ON EARTH - July 8TH-22ND, 2023

The Hands On days are an invitation to show up for any portion of two weeks in Brightmoor, Detroit, to help the Brightmoor Makers in clearing and co-creating an interactive playground inspired by the work of Johannes Mathiessen.

We will be cleaning, landscaping, and beginning to craft a playground / park next to the Brightmoor Maker spaces and school. We will be camping, sharing meals, working with the Makers, and generally volunteering to do what is needed to help along this earth-tending project, following the "Spirit of Earth Healing" methods of Johannes Mattheissen.

How do I ‘register’?

Let Gareth Dicker know, by emailing him at dicker.gareth@gmail.com. There’s no formal registration. You are showing up out of goodwill to be helpful, and volunteering is fairly flexible, based on what you are inspired to help with, and what is needed by the Brightmoor Makers. We ask that you let us know the date you plan to arrive before you come so we can accommodate you and welcome you, but you can decide how long you stay based on how the experience is going for you. You are welcome to come for any days between July 8th and 22nd.

Can food and transportation get covered at all?

We do have some budget to cover food in full for you during your stay. If transportation gas money is an issue for you, we are also happy to pay for some or all of that. If you’d like to arrange carpool from New York on the July 7th, reach out during the Hands In days to arrange this with the drivers. Accommodations are free because we’ll be living rustically. You’ll want to bring a tent, sleeping bag, etc. of your own if you have them, or let us know if you need them.

Where would I sleep?

We’ll be camping out on Bart and Susanne’s land which is about 15 minutes from the makerspace and playground plot of land. They are kindly opening their home to up to about 16 of us, for using their kitchen, shower and toilet. We’ll share cooking and food duties among us.

There is a beautiful spread of land adjacent to their house, and a lovely backyard with flowers, a goat and a fire pit where we’ll gather in the evenings for sharing, reflection, music.

Tell me more about the playground project

Keep in mind that everything may be in flux when you arrive, so don’t hold too tightly to any plan. However, we are currently holding the vision for following the first few of Seven Steps of Earth Healing by Johannes Matheissen, which include

● Eliminating as many negative influences as possible (clearing debris, waste, etc.)

● Creating polarities and contrasts (mounds and dips, light and tree shade, wet and dry...)

● Balancing earth / air / fire / water (working with East / South / North / West directions )

● Placing healing stones (and for us, also other artistic works)

In addition to this basic approach, we will work within the constraints of what is needed to support the various grants given to this project. We hope to work toward literally creating a mounded hand that rises, palm up, from the earth in a central location of the park space. This hand will be woven with various playground activities that we may begin working on this summer, and almost certainly not complete, but plan for easy maintenance and durability in the neighborhood.

Here are some photo ideas for grounding the imaginations we’ve developed so far:

Join us in Hudson, NY for 4 festive days!

HANDS iN - July 2-7th, 2023

Bring your skills, ideas, and questions to share and explore through conversation, art, performance, and practical work. We will cultivate connections and support each others' projects + processes. To culminate our time together, we will collectively host a public festival day of sharing, performance, and celebration to highlight what each of us brought with us, and what was discovered during our time together.

Registration Info to follow soon, email northamericanyouthsection@gmail.com to stay in the loop!