We like keeping up to speed with other interesting and inspiring projects from all over the world. So we attended a two day Symposium at The Tate Modern, in London called The Art of Being Civic with Public Works. We listened to speakers and had conversations around ethics of community engagement and alternative models of education.
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/tate-exchange/workshop/civic-university/art-being-civic
There were plenty of questions…
How can we enable civil societies to act towards social collective change?
Under the title of The Civic University, public works is exploring situated modes of education, both as a critique of existing university models, and as a new model where knowledges are produced by and disseminated to the civil society.
It takes its point of departure from Jean-Claude Passeron’s publication Les Héritiers published in 1964 denouncing the institutions role in the reproduction of unequal social structures in the content they teach, the modes of access to education and their methods of teaching. This inequality was reinforced by the coalition government raising tuition fees, the demand of a linear path towards the job market and the move away from big government to ‘the big society’, whilst offering no clear financial strategy of support. This changing landscape demands a closer look at the role the civil society plays in the production of knowledge and the politics of collaborative city making.
The Art of Being Civic will bring together activists, artists, academics and architects to discuss pedagogies that enable civil societies actions towards social collective change. It will address how knowledge can play a role in civic activism claiming rights over the city, and act as a critical platform for action The first symposium day will explore the role of civil society in relation to contemporary city making, while the second day will focus on pedagogy and education, understanding how and by whom knowledge is produced, who sanctions it and how it is distributed and accumulated.
The Civic University is currently supported by UMA School of Architecture in Umeå, Sweden, as part of their ongoing research into alternative models for community engaged city making.
Thursday: CIVIC
Exporing the role of civil society in relation to contemporary city making
Introductions
12:00pm Prof Ana Betancour – Head of school of Architecture at Umea University – Sweden
Both practitioner and Academic, Prof Betancour was director of the Masters programme of Architecture and Urban Design, Chalmers – Sweden, and the Head of Exhibitions and Public Events at The Swedish Museum of Architecture.
12:15 Public works – The Civic University
Torange Khonsari, Director and founding member of public works: an interdisciplinary practice across fields of art, architecture and urbanism, will introduce the initiative and research project The Civic University they have been engaged in since 2014 and its future.
Panel 1: Politics of Civil Engagement
12:50 – 1:10pm Iain MacKenzie – Resistance within Totalising Institutions
Iain is co-director of the Centre for Critical Thought at the University of Kent and teaches on the MA in Politics, Art and Resistance.
1:10 – 1:30pm Nils Norman – The School of Walls and Space
Nils is an artist living in London and Professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Art and Design, Copenhagen, Denmark, where he leads the School of Walls and Space.
1:30 – 1:50pm Franck Magennis – The power and politics of equality in Deptford
A radical egalitarian and Deptford citizen, Franck is involved with HAGL (‘Housing Action Greenwich & Lewisham’), Deptford Cinema, the Deptford People Project, the Deptford Debates, and most recently the London Learning Cooperative.
1:50 – 2:10pm Malaika Cunningham – Art as Political Engagement
Malaika is a theatre practitioner and PhD candidate based at the University of Leeds working on the arts and culture research strand at CUSP.
2:30 – 2:45pm BREAK
Panel 2: Civic and the City
2:45 – 2:55pm Adam Kaasa – Designing Politics? Decolonising an urban ideas challenge
Adam is director of Theatrum Mundi and and interdisciplinary scholar who specialises in the politics of the city, foregrounding the role of architecture and design.
2:55 – 3:15pm Dr Julia King – Infrastructure as a (civic) property and not a thing
Julia is an architectural designer, researcher and lecturer based out of LSE Cities.
3:15 – 3:30pm Assembly SE8 – Lessons from the community garden. Conflicts, complexities and co-operation
Assembly are a collective based in Deptford who work intimately with local communities and place around art, activism, design and landscape.
Panel 3: Civic Economy
3:50 – 4:10pm Joost Beunderman – Creating fertile ground for the civic economy
Joost is a director of the London-based design and strategy practice 00, where he leads on a wide range of research and strategy projects.
4:10 – 4:30pm Anthea Masey – Community Resources for Loughborough Junction
Anthea is a community activist in Loughborough Junction and Chair of the Loughborough Junction Action Group.
4:30 – 4:50pm Ana Margarida Fernandes Esteves – Solidarity Economy as a Padagogy of Participatory Democracy
Ana is a researcher, activist, writer and documentary filmmaker. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from Brown University, as well as an M.Sc. in European Studies from the London School of Economics.
Friday: EDUCATION
Understanding how and by whom knowledge is produced, who sanctions it, and how it is distributed.
Introductions
12:00pm Prof Hans Adolfsson – Vice Chancellor at Umea University – Sweden
Prof Adlofsson had positions such as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Stockholm University as well as Dean for the Chemistry Section at the Faculty of Science. He also headed several organic chemistry faculties and working committees.
12:15pm Prof Ana Betancour – Head of school of Architecture at Umea University – Sweden
Both practitioner and Academic, Prof Betancour was director of the Masters programme of Architecture and Urban Design, Chalmers – Sweden, and the Head of Exhibitions and Public Events at The Swedish Museum of Architecture.
12:30 Public works – The Civic University
public works is an interdisciplinary practice across fields of art, architecture and urbanism. They will introduce the initiative and research project: The Civic University they have been engaged in since 2014 and its future.
Panel 1: International Learning Networks
12:50 – 1:10pm Robert Mull – “The Free World” – Investigations in education, The Free Unit and the Global Practice Programme
Prof Robert Mull is currently developing the Global Practice Programme with international educational, NGO and institutional partners including the Civic University.
1:10 – 1:30pm Leslie Lokko – In It Together
Leslie is associate Professor and Head of the Graduate School of Architecture at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Panel 2: Knowledge Commons
1:50 – 2:10pm AAA Paris – Commons based civic learning
Constantin Petcou is an architect whose work stresses the intersection between architecture, urbanism and semiotics. Doina Petrescu is Professor of Architecture and Design Activism at the University of Sheffield. Both are co-founders of atelier d’architecture autogérée (aaa).
2:10 – 2:30pm Willem Halffman – The University as a Commons
Willem is senior lecturer in Science & Technology Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
2:50 -3:10pm BREAK
Panel 3: Situated Learning
3:15 – 3:35pm Ed Fidoe – Education needs a revolution
Ed is an education reformer and advisor. He co-founded School 21 and leads the 21 Trust.
3:35 – 3:55pm Torange Khonsari – From live project to situated practice
Torange is co- founder of practice public works and senior lecturer at London Metropolitan University and UMA School of Architecture in Sweden.
Panel 4: Other Settings for Learning
4:30 – 4:50pm Marco Clauson – Neighbourhood Academy
As the co-initiator of Berlin’s urban garden, Prinzessinnengarten at Moritzplatz in Berlin-Kreuzberg, Marco runs various agricultural, environmental and participatory urban projects and programs.
4:50 – 5:10pm Maurice Carlin – Islington Mill, Manchester
Maurice is the recipient of the inaugural Visual Artist Fellowship (2016/17) from The Clore Leadership Programme. He is an artist and director of leading UK independent arts organisation, Islington Mill.
5:10 – 5:30pm Grant Smith – Home education
Grant is an artist and writer with a broadly ecological practice at SoundCamp and self-noise.net.
15mins panel discussion
