All Cowboys to Ensemble

While it is a cliche to say the greatest thing about Imperial, what makes it so special, is its students, it is really no lie. On the 4th of October, I had a chance to participate in Ensemble, an event made for makers of all backgrounds by creatives and makers of a variety of interests. 

Ensemble grabbed my attention from the first time I saw my friend KY’s instagram stories on it. With its vibrant publicity and inspiring premise, I knew I had to attend so I booked my ticket long before I was asked to cover the event. 

But what is Ensemble? 

Ensemble was organized by likeminded individuals across the UK who were all interested in making and creating. It is actually a culmination of all the projects they had done prior. Before Ensemble, these creatives across UK universities (and abroad) met in creative sessions in their own node. Xi, who is one of the organisers for Ensemble, told me that this started with the co-working sessions in the University of Waterloo called “Socratica”. Socratica defines themselves as “An open collective of makers, artists, engineers, designers, writers, poets, and everything in-between”. After Socratica, many other universities across the world have taken over the same idea. In the US, there are “sundays” hosted by UCLA and USC and “Carpentry” in Austin, Texas to name a few. In London, these sessions have been organised under the name “craft!”.

The creators of Ensemble are not only from London but from co-working sessions across the UK and Europe. Malaika, who is another one of the organisers, explained that these nodes extend to European cities such as Paris, Munich, and Zurich, as well as Edinburgh, with Barcelona and St. Andrews potentially joining soon. When asked about how often Ensemble,the collective event bringing together people from all these citywide nodes, would likely occur at most twice a year.

A Non-hierarchical Structure

Another big and different idea with these nodes and their organisational structure is that it is non-hierarchical. At first, this surprised me as almost all Imperial societies (or frankly all clubs, societies anywhere) have very strict hierarchical structures. Especially with people graduating or leaving their organisational positions, I asked what their plan is for the continuation of this project. Xi clarified that since no one has graduated yet, the plan for continuation involves finding interested individuals to whom responsibilities can be passed. Malaika shared their perspective that a non-hierarchical system naturally leads to passionate successors, though it can be challenging to maintain momentum. This is a new idea for activities alike, as the one we see in Imperial and other universities often lose their focus and motivation due to concerns about committee positions or resume-building- which makes me wonder why we tend to do the stuff we do after all, how much is it is out of passion and how much of it is for show? Especially seeing an organisation like Ensemble, I have hope that being enthusiastic about something might be the new cool. 

Who are these cowboys?

If you’ve seen any advertisements about Ensemble, or have been to the event itself, you’d know that it had a theme around cowboys. In the venue, which was near St. Paul’s Cathedral, there were dozens of individuals with cowboy hats very eager to show you around. When I asked about the “cowboys” theme, Xi explained it originated from choosing “Rodeo” as the cheapest domain name for their website. The theme was then developed around it to make the events more welcoming and less intimidating for non-tech-focused individuals. Xi emphasized that the events are meant to be inclusive and not solely tech-focused, showcasing 

Meeting the Creatives

The event was packed with people who shared all sorts of interests. Some highlights were demos, where people showcased their projects and “unconferences” where they were able to give a 25 minute talk about something they were passionate about, almost like a story. Whereas in booths, creatives were able to showcase their work without a presentation to a wider audience. One person I had a chance to meet was Gabriela, who is a musician and an artist using her passion for creation for therapeutic effects. She hosts rhythmical and therapeutic art sessions in London and she showcased her work at Ensemble as well. You can find out more about her and what she does from her instagram account: @gabrielafzofficial  Another creative I got to meet and talk with was Ben who was on a mission to solve loneliness. The idea was striking because… how? Ben was inspired by the aftermath of a Kurzgesagt video and now he is trying to make sure everyone can find new friends. More information about Ben’s project can be found at the instagram account @robotwobot and the website kurzory.quest 

How to be a cowboy

Are you a likeminded creative? Students running Craft at Imperial are more than happy to have you join them. You can find their sessions every Saturday at Luma. If you want to contact them, the best way to go with that is to mail them at ensemble@ensembling.co.uk and checking out their website: ensemble.rodeo