Our purpose in group discussions/work:

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• To collaboratively consider why a writer/speaker makes deliberate choices within a text; to better understand their purpose
• To practice summarizing information
• To collect pertinent quotes/visuals from the text that might be useful in your papers

Group 1: “making nothing”

What kind of information does Odell discuss in this section? What is (at least) one purpose of this section; why do you think she has included this information at the beginning of her talk?

Odell speaks on how one can find art in any situation, and how it is possible to create new art out of older art that has already been made. Even though she was not creating art herself, she was still admiring it, and allowing more people to view what she thought was important.

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This information was useful to have at the beginning of her talk because, it gives examples of how she was doing nothing and could still be productive, which sets up the rest of her talk.

Group 1: “making nothing”

What is 1 quote or visual from this section that stands out to you all? Why?

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The visual of all the objects on the shelf stands out to us because it is compiled of all different types of art from different places and different people with all different purposes

Group 2: “the architecture of nothing”

What kind of information does Odell discuss in this section? What is (at least) one purpose of this section; why do you think she has included this information at this point of her talk?

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• She compares this “structure” to physical areas and maps where it’s a space to decompress and to stop and take in your surroundings.
• The practice of deep listening is referenced, and defined as “listening in every possible way to everything possible to hear no matter what you’re doing.” The author does this through bird watching, which involves actively listening to the bird sounds rather than looking, carrying a deeper meaning

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-Building spaces where the purpose is left up to you to decide very open without complex development ��-

Group 2: “the architecture of nothing”

What is 1 quote or visual from this section that stands out to you? Why?

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“What these moments of stopping to listen have in common with those labyrinthine spaces is that they all initially enact some kind of removal from the sphere of familiarity. Even if brief or momentary, they are retreats, and like longer retreats, they affect the way we see everyday life when we do come back to it.”

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This quote stands out because we don’t have to go to a specific place to notice things you didn’t before. There are many things in our day to day environments that we don’t notice.

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Group 3: “the precarity of nothing”

What kind of information does Odell discuss in this section? What is (at least) one purpose of this section; why do you think she has included this information at this point of her talk? (Also, what does “precarity” mean?)

Precarity in this context is “the uncertainty”. So, the title reads “the uncertainty of nothing”.

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Odell discusses that the ability to do nothing is connected to privilege, labor history, and public spaces. She shows how time which was protected for workers is now taken over by work culture. For example, she states “the removal of economic security for working people… dissolves those boundaries so that we are left 24 potentially monetizable hours”. This puts into perspective how unstable our free time has become, and she includes it here to connect her personal stories to larger social issues.

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Odell features a print made for labor rights that features the phrase “...8 hours for what we will”, encapsulating the non-concreteness of what “nothing” means. She discusses about the lack of expectations on “nothing”. This precarity defines “nothing”, as there is no productivity to occur, no information to consume, no money to be made.

Group 3: “the precarity of nothing”

What is 1 quote or visual from this section that stands out to you? Why?

One quote that stands out in “The Precarity of Nothing” is towards the end when Odell writes, “there is nothing to be admired about being constantly connected, constantly potentially productive the second you open your eyes in the morning — and in my opinion, no one should accept this, not now, not ever. In the words of Othello: ‘Leave me but a little to myself.’”

• This quote stands out in this section because it highlights the culture of consumerism—and consumption of knowledge that is difficult to break away from. It acknowledges the lack of space between home and work and how it is nearly impossible to be ‘unreachable’ (or unproductive) in the digital age.

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"To do nothing is to hold yourself still so that you can perceive what is actually there." This quote speaks to me because it flips the notion that doing nothing is just being lazy or not getting things done. Instead it presents a silence as a form of awareness. We are in a society that is constantly urging to stay busy and distracted, so it is refreshing and relaxing when we can use that to free our mind from reality.

Group 4: “birds”

What kind of information does Odell discuss in this section? What is (at least) one purpose of this section; why do you think she has included this information at this point of her talk?

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• In Section 4 she discusses talks alot about bird watching highlighting the the importance of paying attention .

• We think the main idea of this section “Birds” portrays a sense of being able to slow down and adapt to nature, really slowing down and paying attention to small details helps us to convey our environment and take what's around us to face value.

Group 4: “bird”

What is 1 quote or visual from this section that stands out to you? Why?

• It stood out to us because it shows us how Jenny Odell’s perspective of the world was changing she went from not noticing them to realizing they started to notice her too when she slowed down.
• “ These alien animal perspectives on me and our shared world have provided me not only with an escape hatch from contemporary anxiety but also a reminder of my own animality and the animateness of the world I live in.”
• In this quote, she’s saying that when she slowed down and noticed simple things like the birds, her anxiety eased for a moment because she wasn’t caught up in all the stress of the world. Their both living things, but the birds help give her a sense of comfort.

Group 5: “nothing for something”

What kind of information does Odell discuss in this section? What is (at least) one purpose of this section; why do you think she has included this information at this point of her talk?

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• There is much more than doing nothing in the world, but we should always try to do something instead of doing nothing that does benefit us. Odell included this because, her talk is about doing nothing.
• Connectivity VS Sensitivity:
• Connectivity: you either are or are not compatible, rapid circulation among like minded people, can be online
• Sensitivity: difficult, awkward meeting of two different entities, both entities being awkward themselves in-person meetings. The two entities can change into something different after the meeting.
• Odell included this because she states society has a tendency to prefer connectivity over sensitivity because of time, time is money, which when having a meeting that is Sensitivity she says it is considered “too expensive”.

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Group 5: “nothing for something”

What is 1 quote or visual from this section that stands out to you? Why?

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• “It’s a kind of nothing that’s necessary for, at the end of the day, doing something.”
• This stands out because, if we did nothing the whole day, we are doing something; meaning if we get up, brush our teeth, or cook breakfast, we might call that nothing but we are doing something. Also, thanking someone for their hard work is doing something and it acknowledges that you appreciate what they are doing. Especially thanking someone for doing something that is beneficial to society.

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Overall, what do we think Jenny Odell’s general aim was in giving this talk? Is there a quote that sticks out to you that speaks to her aim(s) or an argument?

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