Bice Wilson

Architect, Buddhist, Change Agent, Concerned citizen, Entrepreneur, Environmentalist, Idea generator, Parent, Project manager, Social entrepreneur

JUST NOW - I live one integrated life. My practice is multi-media, encompassing family, architecture, sculpture, poetry and spiritual practice. With my partners, I'm leading an international design, architecture & urban design firm through this, our third economic storm in 28 years. Our practice is broad - the ever evolving Creative Economy Workplace, Media Production Spaces, Urban Design & Bio-regional Planning, Broadband Resource Planning, and residential projects. One project of particular interest to Tedsters might be the Meridian Music Project, (http://sites.google.com/site/meridianmusicproject/) - a global network of place/moment sculptures expressing the perpetual movement of the earth under the sun, as it awakens everyplace on earth each day, thereby creating multi-media streams of music, images and data, all expressing the ever changing pattern of life in place. Another TED-ish undertaking is a process I've initiated called "Designing the Invisible Public Way", which aims to bring integrated design to the weaving of Broadband Resources into our communities (http://sites.google.com/site/invisiblepublicway/). BEFORE NOW - well, for more than 300 years / 14 generations one line of my ancestors has been part of the pattern of life in the Hudson Valley. Other lines got here a few years ago. I live in Long Time, knowing as many of the threads of history that made me as I can, and mindfully walking the path that will be the history of my descendants. When I was 10 years old, my father, a World Federalist since serving in WW2, became the Director of the US Peace Corps in Ethiopia - living there for 2 years profoundly changed my path. At 12, moved back to same house, same school, same community, different person. Struggling with place identity, went traveling to search for home as soon as I could. Found that, wherever I was, I was an American from NY, albeit one who could find the warm heart of any town he wandered into, and who could communicate with most anyone, anywhere. Decided the world needed folks who could see the big pattern, integrate many threads into the fabric of community - went to Pratt & became an Architect. Met my first life partner - Antonio Argibay, now 36 years my best friend and for 28 my partner in Meridian Design Associates. Became an Advocacy Planner associated with Pratt Center for Community & Environmental Development, working in Lower East Side, South Bronx. Taught in NYS Prison System showing soon to be released men option of self-help housing. As part of this outreach activity, became part of team starting NYC's interactive Governmental Public Access Channel in 1976. Was producer, fundraiser, on air talent, media activist fascinated with potential of electronic democracy and interactive media. Read "The Machine Stops", and watched rise of Reagan, got scared I was pimping for technology more likely to oppress than liberate, turned back to architecture. Struggling with challenge of meaning missing in architecture in the 80's, felt that a universal meaning existed in the pattern of life - we all see wonder in that pattern, yet it seems both different in all places and connected to a sameness. Hence the Paradox of the Universal & the Unique, and an interest in Archeo-astronomy, central themes in my work ever since. Presented "Archeo-astronomy as a Living Aesthetic in Western Art & Architecture" at National Academy of Sciences in 1986. Met my second life partner - Lorraine Frye, wife of 25 years, mother of Noah (20), and Ian (18). Moved back to my home town - White Plains, NY, began life interest in practical application of Bio-regionalism. Initiated Mianus Bio-Regional Planning Project for Westchester Land Trust, was exhibited at Cooper Hewitt as example of mapping engendering social change, won awards (http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1561&context=ced/places). Built Meridian Design as international leader in design of content creation workplace (www.meridiandesign.com), while also practicing social & sustainable architecture, urban planning & art. Our firm has designed decades of evolution in the creative economy workplace - transitioning from analog to digital, wherein dominance of technology faded and prominence of social and human needs of content creators became primary. Framed our mission as Humanizing the Creative Workplace. Meanwhile, Archeo-astronomy was a gateway to a spiritual path. Began receiving invitations to create dancegrounds arising from the pattern of life for groups building a contemporary Earth Tradition. Did that for years, until I realized that such practice was best done in one's home town, building community. Became member of local Unitarian-Universalist Church, where I initiated the 12 year restoration of church grounds and initiated "Days-in-Place", cross quarterly cycle of place celebrations/restoration efforts. Became a practitioner in the Soto Zen Tradition. I have fun most days and am a Maker. Enjoy

enhancing the pattern of life. I pursue this passion through architecture, sculpture, mentoring, poetry, family and spiritual life.

Citizen Science - Over centuries humankind has cobbled together, often painfully, a means to observe, document, analyze and articulate the pattern of life. In our time this undertaking reaches critical mass. We have the common language, the broad knowledge, the growing empowerment that allows common citizens to participate in documenting the evolution of the interdependent origination of the pattern. From the basic science of Project Birdfeeder, or the establishment of perpetual testing by middle school students of the water that has entered the earth in their back yards, to the complex process of determining the wisest urban form for our communities, or the daunting process of framing public policy, hands on Citizen science, and the resultant equity and identification with both the root pattern and the culture of common knowledge are ideas worth implementing.

Architecture, Bio-regional Design, Broadband Resources & Urban Design, community organizing, Finding the Animating Idea, Place Making, Planning, Project Management

finding the elegant expression of complex conditions and conveying them so that they can become the basis of concerted action.