Proximity

Proximity is a spatial research surface that turns Are.na blocks into programmable, multiplayer grids for collaborative thinking.

It is not a productivity tool and not a second brain. It is a living interface for finding closeness with ideas past and present — by locating them spatially and working with them in real time. Proximity integrates directly with Are.na: you can pull channels in and push grids back with full source fidelity. AI remains ambient and optional, surfacing links and references without taking over the work.

Closeness as Method

Creative work is scattered across folders, feeds, and decks. Are.na calms the noise but stays linear and solitary. Proximity sustains complexity rather than flattening it. It offers a shared surface where researchers, designers, curators, and studios can co-locate ideas, practice critique, and create meaning together. Just as easily, it can hold quiet, private study — a space to be with one’s own memory and thought. By tying ideas to spatial arrangement, Proximity makes thinking feel closer, less abstract, and more embodied.

Surfaces for Growth

Proximity operates as a digital greenhouse for ideas. Visual grids bring fragments into relation through Rigid, Chaos, and Stacks views. Multi-cell linking traces semantic trails across time, people, and topics. Sketchbook annotation layers personal marks and collaborative notes directly on the grid. Teams, commenting, and gating create contexts for private work, small groups, or public rituals. Ambient AI offers quiet assistance through semantic tagging, discovery, and cross-grid suggestions. Presenter Mode lets ideas be shared as living arguments instead of flattened slides. Push–pull integration with Are.na ensures continuity and fidelity across platforms.

Toward Shared Memory

Proximity proposes a thinking engine that transforms solitary collecting into shared spatial memory. It is just as valuable for private reflection as it is for collective intelligence, treating grids as portals that connect individuals, institutions, and communities through ideas held in place. The aim is a quiet, multiplayer, AI-assisted ecology where knowledge becomes close again — gathered, grown, and circulated with care across time and space.