2007-present

Sponge is a model for knowledge exchange that is sustained by public participation. Within each Sponge event an eccentric collection of topics* is knit together to reveal a set of unexpected relationships. During the "absorb-a-thon" days of Sponge, participants take in information experientially through hands-on projects, field trips, dialogs with visiting experts, films, and readings. Participants "wring-out" at the end of each Sponge by delivering expert presentations of their own. In keeping with the metaphor of sea-sponge reproduction (if a sea-sponge is placed in a blender, each bit will grow into an adult sponge), participants are encouraged to spread the Sponge model by conducting future events.

Sponges take place in transformed spaces designed for immersion. Each Sponge is part alternative school, part experimental theater and part multimedia installation. Visit the spongespace website here. View a PDF presentation of a Sponge event (Sponge: IAP, MIT, 2007) here. (3.2MB)

*Past Sponge topics have included: undersea life, Mongolian craft, art & industry, utopia, ice cream making, deep ocean navigating, sound art, urban ecology, and fish bioacoustics.

Photo credits: Mary Hale, Rosemary Jesionowski, Sarah Kaufman, Myeongsoo Kim, Meg Rotzel