the component on the system and the effects of the system on the component respectively.
         The process of feedback is spontaneous self-organizing system and acts as a regulating system within a system. Feedback is the process by which a larger system informs itself. Feedback is the communicative glue that determines the stability of the system.

         Feedback operates in all stable systems. Without feedback there is no system. Feedback is more fundamental to the existence of a system than the components themselves.

         Mediation is a term associated with feedback and can be understood here as that force which unites the opposite polarities. From the outset, for us humans, experience is mediated through our senses and their associated feedback processes. Mediation and feedback then are concepts of high importance if one is attempting to emulate natural processes in a community.

         Allowing systems to be self-organizing whilst facilitating the early feedback processes is part of the fabric of Kotema Community. In a spirit of free play and permission, connected systems spring into being. Systems transform into cells with perceptual membranes of their own.

          While protected by the larger Kotema Community these cells are able to remain open and continue to inform, mediate and feedback within their own systems and within the larger Kotema Community and on into the wider network of related communities.

“Report” on New Year ConFest“
Gypsy Kitchen - ConFest … New Year 2006-2007
         After weeks of preparation if not actual planning the “Gypsy Kitchen” lands at one of the cooking fire circles on the Moulamein confest site.
A half dozen of the regular kitchen crew have already spent time on the site… getting the feel of the land and helping to evolve the festival layout.

         During the weeks that follow the cup day weekend gypsy kitchen folk assist a small but dedicated core group of D.T.E. volunteers with the first new site setup in three years…
3 trailer loads of kitchen infrastructure are towed to the site…
 Slowly the kitchen begins to take shape…   

…Tarps to cover a large open space
    …Dishwashing to the front… where everyone can see…
        …Food Storage constructed…
      Our Coolgardie worked even better than we had hoped
         …Food prep benches
            …Gas Fittings
                …Plumbing and tap wrangling
          …Chill out and ‘lounge’ spaces
        …Compost
     …Lighting
Hmmmm what else to remember…
Hmmmmm What more to imagine…

         By Christmas day there are about 40 people on site… and the water is connected to the kitchen… by the end of Boxing Day there are maybe 150 people on site.
         As people join the Kitchen core crew, often bringing their groceries in with them, our food store swells and a-bun-dance begins.

         Day one;
the Gypsy Kitchen is perhaps half set up with much of it laying like a life size jigsaw puzzle on the ground around us… the bones are there waiting to be fleshed out.
         The aim?… well… to feed ourselves… of course…
But more than this… much more…
         It’s an open invitation to become involved in an organic community process…

         Everyone is offered the opportunity to contribute to the overall well-being…
         In their own way and in their own time…
To feel a valued part of the community around them.
         For many… this is a rare experience.

         Cooks, dishwashers, chai makers, musicians, floor sweepers, the healers and coffee perkers, the magic makers and cake bakers, people to oversee our temperamental generator, change empty gas bottles and fine tune our plumbing, erect the tarps and install the lighting… create and rake our fire circle and collect wood, clear and wipe the benches and deal with the rubbish, the food contributors and food contribution sorters, the tea towel launderers, the cushy fluffers and shopping trippers, the ice carters and esky cleaners, the raft builders, signwriters and the compost angels… and most important, those with the time to lend a kindly ear or word and touch hearts with others and help them find their niche amongst a chaotic but self organizing and functional community space

         There is no one in charge but there is always someone there to pass on the knowledge, to answer “How does this work?” or “where is the grater?” someone with the presence of mind to keep an eye on safety and hygiene. Or someone simply to notice when another seems unwell, lost or alone.
         A few days into the festival there is a network of people aware of the function of the kitchen and the well-being of those within the space. A network of care within atmosphere of play and acceptance .The only noticeable example of unacceptable behaviour removing it’s self from the site as the community network responds.

         The Space has a vibrant life of it’s own now, word of mouth spreading the ‘Kitchen Lore’ amongst it’s occupants in a quiet and subtle way. Those of us who initially knew where everything is and how it works now search for the grater like everyone else, the kitchen having evolved truly now into a fluid community system… an entity far transcending the sum of it’s pots and pans.

         During the day of New Year’s Eve there is a spontaneous gathering to prepare a feast… more and more and more food arrives, people new to the gypsy kitchen this confest have now become key information hubs, enablers and motivators. The feast is magnificent, varied and seemingly endless… and yes there were volunteers to wash the dishes at 3am New Years morning.


         At the end, as the market packs up more food is gifted, potentially feeding pack up crew. We were well supported by D.T.E and Confesters alike during the pack up process.”

 

Much Thanks to All
Michael & Kristen

To Be Continued....