I'm now back in sydney after a whirlwind final 24 hours - this time last night we were lingering over dinner in flinders lane and resisting the inevitable break up of the group - made even more poignant by the warm summer's night and the post-lab realisation that something HAS HAPPENED here and now. Not that some of us didn't keep going till past 2am - Nancy, John, Glyph, Andrew and then finally only Melinda and I, sat around shootin' the breeze and reflecting, hoping that for all the participants there is the same sense of achievement and promise that we're feeling. Specially significant for me was the make up of the group - the fantastic, generous and keen participants, and the five of us worker bees. I'm pleased we, the participants and guests Justin, Gill, Ricardo and Troy managed to inject a high level of theoretical context and cultural commentary into the lab - an enriching ether for our virtual arts practice and essential to navigating the hype-terrains of the mainstream cultural and technology sectors. Our 'high' continued into sunday which saw Melinda and I visit the Experimenta/Utopia exhibition at Black Box where there was quite a lot to be inspired by - as if the lab wasn't enough stimulation! Time will tell but I think many of us felt that this week may have been the seeding of a cultural 'space/place' that can provide a forum, an identity, a vision for current and future participants. Thanks again to all the participants, acva staff, Oz Co funders and guests - here's to the next phase!