Annual update 2024

This is probably the last time I'll write one of these yearly updates. In a few weeks I'm moving to Berlin, and I will be less involved in the Foundry. Galicia will always be close to my heart, but when I come back, it will be on holiday (or work-vacation), not as the guy who runs the Foundry. I've met some incredible people here, I have lived moments I will never forget, and I look back on these six years with gratitude and melancholy - the melancholy of letting go.

I could explain one more time why I think places like the Foundry are important, drawing on a whole lineage of French and Italian philosophers, but what it boils down to is this. The planet is heating up, wars are multiplying, and the rich ally themselves with new forms of fascism to prevent systemic change. What was once called 'progress' now only signals an intensifying catastrophe that is ecological, economic, political, existential, et cetera. In a context like this, we need spaces to share knowledge, grow resilience, and experiment with different forms of organizing work and life. My hope was for the Foundry to be one of those spaces.

It's hard to say whether that is what it is right now, but I know we've done a lot. What was once a ruin is now a vibrant project in a beautiful space, and it has sustained itself financially for the last three years. Most people come to the Foundry more than once, and it has sparked a small wave of migration to the area. Of course it's not all perfect. Projects like this often rely on self-exploitation, and some of the more active volunteers have experienced burnout. Democracy and self-organization take a lot of energy (and the endless amount of opinions they generate can be discouraging). There have been conflicts that were not handled the way they should have been, and toxic behaviors that were not nipped in the bud. It has been hard to keep neighbors involved. The balance between dynamism and continuity has been a constant challenge (for which our garden has paid the price). The same goes for the balance between local and international (no matter what you do, you always end up alienating someone). Et cetera, et cetera.

One question that I still struggle with is how to suspend the nexus that connects care and ownership. That connection was imprinted on us a few centuries ago (you can read about it in my Bloom book coming out next year with Zone): the bourgeoisie argued that people take care of what's theirs, so turning everything into private property would produce a more caring world. Land was privatized, and we can see the result in the eucalyptus plantations that now cover much of Galicia. It's easy to incentivize people to plant eucalyptus on their land or renovate their house, as by doing so they create value for themselves. In contrast, building and taking care of a commons can feel vague, and it may be hard to pin down why you are spending your time and energy on something that profits others (upon leaving, one long-term friend and volunteer told me the Foundry taught him to value private property). Yet, aside from many other things, the Foundry is also the wager that collaboration can come before competition; that the interests of a vaguely defined community can come before self-interest; that the invisible hand of the market does not solve every problem.

To reiterate: while the space of the Foundry is still private property, the long-term vision is to communize it through Futuro Habitable (formerly known as Sindicato de la Tierra). How to do this is an open question. I personally like the Mietshäuser Syndikat model - which involves blocking sale indefinitely by putting the property in a legal structure upheld by mutual vetos. In this scenario, the Foundry would pay a low rent as a solidarity transfer to the Futuro Habitable network, that would use it to 'free' more land and buildings from the market and put them in the same structure, securing an ever growing housing commons. The downside of this model is that it does not secure long-term involvement in the space. A shareholder model might be better for that, but it misses the expansive edge. Either way, the Foundry needs to grow its organizational resilience before communization is an option; above all, the project should run without me for a few years.

For me, it's time to move on. I never wanted to be 'boss' or 'manager' (I have neither the inclination nor the skill-set for that), but as the initiator and most constant presence, I somehow ended up in that role. Now I want to focus on other things, and I think it's also good for the Foundry to accommodate a different energy. At the moment, a group of people from Galicia, Unarvu education (Lisbon), Auroville (India), Massia (Estonia) and a few other places is forming a team that might take on the Foundry stewardship for a period of time. There are many open questions - about governance, about whether the place stays as open as it is now, about what to do with it - and I'm sure the coming weeks will be filled with talks, but the mood is cautiously optimistic. I am very excited about the wealth of enthusiasm, experience, ideas and know-how this new group will bring to the space.

Of course there is always a chance it doesn't work out; in that case the space will probably be rented out and the project put on hold. Who knows, maybe it will even turn into another casa rural (the horror...).

This year's General Assembly will take place on February 2, 2025, starting at 14.00. If you want to join, please make sure you have updated your membership (by filling out the form and paying 20 euros) less than a year ago. Online participation is possible. A new board will be elected during the GA. An agenda will be published here and sent to the members in January. If you want to add something to said agenda, now's the time to get in touch. And if you want to get to know the new team, join us on the 2nd of February!