| The PyGyWG away-weekend this year took
place at Loch Lomond in Trossachs National Park just outside of Glasgow.
Accommodations were nothing short of awe-inspiring! Lodged in a country
house that had the feel of a medieval castle, with large empty rooms, ornate
woodwork and spiral staircases, participants gasped with excitement as we
pulled into the driveway on a beautifully sunny Scottish Friday afternoon.
Due to booking a conference room for sessions inside in the case of rain, the weather was consistently gorgeous all weekend, inspiring most conversations to take place under a large tree and on what was eventually dubbed 'the frisbee green'. A short walk took us down to the edge of the loch for overpriced beer, bad coffee only served after 9:30am, close encounters with seaplanes and a chance to be told we were not allowed to buy souvenirs. The weekend was full of inspiring conversations, new friendships and reunions, many inspired by Pablo's games which encouraged us to run, play, laugh and talk together, all of which went well until Bradley broke Pablo's 25-year-old Frisbee in a diving catch that ended with a long slide through the Frisbee green. Conversations around the 'tree of knowledge' built around ideas of new on ongoing research, techniques, participatory video, walking with the senses, the communiveristy, participatory conferences, long-term sustainable participant involvement and finally future ideas and directions for PyGyWG. Other activities included swimming in the Loch (with a notable lack of participants!), hiking through other people's farms straight uphill, a morning run that was extended by getting lost in holiday lodges, and a surprising amount of good wine and slapsies until the wee hours. By all account, the weekend was a huge success! Many thanks to everyone for pitching in what they could to make this a most memorable and engaging event! See everyone next year in Wales! |
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