Lúa Coderch's initial proposal was designed as a project on the theme of attention, without any knowledge beforehand as to what the final result would be. This in the understanding of the term “attention” in its most common meanings but, above all, as quality of perception, concentration on the mental activity, a tool for the discrimination of information, abstraction, reduction, focus and hierarchy.

According, over the first part of the course (until December, approximately) work centred on the act of paying attention to something, focusing on something, both individually and as a group, and particularly on certain states of attention: the “other” attention, failed, marginal, attention operating strangely or in ways not subject to criteria accepted to be useful or relevant. For example, attention deficiency, procrastination, “epic fails”, accidents, gossip, the desire to disappear, the production of sincerity, disappointment, jokes and fraud, amongst other subjects.

As regards methodology, a series of tools and dynamics were established (for example, for someone to act as an observer at every session, or for group agreements to be established), and work was conducted on a

series of documents (video, audio, photography, radio, presentations, research, mind maps, etc.), which gradually enabled the pupils to work on those issues that they wanted to approach together and in the different forms that  these interests could take.

Concerning the role of observer, at each session one member of the group offered or was chosen to carry out a work of observation. The observer's task was to keep a record of what happened in the classroom. The idea was that the observer should distance him or herself from the formal or objective gaze (the aim was not at all to produce a report-type record), as what we wanted was variety of gazes and records.

Some of these records can be seen on the project blog.
 

Radio IN RESIDENCE

In December, we had the chance to take part in the “Radio Intervalo” project, an activity organised parallel to the exhibition Intervalo. Acciones sonoras [Interval. Sound Actions] at the Antoni Tàpies Foundation (7.11.2014-15.2.2015).

At 5 pm every Wednesday during the exhibition period, a live programme was produced and broadcast on Radio Intervalo.

The IN RESIDENCE group participated in the first part of Intervalo 11 (4.2.2015) with a programme completely scripted and produced by the pupils themselves.

The project: 41º22'6"N 2º9'33"E

The radio experience enabled the group to see for themselves that they were able to produce joint projects and present them to the others.

After that experience, the question was, what should be the next step? Among the ideas suggested was the project of building a time capsule.

What if we created a recipient that would be rediscovered in twenty years' time?

This project allowed the pupils to work from a perspective of time that, in a way, almost accidentally, revived Lúa's initial idea, the subject of attention. While at the beginning of the residency the work was based on reviewing the past, the capsule project opened the door to future expectations from a very concrete present (What will be important? What will not be? What expectations do I have? What do I want to remember? What do I want to tell myself in twenty years? What do I want to keep?).

The work carried out entailed, basically, making a piece of art from the role of producer/artist, considering what it means to bring an idea to fruition through management and organisation, including budgetary issues (from the first day of the residency, the group knew how much was in the production budget, and agreed collectively on how much money should be spent and on what).

Work continued on the project from February until the day of the presentation of the capsule (June 4).

The contents of the capsule were to comprise, on the one hand, joint productions (a vinyl, a publication and a T-shirt), whilst spaces would also be provided so that everyone could put what they personally wanted in it.

Parallel to working on all these tasks, the pupils began to decide the place where the capsule would be buried. The proposed site was the Joan Miró Foundation, as the residency was linked to the "Lesson 0" series of exhibitions at Espai 13. It was decided that the capsule would be buried in the gardens adjoining the building.

Finally, a plaque was designed to indicate the burial place. The project's name, 41º22'6"N 2º9'33"E, corresponds to the exact coordinates of the site.

The date chosen to present the project was June 4, at 12 noon. The presentation was planned as a festive occasion, with the group talking about the project before filling and sealing the capsule.

The presentation was a public event, and the group decided to open it up to all those who attended, giving out sheets of paper and envelopes so that they could write down their own messages for the future.