How does the shape of our questions organize our action?

We invite you to jot down some questions that are active for you right now—your working questions. These could be small or large, individual or collective, practical or spiritual. It’s best if they are questions that have something at stake or carry a charge.

What happens when we treat questions the way we treat art materials? Cut, fold, weave, stitch, weld them? Split, soak, or soften them?

How would you describe the social problem you want to solve or the situation you want to intervene in?

Our descriptions of a problem are grounded in our habits. Playing with other ways of describing a problem helps us to practice framing the problem large enough to include ourselves.

Sometimes how we diagram out a problem can reveal different ways to see and describe a problem. What if we switched up the diagram? What changes if our diagram is simple or complex? Familiar or strange?

The challenge of repurposing a strange diagram to explain a system that you think you are familiar with can help you see new aspects of power, flow, and relationship.

Terrain research is a way to observe the space where you want to intervene. Physically go to the space and practice close observation. This activity offers some questions for you and your team as you spend time in your chosen space.