Floating Lab

Before Floating Lab Collective entered the room I began to reflect on the collaborative projects completed in our class. As the group began to speak I immediately noticed the humility and sincerity of the members. I can not remember the names of the Floating Lab Collective members but I recall the ease and relaxed energy within the group. I wondered, 'How can a group this big function? How do they measure success? How do they finance the projects?' Floating Lab Collective seemed concerning with social injustice, world peace, freedom of speech and many more public and personal issues in the media today. 

I was most fascinated by the Protests on Demand. The group gave a voice to many concerns that remain closeted in the homes of many residents. The community had an opportunity to share their issues with the public. Floating Lab Collective is a resourceful group. A local artist created the colorful large heads for a thesis project and gave the heads to Floating Lab Collective to utilize. I enjoyed the color scheme which was intended to unify the group and set the group apart from the usual crowds in the district. 

Below are a few notes from the presentation, I was most concerned with the measurement of success for projects. I desired to know how this large group functions and how they gain the trust of community members. 

- Authenticity is key. In order to gain trust from the community the group must do what they promise. Never exploit the people of the community. 

- Group members must remember that there is more than one author or creator of a project. Everyone is building on each other's ideas. The project belongs to the group and not to one individual that may have initiated the thought or creation of a work.

- A group is stronger in comparison to one person. There is strength in numbers. People are always more accepting of a group than a single person. 

- It is always good to reach out to the community. 

- Always document work using voice and visual devises such as a camera or recorder.

- Keys for a successful project include coordination, participation (lots of people), inventory (ex. email results from Protests on Demand), and vision. If a project happens exactly how the group members envisioned, it is a success!