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Platz da! European Urban Public Space OPENING: Wednesday, 13.10.2010, 7 pm PRESS CONFERENCE: Wednesday, 13.10.2010, 11 am EXHIBITION: 14.10.2010 – 31.01.2011 To mark the 10th jubilee of the European Prize for Urban Public Space the Architekturzentrum Wien and Curator Andrea Seidling present a comprehensive show dedicated to Public Space. This often addressed and sometimes overplayed topic is juxtaposed with new points of view to expand the breadth of the various levels of discussion, with questions posed concerning the significance and affiliation of public space, such as: What is public space? How does it arise and does it even still exist? Who does it belong to, and what does it represent? Who needs it and who is allowed to use it? Is the issue still between private and public, or more about exclusion and inclusion? In addition, all of the previous prize-winning projects as well as the complete archives of the European Prize for Urban Public Space are on show in this exhibition. Award-winning international projects are compared and contrasted with existing situations in Vienna, with current artistic, interventionist and architectural positions, theoretical analyses of urban development and representations showing the production and negotiable possibilities of and for public spaces to add depth to the visitor's understanding of the topic. All of the above is displayed in a wide variety of forms, with video interviews, video contributions by filmmakers and architects, bands of photographs, models, passages of text, plans and audio stations. The exhibition does not pursue a linear progression, instead six autonomous stations cover individual topics while communicating with one another. The overall architectural concept for the exhibition by looping architecture (Christa Stürzlinger and Eva Becker) functions as an additional exponent that describes the blurred boundaries between public and private realms in a fragmentary urban landscape. STATIONS OF AN EXHIBITION The tour of the exhibition begins with 'Ambivalences' – the first station – and a view of the wide range of appraisals of public space which could not be more divergent: public space means something different for each of us, regardless of the role they find ascribed to him/herself. Video interviews with various protagonists in public life show the divergent opinions involved – e.g. a policeman, a municipal refuse collector, a lawyer and an 'Augustin' (a Vienna-based self-help magazine for sale by the homeless) saleswoman talk about their own personal points-of-view and experiences on the subject of public space. Then on to the 'Jungle' station, where two prominent Viennese examples from the recent past are compared and contrasted with one another: Praterstern and Schwarzenbergplatz. How intense the (public) debates have been surrounding these two projects can be read about in an archive of newspaper articles in the exhibition. However to also provide an uncontentious view of these controversial public locations the curator invited four photographers to document their own subjective views of the design of and life in the places concerned. The station dedicated to 'Stages' focuses on the socio-political conditions and the representation of power in public space, displayed on the basis of a range of different models. Public space has served for centuries as a representative surface, i.e. a stage, for the demonstration of power as a reflection of current society and the political status quo. The fourth station shows award-winning projects from the last ten years as well as the complete European Prize for Urban Public Space archives. The penultimate station addresses 'Occupations' by engaging primarily with process-supported planning strategies and planning concepts as well as private initiatives as building commissions. These focus mainly on cooperations with the users or residents concerned in developing strategies for the realisation of developments. An overview is provided by five architect's offices and collectives, who have been invited to present their own initiatives for public space in the exhibition: fattinger, orso, rieper. (A) / feld72 (A) / transparadiso (A) / Raumlabor (D) / Recetas Urbanas (E). The tour concludes with the 'Commons', most of which have involved a level of controversy and debate. As a term used to describe collectively owned resources, or resources shared between or among populations, 'Commons' should, of course, also cover urban public space as a social and cultural resource that is governed by communal activity and