TRACK: A contemporary city conversation

	Ahmet Öğüt, “The Castle of Vooruit,” 2012.*
	TRACK a contemporary city conversation 12 May–16 September 2012S.M.A.K. Citadelpark B-9000  Ghent, Belgium T +32 9 240 76 60 info@track.be www.track.be Twitter
	Curated by Philippe Van Cauteren and Mirjam VaradinisTRACK is a unique art experience in the public and semi public space of the city of Ghent. It offers surprising, enriching, and unexpected encounters with the city, its history, and its inhabitants and incites to reflect upon urban realities and the contemporary human condition in a broader sense. Thirty five international artists were invited to conceive new art works that are strongly rooted in the urban fabric of Ghent but link the local context with issues of global significance. The two curators Philippe Van Cauteren and Mirjam Varadinis took the time to select exemplary locations in the wider city centre of Ghent and invited artists who have an affinity with the thematical context of those places. The selected artists used the local reality as a fertile source of inspiration and the results of their in-depth explorations are not simply traditional works of art, but artistic projects in all different media that embrace the social, economic, cultural, and political conditions of the city and the times we live in. Their works call for participation, interact with the different communities in various ways, and leave permanent traces. TRACK is conceived as a universe of parallel narrations, occurences and (hi)stories. It consists of six clusters that offer a historical, cultural, architectural, and mental cross-section of Ghent and the idea of a city today. Each cluster has its own distinct atmosphere and touches upon a specific issue like mobility, religion, migration, economy, language, science, and city changes. TRACK invites the audience to explore the exhibition in various ways. Visitors do not have to follow a given linear trail but are free to choose their own personal TRACK through the clusters and the city. Each visitor thus creates a different kind of narration, based on his or her background and the way they are approaching the exhibition. This free and multi-layered perception corresponds to our globalised world and the idea of plural realities happening at the same time. TRACK is welcoming everybody to visit the exhibition and to be inspired by the visionary potential of art. TRACK was initiated by S.M.A.K. It continues the tradition established by the large-scale exhibition projects Chambres d’Amis (1986) and Over the Edges (2000), which installed contemporary art in the context of the city and entered into direct dialogue with the public. Participating artists Adelita Husni-Bey, Ahmet Öğüt, Alexandra Bachzetsis, Alon Levin, Bart Lodewijks, Benjamin Verdonck, Christina Hemauer & Roman Keller, Christoph Büchel, Cyprien Gaillard, Danh Vo, Emilio Lopez-Menchero, Erik van Lieshout, Erwan Mahéo, Javier Téllez, John Bock, Lara Almarcegui, Lawrence Weiner, Leo Copers, Lonnie van Brummelen & Siebren de Haan, Mark Manders, Massimo Bartolini, Mekhitar Garabedian, Michaël Borremans, Michaël Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset, Mike Bouchet, Mircea Cantor, Pascale Marthine Tayou, Pawel Althamer, Peter Buggenhout, Peter Fischli & David Weiss, Pilvi Takala, Simona Denicolai & Ivo Provoost, Superflex, Susanne Kriemann, Sven Augustijnen, Tadashi Kawamata, Tazu Rous, Tercerunquinto, Teresa Margolles, Tobias Putrih, Yorgos Sapountzis Read the TRACK Manifesto at www.track.be. Media relations Ms. Els Wuyts T +32 92 240 76 47 els@smak.be *Image above: Ahmet Öğüt, The Castle of Vooruit, 2012. Copyright S.M.A.K.

