The Getting to Know Ourselves project

Surroundings

Surroundings

Theme 1

Launched 2nd February 2026
Deadline for entries 22nd February 2026

Pause and notice where you are right now.
Where are you on planet earth? Can you expand on a simple one word answer?

There’s no rush to respond.
Carry the questions for a few days if you like.
Notice what keeps coming up.
Maybe capture a few photos.

What might feel mundane to you could be a window into your world from someone on the other side of the earth.

An open question is one that can’t be answered with just “yes” or “no.” While you could give a short answer, you’ll get much more out of it if you sit with the question for a while. It can be interesting to see the stories that emerge when we express ourselves in this way. Open questions invite longer, more detailed responses and encourage explanation and opinion, in group settings we find discussion. As humans, we are meaning-making machines, shaping our understanding of the world through both ourselves and others.