Exuma garden of dreams
Facilitation of the design and management of a more sustainable future for the Exuma archipelago, and the Bahamas more generally
The project’s role, within the overall framework of "“A Sustainable future for Exuma”":http://sustainableexuma.org/ has been to design a series of activities and workshops in order to promote dialogue within the local community, reflecting on the future of the islands and publicizing the existence and content of this future project.
By interacting with the local community, key information was obtained about how residents feel, and what their expectations, perceptions and needs are. The debate essentially stood between two scales: the general area of Exuma and the local environment of George Town, which is the main town of the district where most social activity takes place.
The toolkit and workshops that have been implemented to probe the wishes and aspirations of the local community are:
# *Street photo tour
This produced a great archive of many of the participants and activities that take place.
# *Creative workshops
Activities and workshops were facilitated in primary schools, high schools and community centers.
# *Digital Exuma
Our previously developed tool, Local In, was used to digitally collect ideas from participants. The resulting platform, "www.exumadreams.org":http://exumadreams.org/georgetown/ , is active as an open communication channel to maintain the dialogue and participation.
# *Origami garden of exuma dreams
This installation exhibited all of the ideas compiled during the entire process. It was an ephemeral and symbolic collection of wishes for Exuma, George Town, and the public space of the city: a red and blue paper flower garden, where each flower contained 5 petals with different ideas and desires embedded.