Fruit of the Ooof
Fruit of the Ooof is an educational workshop originated as an educational workshop developed within the
elective Education for Change by an interdisciplinary group of five practitioners: John Offenbach (UK),
Jennifer Stanford (Switzerland), Sarah Tan (Singapore), Hikaru Mugita (Japan), and Jayavanthi Gayathri
Ravindran (India). Despite our diverse cultural and disciplinary backgrounds, we connected through a
shared reflection on our relationship with mistakes. This led to the creation of a session that reframed
mistake-making-encouraging dialogue around failure, the anxieties it provokes, and the preconceptions
worth challenging.
In this first stage, we played with language, introducing Oops moments - a lighter expression for everyday
errors and mishaps.
For this exhibition, the project has evolved into Fruit of the Ooof, shifting the focus from mistakes to
rejection. Whereas "Oops" suggested small slips, "Ooof" carries the embodied weight of being refused,
excluded, or held back. Visitors are invited to contribute a personal experience of rejection-a "seed"-and
reimagine how, with time and care, it might transform into a "fruit." These fruits will be displayed
throughout the exhibition, ready to be read and "tasted" by others.
Ultimately, Fruit of the Ooof reminds us that experiences of rejection are universal. By sharing and
reframing them, we can recognize our common vulnerability and cultivate new forms of resilience together.
