Related Publication: 1 Map is not the territory - echoes from the 1960s
The 1960s in the United States was an era of passion and innovation. In the shadow of the Vietnam War, waves of movements surged one after another, including anti-war, counter-culture, anti-racial discrimination, environmentalism, sexual liberation, and gender equality. After the Summer of Love in 1967, the hippie movement entered a new phase. Singing about love and peace, they left the cities and formed communes in the countryside, living self-sufficiently and communally, seeking personal liberation and spiritual awakening. The year 1969 was considered the “Year of the Commune,” with over 500 communes being initiated across the United States that year.
After breaking away from the system, how could they live self-sufficiently? This was the question faced by the hippies. The “Whole Earth Catalog” was born in 1968 to address this need. It was a catalog book that introduced the world through tool recommendations based on individual needs. The initial catalog was divided into seven main categories: “Understanding Whole Systems,” “Shelter and Land Use,” “Industry and Craft,” “Communications,” “Community,” “Nomadics,” and “Learning.” The content covered Buckminster Fuller’s architectural concepts, John Cage’s music, how to build a house, how to make a personal computer, the Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, dolphin consciousness, beekeeping techniques, bookmaking techniques, wilderness survival, meditation, fishing, outdoor equipment, solar power, the I Ching, Indian yoga, and more. It had everything one could possibly need. It became extremely popular as soon as it was released and was revered as the hippie bible, deeply participating in and influencing the counter-culture movement. Unlike encyclopedias, it did not emphasize professionalism, but every tool introduction in the book was written by someone who had actually used it. More than 70% of the book’s content came from reader submissions, and the tool descriptions were highly subjective, which was precisely the most appealing aspect of the book.
In 2021, the Icosa Magazine and Inspiration Buyers Club jointly launched “Return to the Global Overview Site” to rediscover this treasure trove of a maze together with others who were deeply influenced by and still interested in the “Whole Earth Catalog.”
Each of the 50 participants received 1-2 chapters of photocopies from the “Last Whole Earth Catalog 1971,” depending on their interests. Following the chapter divisions of the first edition of the “Whole Earth Catalog,” a themed investigation and discussion was conducted each week. Participants who received the corresponding chapters were expected to (try to) participate in that week’s discussions. Any participant could download and print the electronic version of the entire “Whole Earth Catalog” and listen to or participate in each week’s discussions.
The investigative portion took place asynchronously on http://2021.accessto.tools/, with focused discussions every Sunday evening, generally lasting 4-5 hours. The first half-hour was a chapter introduction by Tony Yet, followed by 1 to 1.5 hours of voluntary themed presentations by participants, which formed the main content of “The Map is Not the Territory.” The remaining 2-3 hours were spent in scattered discussions and casual conversations until everyone left, at which point the evening’s tea party naturally concluded.
The process of the workshop culminates into a publication Map is not the territory - echoes from the 1960s
60 年代的美国，是一个激情与革新的年代。在越战的阴影下， 反战、反主流文化、反种族歧视、环境运动、性解放、性别平等的运动浪潮一波接着一波。在1967 年的爱之夏之后， 嬉皮士运动进入了一个新的阶段。他们高歌着爱与和平，离开城市，在乡村形成一个个共同体，过着自给自足，共产共生的日子，寻找个人的解放和灵性的觉醒。1969 年被认为是 “公社之年”，这一年全美国有超过500 个公社被发起。
在脱离了系统之后，自给自足的生活怎么过？这是嬉皮士们面临的问题。《全球概览》（Whole Earth Catalog）于1968 年应运而生。这是一本从个体需求出发，通过工具（tools）推荐，来介绍世界的目录书。初版目录划分了七大类内容，分别是“理解整个系统”，“住宅与居所”，“工业与手工艺”，“通讯与交流”，“社区”，“浪游”，“学习”。内容涵盖了巴克敏斯特·富勒的建筑理念、约翰·凯奇的音乐、怎么建造房屋、怎么制作个人电脑、默克家庭医疗诊断手册、海豚的意识，养蜂技术、图书制作技术、野外生存，打坐、钓鱼、户外装备、太阳能发电、易经、印度瑜伽…………凡所应有，无所不有。它一经推出就非常火爆， 被奉为嬉皮士圣经，深深的参与并影响了反主流文化运动。它不像百科全书那样注重专业性，但书中每一样工具介绍都出自真正用过的人笔下，全书七成以上内容都来自读者投稿， 工具的介绍语极为主观，但这恰恰是这本书最吸引人的地方。
2021 年，二十面体联合灵感买家俱乐部发起“重返全球概览现场”，同其他深受《全球概览》影响、对它还感兴趣的人，重新挖掘这本宝藏迷宫。
50 个参与者均根据自己的兴趣收到 1-2 个章节不等的《全球概览》影印件(Last Whole Earth Catalog 1971)。按照全球概览第一版的章节划分， 每周进行一个主题的调查和讨论。 拿到对应章节的参与者，需要( 尽量) 参与当周的研讨。 任何参与者都可以下载、打印《全球概览》全书电子版，聆听或参与每一周的讨论。
调查的部分在 http://2021.accessto.tools/ 上异步进行，每周日晚集中讨论，一般会持续 4-5 个小时。头半个小时是 Tony Yet 带来的章节导读， 接下来的一到一个半小时中，参与者自愿进行主题分享，「地图不是疆域」的主要内容即为这部分内容。之后的 2-3 个小时是分散讨论， 闲聊，直到所有人走光，当晚的茶话会自动结束。