I never liked the term ‘workshop’ applied to the types of endeavors we were involved in. Not the gatherings where we talked, planned, thought, created, implemented. Not terribly against it, but not totally enamored…
Over time, through the literally hundreds of workshops I’ve been involved in, I’ve purposely and intentionally have pursued reflection on the forms and functions of what we call workshops. Not just the content, then, or the subject matter, but I really dug in and thought about the ways these gatherings/thinkings/doings can be revised, reinvigorated, and best even, in tune with the content–so that form and content, again, have a particular and non-gratuitous relationship…
These revisions, and reformulations were in essence put into practice through the workshops themselves. Not articulated elsewhere, as it were, no grand pronouncements on the workshop as such. Still, given the reflection and changes, I wanted to change the name too. Playshop, I’d heard, but eh, not quite. Maybe take out the ‘work’ part, or the ‘shop’–that would make sense…
But… But the workshops as such does have connotations and is easily related to, so…
So: that’s how over time got to the theory/practice of the endeavor we dub: WRKSHP…