Event 6

Friday, September 26th

Member of EXP sits next to a car battery from 2:24PM-3:48PM.

At 3:48 PM a person removes the battery from next to the member of EXP. 

Event 5

9:40 AM on the dot

Members of  EXP observe broken sprinkler with workmen wearing florescent vests. Members are silent. 

Event 4

Friday, September 19th

Event 4:

Sometime between 8:32 AM and 10:47AM

Member drops personal grocery list in East Providence. 

First, lost; to be found. 

Events 1 & 2 & 3

Of the small variety:

Wednesday, September 17th

Event 3: 12:33 PM

Member of EXP leaves this message on 3 public computers

Username: EXP Event #3

Password:

Tuesday, September 16th

Event 2: 10:07 AM

Member places note on bicycle.

It reads, "Event #2: Member places note on bicycle"

Event 1: 9:57 AM

Members of EXP stand on the sidewalk for approximately 3.2 minutes. 

One member eats a banana. 

More to come...

EXP has set a new expiration date for itself: 12-12-08. We will continue using this blog to post information about past and upcoming events. EXP may be contacted at exp.brown@gmail.com.

EXP 12/4/07

Platonic Love Day

Q: What is Platonic Love Day?
A: A long lost ancient Greek holiday, created as a forum for friends to share their affection for one another through complements without agenda or the expectation of reciprocation.

Q: When is Platonic Love Day?
A: Tuesday, December 4th.

Q: How can I celebrate it?
A: Compliment your friends! Be as genuine and specific as you can, but compliments can take on many, many forms. Please feel welcome to share your experiences and thoughts regarding the day in comments on this post.

Also, EXP will lead three short (under 10 minutes) events on the main green to celebrate. If you'd like to participate, please bring 2 friends at the following times:
Midnight Monday night
Noon Tuesday
Midnight Tuesday night

Q: What is that symbol?
A: The trefoil knot. It was found punctuating the original document that outlines Platonic love day.

Q: Document?
A: Yes, document. A text written in the style of Plato's dialogues was recently discovered near the ruins of the Temple of Apollo in Corinth. Most of the document has been lost, corrupted by the ravishment of time, but the legible portions discuss Platonic love (which, oddly enough, bears more semblance to the modern notion of Platonic love than the theory of love Plato outlines in his Symposium) and the creation of a holiday celebrating it. Authorship is uncertain. A new translation appears below.

The opening section is corrupted and unreadable.

Apollodorus

But that is simply not how I conceive of love. It is just a bit unwieldy. And I don’t think that is where the belly-button came from.

Plato

It is fact, Apollodorus. Science.

Apollodorus

You are the boss. But maybe I can speak for a moment on love between friends? Love based on affection, without any sexing? A love devoid of exclusivity?

Plato

That is something else entirely.

Apollodorus

I will call it Platonic love with your permission.

Plato

You do not have my permission.

A fragment is missing, presumably in which Apollodorus gains Plato’s permission to use his name.

Apollodorus

So this Platonic love, it is all around us!

Plato

If that were the case, why would people not shower one another with affection willy-nilly?

Apollodorus

Maybe they cannot.

Plato

What is to stop them?

Apollodorus

Why, the shackles of a society which tells them no! The norm is to complement someone if you want something out of them, whether it be sex, money, food, entertainment, what have you.

Plato

That’s not at all true. Apollodorus, I think you have beautiful eyes. And I am not even trying to get into your toga.

Apollodorus

First of all, yes you are. Secondly, your agenda for complementing me was to disprove my point. Thirdly, this conversation created a framework in which you could complement me. A decontextualized complement is a rare and suspect creature. So they generally do not happen. But that does not mean that Platonic love does not exist. It is just squelched and internalized.

Plato

So why do you not create a framework in which people can complement each other and show affection without the assumption of an underlying agenda?

Apollodorus

Such as a forum?

Plato

Broader?

Apollodorus

A new country?

Plato

Something a little more manageable with slightly less military imperative perhaps.

Apollodorus

A holiday!

Plato

Go on.

Apollodorus

We shall establish a day on which the conventional norm is to compliment without agenda or expectation of reciprocation.

Plato

And how are you going to coerce people to display affection towards one another? Prizes for the best complement? Free food for participants?

Apollodorus

The act of giving and receiving love is incentive enough. The point of the framework is not to bribe people to act in a way they would not normally act. The assumption is that people want to display their affection for one another; it is just hard to do spontaneously.

Plato

And love will spread…

Apollodorus

Like what future generations will refer to as a “virus.” The viral transmission of love. One person will complement another, who will complement three others, and so on.

Plato

Hmm. Describe the day to me.

Apollodorus

Well, there is a feast of

The section describing the day has been lost, except for the fragment outlining the ritual.

Plato

And this ritual shall occur when?

Apollodorus

Thrice, at even intervals across the day. Midnight beginning the day, noon, and the midnight ending the day. It will be elegant and simple, so that anyone can participate with ease.

Plato

So pairs of people

Apollodorus

Trios.

Plato

Why?

Apollodorus

Pairs of people are your thing. Trios are mine. I think it is as important and joyful to witness friends complimenting each other as it is to give and receive. So the three shall stand in a triangle, cross arms, hold hands, and take turns complimenting each other, once around as the sundial processes, and once in the reverse direction, so that each gives to the other two, and each receives from the other two.

Plato

What should the complements be like?

Apollodorus

Genuine. Specific. Heartfelt. They can be anything though.

Plato

Are you going to name it after me?

Apollodorus

Platonic Love Day.

Plato

Ah. When will it be?

The rest of the text is missing.

CLIPS AND CHIPS Questionnaire

Curious about the expiration date stickers posted around campus?


They announce the date of EXP's latest UNLIKELY EVENT. But is this unlikely event for you? Well, please take a moment to consider this questionnaire...

1. You have an attention span of approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds
2. You love cartoons but worry about age-appropriateness
3. You eat food provided for you
4. You've often thought: "Why can't watching YouTube be a community-building activity? Why must I always choose between my laptop and my friends? Why doesn't somebody just rent a projector and play some animation on the wall of their living room and then give me a blanket and a beer and can't there please be a Klezmer band too?"

If any of the above apply to you, EXP has a solution:

CLIPS AND CHIPS
Student animation, food, drink and live music
Friday 11/31, 9:30
208 Williams (off of Hope), 3rd floor.