Objective

Symposium was a biweekly gathering in space made for co-creativity and play; it was a practice of making time to make fun. Participants gather together, in person and virtually, to share presence and practice play.

Symposium itself was co-created and took place in Santa Monica, CA, every other Monday for 18-months before the COVID-19 pandemic. It continued as a Hybrid Event in /citizens

into 2021. Small groups gather in person and tune into topia.io/citizens where all are joined together in a virtual world. Symposium was hosted and founded by Brian Swichkow.

We believe real intimacy comes not from talking about yourself, but from joint creativity, a form of play that invites you to demonstrate your character and brings out your true qualities.

Subjective

The symposium, literally meaning "to drink together", was a centerpiece of life in ancient Greece. We initially chose this frame to model the Greeks as so many wise men have in the past. Some months later, we discovered — in The Ascent of Humanity (book) — the superficial nature of our co-consumption. We made space for answers and discovered the power of co-creativity.

We host Symposium as a space to play with Citizens of One and elevate Friends of Resonance. Symposium is always the same time and space, but never the same in composition or experience.

Reflections

"[Symposium] is a dog park for adults." ~ Anonymous

"[Symposium] is basically recess for adults." ~ Jim Goodman

"[Symposium Online] is like Burning Man on the web." ~ Lila Sage

"[Symposium Online] is like some kind of twisted, high-tech Woodstock." ~ John Zdanowski

Contexts

• #gathering