The Flotilla is both a vessel and a community for the revitalisation and invigoration of people, places and cultures. As a world grown and maintained by its members, it embodies an emergent collective intelligence that lives, moves and adapts like a complex organism – an engaging example of how an interdependent community can thrive in uncertain times.

On the day of 12/12/12, the Flotilla celebrates Anti-Apocalypse Day. This day marks the occasion for all the Flotilla’s dispersed journeyers to come together on the main culture ship and share the stories, materials and skills they have acquired during their voyages in faraway lands. They are welcomed aboard by the Flotilla’s present crew, and merge with it by adopting the roles essential to keep the vessel afloat and its community engaged. There are several activities and gatherings – planned and emergent – centering on the case studies in cultural revitalisation that members have collected, created, or supported since they saw each other last. In the limited time available, craft workshops, readings, hackfests, contemplation sessions, tastings, performances and other forms of participatory learning are held throughout the day.

To celebrate this unique get-together, the day culminates in an Anti-Apocalypse feast on the evening of 12 December. Journeyers share unusual food, drinks, and tales from faraway places around a makeshift digital campfire accompanied by music, dance and merriment. The next morning the Flotilla returns to its daily routine of joint cooking, cleaning, maintenance and stewardship. In addition, there is the yearly moot to appraise work done and materials collected for the Flotilla’s periodic manual. After lunch on 13 December, the journeyers pack their belongings, say their farewells, and push off from the main vessel to go their separate ways – until their next meeting.

• The Flotilla scenario in more depth
• The Flotilla moodboard

For 24 hours we lift anchor from our usual identities and cast out into imagined seas with only the resources we bring on board to rely on and share. While the basic parameters of this scenario have been shaped beforehand, the Flotilla depends on each participant’s engagement and initiative to ensure that it survives and thrives, and that the collective vision of cultural invigoration is fostered among its people and activities. In the world of the Flotilla, resources are limited, and must be carefully shared amongst the inhabitants (human or otherwise). Everyone has a role to play in keeping the Flotilla afloat, and in return the Flotilla provides a shelter and safe haven from many of the world’s troubles, such as relentless bureaucratisation and rampant individualism.

One of the main activities during the Flotilla prehearsal will be the gathering and presentation of journeyers’ offerings for the annual Resilients manual – the guidebook used to initiate new members into the ways of the Flotilla. By the end of the prehearsal, the horizontal and vertical surfaces of the main hall are covered with the visual, textual, physical and digital traces of the Resilients’ work and life.

We'd like to explore how we work together on interesting things in the Flotilla scenario, when:

• we all share a collective vision emerging from our lifestyle, philosophy, activities and interests
• we are fully available, as our work and life are an integral part of the Flotilla, 24/7
• we deploy our individual experiences, strengths and talents to realise a collective vision using diverse and complementary approaches
• we all subscribe to the values of Resilients: flexibility, curiosity and integrity.

The collective vision we’d like to prehearse is that the Flotilla is on a quest to ‘revitalise and invigorate people, places and cultures.’ The scenario proposes that the Flotilla’s members put their individual work and life in service of this vision, and in exchange the community of the flotilla supports them with their basic needs and a lifestyle that would be impossible to sustain elsewhere.

Please note: you do not have to agree with this vision. We simply ask you to try to imagine what kind of person you would be and what you would do if this scenario was real.

During the prehearsal we live and work together as members of the Flotilla, so anything you do should somehow contribute to the whole – whether you wash the dishes or work on a Resilients case study, you do this selflessly, putting the collective and its vision before your own desires. Self-interest and individual aspirations are parked outside of the Flotilla’s portholes, and you work on things to revitalise and invigorate people and places (including yourself and your home).

The link below outlines the crucial roles and responsibilities of the Flotilla’s crew. Please choose which role you’d like to fill during the prehearsal. You can have more than one role, as well as add new ones (with a clear description of responsibilities):

In addition to your role in running the Flotilla, think about what you would enjoy doing to revitalise and invigorate people and places you meet. This should be something that utilises your strengths and gives you energy (or makes you feel ‘in the flow’). Which of these things would you want to share with the other members and how?

Finally, think about how you would relax and recharge in this scenario, as well as what you would like to learn and how you would grow in the Flotilla.

