The House of Commons Inc. Design Montreal Open House
THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS INC
On Sunday, May 5, the Montreal-based design agency The Commons Inc hosted mayoral candidate and Projet Montréal leader, Richard Bergeron for the first of a series of open-ended discussions between contemporary protagonists and the public, known as the meetings of The House of Commons Inc.
« Commons refers to the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society » – Wikipedia, Commons, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commons (as of Apr. 22, 2013, 14:43 GMT)
The notion of ‘the commons’ was the territory of the conversation, and its governance and navigation the subject of investigation by Richard Bergeron, urban planner and political leader; the Public, engaged and unbridled; and Talia Dorsey, design principal. The Commons Inc maintains that the pubilc discussion of ideas is as fundamental to shaping our built environment as the designs that emerge from our of studio, the life that is lived in the streets, or the policies that govern our development. It has thus proposed this inaugural ‘Meeting’ on occasion of its participation in the 6th edition of Design Montréal Open House, a Ville de Montréal initiative that invites the city’s design practitioners to open their design studios and processes to the public free of charge on May 4 and 5.
FORMAT
The Conversation
The conversation on ‘the commons’ is intended to be an ongoing exploration of an idea. It is intended to be a long conversation that will continue through different formats, players and angles. The discussion is recorded, and the public comments and questions collected in their note form. This material is archived and published following the meeting in different formats. Each conversation seeds the next and they will be archived as a continuous document of the exploration of the idea of ‘the commons’ through time and intellects and publics.
The Format
3 questions
Each Conversationalist come prepared with 3 questions for the other Conversationalist(s). These questions shall not be known by the others until the moment they are asked. These questions are asked over the course of the conversation, and at designated moments as per the discretion of The Speaker. Once a Question is asked, continued discussion of the subject is encouraged and expected.
The Public
The Public is invited and expected to join the conversation as an equal participant. To participate in the conversation, members of the Public must note their question/comment and the exact time (as per the official House Clock) on the cards provided. These are then be raised in the air to draw the attention of The Speaker. The Speaker will call upon the members of The Public periodically and at his discretion.