Call - Fumaça Data Springs

Nuvem – Rural Station for Art and Technology - invites all interested to the meeting Fumaça Data Springs. In ten days in July, 2015 we will install a wifi mesh network and a GSM cell phone node (still depending of a governmental license) in the Fumaça village, municipality of Resende - RJ, next to the Nebulosa farm, where we develop several activities.

The meeting will last from July 24th until August 1st, 2015. Until June 30th all may register for this practical experience. Registered attendees will have lodging on a camping site and nourishment.

Read below for more info and registrations

Introduction

Day after day we become more dependent of corporations and companies that control access to information and person-to-person communications. Nevertheless, long distance data transmission technology is within everybody's reach. Several initiatives around the world offer a communications model that incorporates cooperativism, autonomy and community - for instance the Guifi network in Spain, Detrot's Free-net and Freifunk, in Germany.

Willing to foster this practice in Brazil, Nuvem had already supported researches in building autonomous networks in Interactivos meetings in 2012 and 2013. This time, we propose installing a mesh wifi network in Fumaça, a village of approximately one thousand inhabitants. In addition to this, we wil install - depending on a license from the Brazilian government - a GSM cell phone network that will be able to make VoIP calls.

The proposal got a grant from Commotion Wireless, an NGO that supports the development of free networks in several parts of the world.

More details can be found at the project's wiki: Fumaça Data Springs

Registrations

Registrations must be submitted through this form. Please fill it out before June, 30th. We can only host 20 people a day, and the selection follows the submission order. Don't leave it to the last minute!

This is a free (as in beer) activity. Nuvem will offer camping space and basic nourishment (3 meals). The meals must be prepared by the participants. Participation in all days is not mandatory; periods of at least 4 days can be chosen.

Activities and workshops

Besides the own installation of the networks, we are looking for volunteers wishing to propose activities and workshops, specially the ones targeting the Fumaça community, benefitting from the newly installed mesh network and Internet connection. We are interested in local qualification for cooperativism and economical independency. But activities for the participants of the meeting will also be very welcome.

Schedule

From July 24th until August 1st
The daily schedule will be defined by the demands and participants of every event.

Transportation

The farm is located 27km from the city of Resende and only off-road cars and volkswagen beetles can reach it. Nuvem offers transportation of luggage from the closest bus stop, 2km from the farm, once a day. Participants can use public transportation or leave cars parked by the bus stop. Detailed instructions will be provided.

We will be able to refund bus transportation costs, by sharing R$3.500,00 in proportion to the cost of bus tickets between each participant. By estimating the number of participants, we believe we will be able to cover almost the whole ticket. Participants who come by airplane will be refunded in proportion to the ticket cost from the airport used.

Nuvem can offer invitation letters to those looking for funds for transportation.

Resources, costs, lodging

The International is a self-organized event, without any external funding.

• Participants will be lodged on a camping site. Nebulosa can offer a few tents, upon request, first-come, first-served.
• We expect the farm to have internet connection by the time of the event.
• Food will be purchased previously by the organization. Nourishment is vegetarian with animal produce such as milk, honey, eggs. Special items should be bought and brought by each person. The meals will be prepared collectively.

Nuvem

Nuvem – Estação rural de arte e tecnologia is an initiative that condenses desires, people, actions and thought, meant to host insurgencies from distinct areas of interest. We are looking for an autonomy that leads towards sustainability. This is not a merely technical autonomy – energy generation, communications, etc –, but it is related to all instances: environment, economy, society, culture, nourishment, health, body, territory. In a context where the cities become more and more unsustainable, we believe that a rural location is the most appropriate environment for these experiences.

Nuvem practices

Nuvem is a space for co-experimentation and collective construction. To be here you must perform the daily maintenance demands: cleaning and organizing, disposals management, meal preparation, and whatever else might be needed to support the local environment. Sustainable micro-demands must be supported.

Participants will have daily access to equipments, tools and common structure, and can make free use of them within basic work norms and always caring for the conservation of the common goods. Spaces and structures are collective, and must be shared between the presents during all activities.

Knowledge sharing

All material produced during the event, as well as the documentation, will be shared freely by the use of open licenses. Nuvem will publicize the resulting works online and through other communication actions. If you don’t want to have your images publicized, please let us know beforehand.

Conditions

By registering, the attendee agrees to all terms of this call.

Links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wireless_community_networks_by_region