School of Commons (SoC) is a global community-learning space dedicated to the study and development of self-organized knowledge through commons-based methods and practices, located at the Zurich University of the Arts (but taking place mostly online) with some select offline events at the ZHdK, and selected venues across Zurich.

Promoting a broad, integrative understanding of knowledge, we focus on matters surrounding the production and mediation of knowledge with a focus on self-organized practices and knowledge decentralization. The content and position of SoC is defined by our community rather than a predetermined programme; research is conducted as peer-based collaborative endeavors with annually changing members. Each year brings together a wide range of participants, guests, and contributors who share their curiosity, skills, and visions. We offer personal support, financial resources, and an active community of peers and experts engaged in a wide range of topics.

With SoC, we hope to establish a community of practitioners in which reciprocal exchange, peer learning, and a friendly atmosphere are the main ingredients. We want our participants to feel like they are part of a larger whole, in which their presence is valued and necessary. We aim to develop a programme that is open to all, making the knowledge and practices that arise from our labs publicly available. We encourage working across different age groups, disciplines, and (educational) backgrounds. SoC’s programme is developed bottom-up rather than top-down; instead of providing a fixed curriculum, we encourage our participants to actively shape our programme, either by organizing and hosting events themselves or by inviting guest speakers and tutors that are relevant to their research. SoC is there to support and help organize the educational programme you would like to have.

Marea is the founder of  School of Commons and has been leading the project since its beginnings in late 2016. She is interested in the future of learning, education and its institutions, peer-to-peer learning and especially transdisciplinarity and method transfer between disciplines.

The School of Commons Team are Amy Gowen, Chantelle Lue, Gabriel Hensche, Jelena Mair, Lea Minow and Marea Hildebrand

Fernando built the website.

For questions and inquiries, contact us at hello@schoolofcommons.org

For the School of Commons: Code of Conduct, please read here.