Where to build the walls that protect us A charrette in search of a future Exeter Conceived by Stephen Hodge & commissioned by Kaleider Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England 11am, Saturdays in autumn 2013 : 28 September | 12 & 26 October | 9 November To find out more and to book a ticket, please visit: wheretobuildthewallsthatprotectus kaleider/tickets ‘Where to build the walls that protect us’ is an opportunity for us all to imagine a future city. Our city of Exeter... An architect or planner might call this sort of process a ‘charrette’ – a term that’s used to describe an intensive and collaborative enquiry that seeks to solve a complex design issue. Perhaps that sounds rather dry and dusty, but you should be assured that this is going to be an exercise in serious play. We’ll try not to get too distracted by Utopian visions. Or to worry too much about logistics. But, with one eye on the persistent fiscal crisis and the challenges of climate change, let’s look again at the fundamental fabric of our city and envisage it afresh. THE MODEL Over the winter and early spring, we’re going to construct a scaled-down prototype of a future Exeter. And, as the main focus of the project, this interactive model will be publicly unveiled and animated through a series of performances and events in April 2014. THE EXCURSIONS But, before we turn to building anything, we’re going to take a closer look at today’s Exeter. You are invited to join one of four reconnaissance excursions this autumn. They’ll weave through the city, playfully exploring the key themes of terrain and climate, buildings and the life between them, industry and commerce, and mobility and communications. You’ll have an opportunity to encounter experts (climatologists, planners, financiers and residents), to gather material, and to contribute your own ideas to the on-going planning enquiry. Excursion 1: climate & terrain - 11am, Saturday 28 September 2013 ‘Leaking,’ the architect Cedric Price said, ‘is best observed in a floating boat.’ What are we going to do about these rising water levels? Should we build more walls? Retreat to the hills? Conceive new liquid architectures? Can we each contribute to turning off the tap? Is there even a tap? Are there solutions? Or just a tsunami of questions? It’s not too late to feel hopeful, surely? Excursion 2. buildings & the life between them - 11am, Saturday 12 October 2013 We all made and played with model worlds as children. What should we do with that creative enthusiasm now that we’re all grown up? Where will we build? And where not? What’s to be learned from all those unrealised plans for the city (like Thomas Sharp’s ‘Exeter Phoenix’)? It is often said that ‘form follows function’ – so, what is the form where play is the function? Is there such a thing as public space? Where is the mystery and melancholy of a street? Excursion 3. industry & commerce - 11am, Saturday 26 October 2013 What will we do to earn a crust? How and where will we spend our time and money? And what dreams will fuel our investment plans? Can we sustain Exeter’s momentum in its move from Clone Town to Home Town? Or balance the macro and the micro? What economic models will hold water? Should we adopt the fluidic logic of the Financephalograph? Move back to the land in Physiocratic style? Or look to SimCity for our inspiration? This excursion will be the most accessible physically. Excursion 4. mobility & communications - 11am, Saturday 9 November 2013 We’ve got a river and canal, lots of roads and cycle lanes, pedestrian rights of way, and even some flight paths. So, what’s the best way to get ourselves, our effects and our data from A to B? How can we hardwire our desire paths into the fabric of the city? What happens if we think radically like the former mayor of Bogata Enrique Peñalosa and ban cars during rush hour? We have a house that moved in Exeter – what about a city that walks for itself as the architect Ron Herron proposed? Stephen Hodge has lived and worked in Exeter for 27 years. He has made work for a range of contexts: from Exeter’s bus fleet, to the National Review of Live Art, to Finland’s ANTI Festival and the virtual environment of Second Life. With fellow members of Wrights & Sites (formed in Exeter in 1997), he has co-created site-specific performances, walking events, Mis-Guided Tours and Mis-Guide books, public art and architectonic interventions for both local and international situations. He is Head of Drama at the University of Exeter and was Performance Curator at Exeter Phoenix for 11 years. He will work closely with many partners, including documentary photographer Rob Darch (robertdarch), architect Tim Offer (timoffer) and producer Emily Williams (kaleider).
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:01:15 +0000
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