The Sanitised City: How Public is Public Space

The podcasts of Alistair Donald‘s and my scene-setters for the recent Birmingham Salon are now available online.

I wasn’t able to show my accompanying slides on the night, so I’ve superimposed them over my audio in this video:

Many thanks to the Salon for inviting me to take part: it was a good opportunity to push some of the things I’ve touched on before a little bit further, particularly what I might mean by “ownership”.

Do make sure you listen to Alistair’s recording too.

Presentation for Mobile, Location and Games panel, Hello Culture

A few days ago I was on the Mobile, Location and Games panel at the Hello Culture conference.

Along with Oliver Williams (chair), Jon Bounds, Katie Day and Jason DaPonte we were tasked with talking to cultural organisations about “developing a new generation of mobile and location-based experiences and services”.

The audio for the whole session is available (very quietly) on this Hello Culture site. Below is the audio for my presentation alongside the slides I used. I gave an overview of the main things that get me about working in this area, with illustrations from various projects and experiences.

Looking at them now, the slides seem to be mostly people pointing and gesturing towards the things around them – I think this is A Good Thing!

Two events at MADE: What are the Splacists? // Who are the Splacists?

MADE are offering five bursaries of £200 to enable architects to participate in the 'What are the Splacists' CPD day on the 30th of November

Some time ago I was approached by MADE – an architecture and built environment centre based in Birmingham – to design and deliver a day of CPD for the cohort of artists on their ‘Learning Spaces Living Places 2’ programme.

Plans are now well and truly afoot for this and we’re so excited about it we’re opening up the day to a limited number of architects interested in collaborating with artists. Further information can be found at http://www.made.org.uk/news/view/bursaries_for_architects_available/, please email anthony@made.org.uk to register your interest.

Alongside the daytime activities where we’ll be questioning exactly what the Splacist manifesto might mean in practice, there’s an evening event open to all interested in this sort of work.

It’s difficult to pin down exactly what we mean by “this sort of work”. On the MADE blog posts it’s illustrated by Mr Pete Ashton stood in an alleyway gently holding a bundle of bubblewrap that vibrates in response to GPS data. This indeterminacy is in part why we felt the need to write the manifesto: to try and begin to mark out the territory…

So, to be part of the conversation, please do join us:

Who are the Splacists? // 5:45pm – 8:00pm // MADE 7, Newhall Square, Birmingham. B3 1RU // Free, registration required

We’ll be describing the context and development of the Splacist manifesto as well as reporting back on the outcomes of the daytime experiments. We will also be presenting an as yet unknown thing…

MADE have commissioned Hannah Nicklin and I to make a work in response to the manifesto. This is all very exciting for a number of reasons!

In the weeks leading up to the 30th of November, Hannah and I will be challenging ourselves to put our art where our mouths are and make a Splacist work. In three days.

We don’t yet know what will emerge from this collaboration, but we’re very much looking forward to finding out! If you bring warm clothes suitable for the weather, we’ll provide the talking points and a few mulled somethings. Please register here so we know how many people are coming: http://www.stubmatic.com/made/event/6899

We will own this city.
We will take it back.
We will link and shift; across time, space, people, places and processes
We will weave throughout the fabric of people’s lives.
We will unpick it.

We will affect and be affected.
We will glory in the moment, the collage, the marking and then passing on.

We reject your shopping centre, your pavement, your cultural quarter;
We will under mine pre-defined spaces. We reject them.

We will reclaim the city, not for you, but with you.
We are you.

Splacist Manifesto v2.0

A revision of v1.0 and a work in progress in advance of an event at MADE in late November.

splacist (splā sĭst)

A contemporary mode of practice proposed by Paul Conneally. A new set of ideologies defined by Hannah Nicklin and Nikki Pugh. A hop, skip and a jump away from phsychogeography and the works of the situationist international. With more practice and less wine. Think space, place and splice. Though still with a bit of wine.

Developed empirically by whoever’s interested.

WE ARE THE SPLACISTS

We will own this city.
We will take it back.
We will link and shift; across time, space, people, places and processes.
We will weave throughout the fabric of people’s lives.
We will unpick it.

We will expose and re-see.
We recognise our observation affects the outcome unavoidably.
We will affect and be affected.
We will glory in the moment, the collage, the marking and then passing on.

We reject your beginning, middle and end.
We will work on and across edges. We will push them. We will blur them.
We will trace and leave traces.
We will work with you, not for you.

We reject your shopping centre, your pavement, your cultural quarter;
We will under mine pre-defined spaces. We reject them.

We will fail spectacularly, vitally, elegantly.
Our practice will be open, although it may not always be out in the open.

We will make exchanges.
We will make adventures.
We will reveal beautiful moments.
We will reveal the ugly.
We will hold your hand.
We will whisper in your ear ‘let go’.

We will reclaim the city, not for you, but with you.
We are you.

WE ARE ALSO THE TECHNOLSPLACISTS

We will not be technosplacist when being splacist will suffice.
We will never underestimate the power of cardboard and masking tape.
We will not be afraid to get our hands dirty.
We will not be afraid to do without digital at all.

We will use ‘digital’ as tool and material, not as veneer.
We recognise ‘digital’ is not necessarily something ‘other’.

We will make and share our own tools as appropriate.
We will collaborate.
We will be generous.
We will be porous.

We will re-reveal technology as used by private interests.
We will hold them accountable.
We will put it to our own uses.

We will cut, and we will paste.
We will undo.

We will be artful. We will be skilful. We will fail usefully.

We will find our own energy sources.

We will pervade.