TriadCity Message of the Day
2016-06-14

The NorthWestern Third's student-y Kommune 1 is online and ready for visitors.

Kommune 1 is a small group of rebel intellectuals and performance artists exploring radical ideas about family. Their principles are straightforward: 1) The Nuclear Family is the cellular unit from which all oppressive institutions evolve, and so must be abolished; and, 2) Neither women nor men can be truly free as human beings if traditional gender roles are not discontinued. The Kommune is thus both an art colony and an extended family unit.

The historical Kommune 1 developed through phases. Beginning from rejection of "bourgeios" family structures, it evolved into rock and roll hedonism before finally evaporating from sheer boredom. Our satirical spin on their experience uses architecture to mimic their evolution. The downstairs of their two-story converted warehouse largely reflects their more political origins; the upstairs their hedonistic phase.

One of the historical Kommune 1's key unresolved problems was: fame. At times they were overrun by press, teenagers, hangers-on, and the general chaos of uncontrolled access by the world. The fame of some of the men was especially problematic, attracting teenage girls with romantic interests from all over Europe. TriadCity's Kommune 1 mirrors this experience in a tongue-in-cheek way. Teenagers from around the City go there to say radical-sounding things, and sleep on the communal mattresses; while baffled reporters aren't sure who to interview.

Uniquely for TriadCity, our Kommune 1 includes references to real people still living. Thanks in advance for not suing us.

As the NorthWestern Third evolves, you'll see more of these experiments in collective ownership and communal living, from the utopian colonies of Owen, Cabet, Fourier and others to religiously-based communities such as Amana, Oneida, and the Israeli kibbutzim. Here we're exploring aspects of '60s radical urban communalism. Given the satirical predilection of most of TriadCity's authors, the narrative tone of these neighborhoods will be sometimes more respectful than others, depending. Kommune 1 is pretty snotty, emphasizing the combination of sensationalism and boredom which we see as consequences of the Kommune's essentially media-driven lifestyle choices.

Kommune 1 is located just west of University Station, with Parc Daniel Cohn-Bendit to its north, Washington Street to its south.

Meet you in the City!

Back to the MOTD index.
Not yet a member? Get started today!