Flotilla members from distant lands are invited to participate via Skype or similar – imagining it is a more advanced AR technology. If you are interested in participating, think about how you could contribute remotely. Even just an open window into your room might give a sense of participation. Please note that one of the tasks on the day may be to establish a network connection on the main ship, which might or might not work, so you might not be able to connect to the main group…

• Preparatory meeting: 11 December 17:58 CET @ BRYC (departures from Walvis @ 17:00)
  • there will be a short briefing for latecomers on 12 December at 11AM
• Prehearsal:* 12 December 12:12:12 – 13 December 12:12:12 @ FoAM
• Debrief: 14 December 11:00–13:00 @ FoAM
• Consortium meeting: 14 December 15:00–17:00 @ FoAM
• Apero: 14 December 17:00–19:00 @ FoAM

meal times:

• 12:12 lunch
• 19:00 - dinner
• 6:30-8:30 - breakfast

shift change ritual: every 8 hours: 00:00-08:00 / 08:00-16:00 / 16:00-00:00

joint maintenance: 08:30-09:00

Getting into character: Think about who you would be and what you would do in the Flotilla scenario. Here are a few questions that you can ask yourself to help you get into your Flotilla role – which is still yourself, but adapted to different circumstances:

• How did you become a Flotilla member, based on who you are and what you do today? What would have to happen in your life and in the world for you to find yourself on the Flotilla?
• What aspects of your character would come to the fore? What knowledge, skills or talents could be more useful than others?
• How do you contribute to the collective vision of the Flotilla (revitalising and invigorating people, places and cultures)?
• What position do you have in the Flotilla’s stewardship (i.e. ‘running of the ship’)?
• What resources do you bring into the Flotilla and what resources does the Flotilla provide for you?

Things to tell us beforehand:

• What’s your Flotilla name? Choose from this list
• What are your talents/abilities and contributions you’d like to offer to revitalisation and invigoration of people, places and cultures?
• Which of the flotilla’s crew roles would you be willing to take on? See this form for a (non-exhaustive) list of the roles and responsibilities
• Please answer these questions by filling in the Flotilla Identity Form (it will take less than a minute to complete!):

Remain yourself, but try out a specific role/attitude that you think you might assume in this scenario. Try to stay ‘in character’ for the duration of the prehearsal: pay attention to how you act, live and work in a situation where you share the vision with and a commitment to a group of people who have all focused their careers and ambitions for the benefit of the larger whole. Be aware of your thoughts, words and actions. Note what aspects of being a ‘member of the Flotilla’ works for you and which ones don't. Watch how you react to different people and how they react to you.

There is no need to pretend you are fictional character. Instead think carefully about who you are and how you can best engage yourself to help the collective, the vision and the world. This might accentuate a different part of your personality than what you're used to…

On the afternoon of 13 December, we’ll all write a short review of the prehearsal, reflecting on:

• what you did, how you felt, and any insights about yourself and the group
• how did we work together on interesting things as members of the Flotilla?
• the resilience of this scenario – what about The Flotilla is resilient and what is fragile - for yourself, for Resilients and for contemporary culture?
• what about the prehearsal method and scenario worked, and what didn’t.

Debrief collectively on the 14th of December in the morning.

Must haves:

• materials (text, images, objects, media, etc.) for the Resilients Handbook
• sleeping bag
• batteries or another type of energy supply (electricity supply is limited)
• water container (bottle, thermos, jar, can – water is rationed in 3 shifts, 1 litre per shift)
• some kind of light source (flashlight, candles and lighter…)
• your costume(s): to reflect the reality of The Flotilla scenario, but with anarcho-dandyist flavour; for inspiration have a look at http://pinterest.com/deziluzija/resilients-the-flotilla/

It would be great if you could bring:

• tools, props, prototyped or ‘cargo-culted’ Flotilla technologies, devices, costumes… to use in your Flotilla activities and roles
• supplies to restock the Flotilla inventory. See this document for a list of what’s around and what’s needed (this will be updated closer to the date):
• things to personalise your sleeping quarters (e.g. framed photos, plants, toys, teddybears…).

NOTE: The Flotilla utilises an alternative form of currency. Due to practical limitations, we will have to simulate this more advanced and flexible monetary system by imaginatively using the outmoded forms we have at our disposal, viz. the Euro. Thus, upon arrival on the Flotilla, participants receive €50. With this per diem you will be able to cover various expenses, as well as dinner after the prehearsal on 13 December. We encourage you not to buy too many things – try to borrow, exchange, make and grow stuff you want to bring with you.