Centre at Medinipur

Pending Torange getting a Visa (which at the moment is looking grim) we will have more images about all three centres in West Bengal soon, together with user group comments. We will publish about the centres' development as social enterprises, skilling local people to support and run them. The project which is a multidisciplinary project with anthropologists, tourism experts, artists and product designers ends later this year. We will keep you posted. Thanks Banglanatak for making this all happen.

Posted December 31, 2010 17:23 by Torange Khonsari

And Best Wishes for 2011!

From Andreas, Kathrin and Torange

Posted December 20, 2010 20:15 by Kathrin Böhm

As a member of myvillages.org Kathrin from public works is - together with Antje Schiffers, Thomas Sprenger and Wapke Feenstra - working on a year long project called "Vorratskammer" - a larder or also panty in English. It's on invitation by the German Federal Cultural Foundation for a programme and festival titled Über Lebenskunst, which will go public at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin in August 2011. The "Vorratskammer" gets literally stocked with food, drinks and related themes, which will feed the visitors during the festival. Since myvillages.org isn't a party service, but a group of artists, the selection of what goes in the larder and how it's going out to the public is highly subjective. The myvillages.org team sources food and connections along existing interests and projects. Kathrin is following up work related to female production, collaborative product development and urban-rural connections. And she's agreed to look after the drinks and meat for the growing larder.

Check the Vorratskammer website for progress, content and collaborators.

Posted December 16, 2010 11:14 by Kathrin Böhm

public works will be going north for some teaching and a lecture at Belfast Queen's University followed by a trip to Ballykinlar.

Ballykinlar is home to the infamous Mobile Community Centre run by the Forever Young Pensioners. We are very excited to be opening an International Village Shop in 2011 in Ballykinlar and collectively produce a brand new local product.

Peter Mutschler from PS2 in Belfast who is working with Anne Marie Dillon from Ballykinlar has been discussing an International Village Shop with public works since we first met during the Rhyzom programme. Ann Marie who initiated the mobile community centre wants different groups to bet involved in thinking a joint product - to be launched during the village fete in May 2011.

Posted December 14, 2010 15:03 by Andreas Lang

DiverCity: Culture and Architecture as a catalyst for a Sustainable City

Commissioned by The City of Gothenburg and Department for Culture. DiverCity aims to set the framework for a discussion, and to explore ways of working, and strategies for a future social and cultural sustainable urban development. Looking at possible ways of implementing culture, art and alternative spatial practices in urban development with the focus on engaging the general public and local communities in the exploration ofpossible ways to translate urban and culture difference and diversity into architectural and urban space. Aiming to catalyze a public debate on the future redevelopment and regeneration of the city of Gothenburg. The project consists of a series of public events: exhibitions, seminars and workshops, and a series of publications following the seminars.

The seminars intend to catlyse a debate and explore notions of the public, participation and the role of art, culture and architecture in urban development.

Fellow speakers beside public works are:
Olga Tarrasso, Architect, Barcelona
Leonidas Martin Saura, Artist, Activist, Barcelona.
Dann Jessen / EAST, Architect, London

The seminar starts at 10am at the City Museum of Gothenburg on the 11th of December 2010.

You can also follow the event on Facebook - here (mainly in Swedish)
or you can check out the City of Gothenburg web page - here (Swedish only)
There is also and article (in English) on the Association for Design and Advertising website.

Posted December 1, 2010 17:28 by Andreas Lang