administration by those it impacts on (commoning). One of the most famous quasi-historical figures and an early 'commoner' of repute, in this sense, was Robin Hood – why he was a 'commoner' and how he became one is explained, inter alia, in the exhibition on a listening station with audio contributions. TEN YEARS OF THE EUROPEAN PRIZE FOR URBAN PUBLIC SPACE The European Prize for Urban Public Space was founded by the Centre de Cultura Contemporània Barcelona (CCCB) and first awarded following a competition held in 2000. The aim of the prize is to establish a sustainable testimony to the development of public space in Europe. Since its launch number of additional architecture institutions have also become involved in the project and are represented on the jury committee: the Architecture Foundation (London), the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine (Paris), the Nederlands Architectuurinstituut (Rotterdam), the Museum of Finnish Architecture (Helsinki), the Deutsche Architekturmuseum (Frankfurt) and the Architekturzentrum Wien. The Prize is awarded equally to the planners as well as to the responsible clients, so highlighting the significance of its use to the community at large. Exemplary interventions in the urban fabric are honoured with the Prize that appeal to communal interaction and are geared to the improvement of citizens' standard of living. Socially designed architecture is given priority over projects with a markedly aesthetic or spectacular appearance. For ten years these prize-winning projects have reflected both the changes in urban space that have occurred as well as the debates that these have engendered. The projects presented here represent the prize-winners as well as the projects awarded a distinction over the past ten years, and so a small selection of all of the projects that can be viewed online at the European Archive of Urban Public Space at www.publicspace.org. The exhibition is accompanied by the catalogue 'In Favour of Public Space' as well as a special issue of the journal 'Hintergrund', (issue 48) 'Platz da!' – both publications are available in a double-pack or individually. Exhibition curator: Andrea Seidling Exhibition design: looping architecture Exhibition graphics: Thomas Kussin, buero8 A cooperation with the CCCB Barcelona SUPPLEMENTARY PROGRAMME TO ACCOMPANY THE EXHIBITION The supplementary programme is held in the exhibition space: three public lectures on different topics are held in the centre of the exhibition hall, and four public walks through Vienna commence with a guided tour of the exhibition by its curator. (duration: 2 hours, price: € 4.50) Full details are available online at www.azw.at or in the exhibition folder (available directly from the Az W). Public Lecture 1 The Urban Space Adventure Wed, 27.10.2010, 7pm, Admission free! Public Lecture 2 The City’s Synapses Wed, 01.12.2010, 7pm, Admission free! Public Lecture 3 Public Fiction – Filmic Positions on Public Space Wed, 26.01.2011, 7pm, Admission free! Public Walk 1 Behind the Wall – What we say when nobody is looking Sat, 06.11.2010, 1.30pm Guided tour: Thomas Northoff, culture scientist and writer, Vienna Public Walk 2 Tracing – Performance training with Willi Dorner Sat, 27.11.2010, 1.30pm Max. 40 participants, reservation required: office@azw.at, 01-522 31 15 Public Walk 3 Lean against the city A Project by Freiraumexperimente and Fritz/Frassl Sat, 04.12.2010, 4pm Guided tour: Manfred Schwaba, landscape planner, 16th district local supervisor Public Walk 4 Manifestations Oppositional Publics + The Power of Place Sat, 22.01.2011, 1.30pm Guided tour: Elke Krasny, curator, urban research specialist, writer sundays 240/a sunday on public space Sun 17.10.2010, 1.30–7 pm A guided tour of the exhibition + excursion (of Viennese public space, tour guide Jutta Kleedorfer) Tickets are available at the Az W Shop Information: www.azw.at/sonntags The 18th Vienna Architecture Congress From 19.–21.11.2010 the 18th Vienna Architecture Congress also addresses the subject of Urban Public Space, with international and Austrian guests. Full programme details are available online at www.azw.at/congress Exhibition: The Az W Photo Award for Public Space Part of the Eyes On – Photography Month Opening: Fri 05.11.2010, 7pm Exhibition duration: 06.–15.11.2010, Halle F3 A cooperation with the Viennale Film Festival is currently also being planned. PLEASE NOTE: PRESS PHOTOGRAPHS High resolution press images for the exhibition are available to download free of charge from the Press section of our website. |
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