Pirates Are Ready To Sail Away
At the beginning of summer 2009, I was in Venice when a friend called me with strange news: “the pirates are here”. Not really aware of who those ‘pirates’ could be, I decided to go to see them. What I found was an incredible floating city, consisting of three hand-crafted vessels (named Alice, Maria and […]
The Future In The Present
John Jordan — artist practicing the art of engagement. Writer and editor. Co-director of interdisciplinary artistic group Platform. One of co-founders of Reclaim the Streets movement (RTS; set up in 1991 in London) that quickly became a global phenomenon. Co-created Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army and Climate Camps. Marta Żakowska: As an artist working with […]
Catching Falling Fruit
Here in the Southern Hemisphere, we are approaching the most fruitful time of the year. The harvest of apples, pears and stonefruit is underway and new season fruit is available for purchase in our supermarkets and grocery stores. Unfortunately, most of these fruits will be sprayed with pesticides and transported thousands of kilometres across our […]
Bird City In The Tree Of Heaven
To reflect on the ecology and the biodiversity of two sites on opposite sides of London, art and research collective London Fieldworks built a sculptural installation in a two trees in the city. ‘Spontaneous City in the Tree of Heaven’ consists of several hundred bespoke bird boxes mounted in two trees, resulting in a true […]
A Nomadic Bubble
Why do we build solid houses of bricks and concrete to lock ourselves up, while there is so much more to see in the world? According to Bitrebels we spend so much time of our lives sitting in the same boring room, while it actually becomes possible to experience the world a little more nomadic.
Book Review: Miniscule Blue Helmets On A Massive Quest
More than three years ago the Dutch designer Pierre Derks started painting blue helmets on plastic toy soldiers. On February 19 a book will be launched presenting this project and how it unleashed a small toy soldier revolution. Miniscule Blue Helmets on a Massive Quest shows the worldwide spatial invasion of 50,000 little soldiers with blue […]
Give A Minute For A Better City
'Give a Minute' is a fresh online crowd-sourcing platform that aims to improve cities. It features questions and issues posed by various city leaders and encourages urban residents to spend only one minute of their time to respond to these, because "your ideas can make a world of difference".
One City, Nine Ghost Towns
Today I went to Sweden, yesterday to England, and tomorrow I will go to Germany. My mode of transport? Metro! While China’s one child policy is preventing uncontrolled population growth, its megacities are still facing an ever-ongoing expansion. The obvious reason is migration of workforce to cities as China undergoes transformation from a rural to […]
Trans-Atlantic Walking Routes
Laura Nanni and Sorrel Muggridge have been working on new ways to explore the city collaboratively. Nanni lives in Toronto and Muggridge lives in Nottingham but the Atlantic divide has only brought them closer in terms of moving about and observing their respective cities. Nanni and Muggridge have developed a correspondence of direction giving. One person goes on a trip from point A to point B in their respective city and writes detailed directions based on their observations of the environment around them. The correspondent is than challenged to go on a similar journey in their respective city using the directions given.
IABR Call For Projects
In just a few decades 80% of mankind will live in cities where more than 90% of our wealth is generated. And all that covers less than 3% of the earth’s surface. Cities are effective, they drive innovation, offer the best answer to overpopulation, and are the greenest answer we have on a planet where […]
The Past Is A Good Teacher
As in all history of art, an artist learns from other artists. The past becomes a teacher, an example and a source of inspiration, and masters are quoted by young students or admirers. This happens in contemporary art as well — just think of the artwork by the Brazilian Vik Muniz, or the portrait of Kate […]
Are Robotic Insects The New Construction Workers?
In my review of Made of… New Materials Sourcebook for Architecture and Design, I discussed several new material innovations in architecture and design that will shape the future of these fields. But building processes themselves also seem to be re-invented. The General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania recently presented […]
You Crash, We Ad
Where would the world be without a good deal of irony? Crashvertise is a humorous, unconventional way of advertising in public space founded in Italy by KOOK Artgency. Under the slogan “You crash, we ad”, the initiators claim to turn every car crash into the perfect medium for a brand to successfully spread a message. […]
Abandoned But Not Forgotten
The financial crisis has left hundreds and hundreds of abandoned buildings, taken from their inhabitants or built and never even filled with any human being. The voice of citizens asking for social projects at these places is growing and, despite being mostly private, the presence of these structures is being continuously questioned by the public. […]
Chromaroma: Play The Public Transport System
Londoners now can play a game while traveling with the Underground. Chromaroma is a new and innovative game that enables commuters to play the city while they are traveling.