Istanbul Design Biennial programme announced

The programme of the first Istanbul Design Biennial is announced istanbuldesignbiennial.iksv.org
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	The Istanbul Design Biennial, organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) under the co-sponsorship of Eren Holding, Koray Group of Companies, Vestel and VitrA, will be held between 13 October–12 December 2012. The biennial adopted the theme “Imperfection” at the suggestion of Mr. Deyan Sudjic, a member of the Istanbul Design Biennial Advisory Board and the Director of the Design Museum in London. The curators of the Istanbul Design Biennial Emre Arolat and Joseph Grima will present two independent approaches by interpreting the biennial theme separately. The exhibitions, exploring a wide range of fields from urban to architecture, industrial, graphic, fashion, new media design, and all relevant creative products and projects, will be at Istanbul Museum of Modern Art and Galata Greek Primary School while the biennial events will spread throughout the city. The exhibition curated by Emre Arolat “Musibet: the Aestheticization of Context and Anti-Context in Design along the Axis of the Grand Transformation” will take place in Istanbul Modern. Under two main headings, “Transformation” and “Anti-Context”, Arolat will question urban transformation, public housing projects, and the social tension created by these in contemporary Istanbul by comparing them to other examples in the world, and explore ideas by local and global actors, newly accepted universals, changes in new technologies, and parallels between architectural and fashion design. Curator Joseph Grima’s exhibition at Galata Greek Primary School will be titled “Adhocracy”, the opposite of bureaucracy. Grima aims to turn his exhibition into a stage for the current revolutionary changes in the design world, considering Istanbul Design Biennial as a laboratory rather than an exhibition platform. Starting out with the concept that final user is a part of the design and manufacture processes, the exhibition will have a dynamic, complex, and innovative structure, challenging the traditional relations between designer, user, manufacturer, and slow bureaucratic processes. The deadline for applications to the Istanbul Design Biennial exhibitions is 2 June 2012. SPECIAL PROJECT WITH UNIVERSITIES As part of its educational activities, the Istanbul Design Biennial cooperated with 66 departments of various universities in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. In 2011–2012 academic year, urban design, architecture, industrial design, new media design, and fashion departments of universities will organise workshops, competitions, and special projects within the biennial theme. The outcomes of the projects will be exhibited in the faculty buildings.  ISTANBUL DESIGN BIENNIAL PRE-EVENTS Workshops with designers and students, 22–27 March Istanbul Design Biennial will organise a workshop programme in order to bring institutions, students, and industrial representatives together with designers. Details can be followed from the website. Roundtable Meeting: “Why Biennial?”, 26 May The Istanbul Design Biennial will host a roundtable meeting about the organisations focusing on design, with the participation of nine directors from different biennials and triennials of architecture and design. Mr. Giovanna Massoni, Director of Liege International Design Biennial; Mr. Matevž Čelik, Director of Ljubljana Bio-Biennial of Industrial Design; Ms. Elsa Francés, Director of St. Etienne Cite du Design; Mr. Guta Moura Guedes, Director of Experimenta Lisbon; Mr. José Mateus, Director of Lisbon Architecture Triennial; Dr. Serge Serov, Director of Moscow International Graphic Design Biennial; Mr. Youngwoo Lee, Director of Gwangiu Design Biennial; Mr. George Brugmans, Director of Rotterdam Architecture Biennial; Mr. Weiwen Huang, Director of Shenzhen-HongKong Bi-City Urbanism/Architecture Biennial, will participate in the meeting. Participation will be free of charge and open to public. Istanbul Design Biennial Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts Sadi Konuralp Caddesi No: 5 Şişhane 34433 Istanbul T +90 212 334 07 65-66 F +90 212 334 07 19 ist.designbiennial@iksv.org istanbuldesignbiennial.iksv.org www.facebook.com/istanbultasarimbienali www.twitter.com/tasarimbienali Media Relations Ms. Elif Obdan T + 90 212 334 07 13 F + 90 212 334 07 16 elif.obdan@iksv.org

Istanbul Design Biennial 2012

Istanbul Design Biennial
	Istanbul Design Biennial 2012 – Open Call istanbuldesignbiennial.iksv.org
	Gabriele Basilico, Istanbul 2010
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	The first edition of the Istanbul Design Biennial will be realized between 13 October–12 December 2012 by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), and will comprise a wide range of events, workshops, conferences and screenings centred around its exhibitions program. The Biennial’s two curators, Emre Arolat and Joseph Grima, will independently curate two exhibitions within the framework of the biennial theme, Imperfection, adopted at the suggestion of Deyan Sudjic, Director of The Design Museum in London and a member of the Biennial’s advisory board. The Biennial solicits submissions, proposals and recommendations for each of the exhibitions.The full exhibition outlines and submission guidelines can be reviewed on the website of the Istanbul Design Biennial. Adhocracy (curated by Joseph Grima) Musibet (curated by Emre Arolat) Istanbul Design Biennial explores a wide range of fields, from urban design (environmental, urban and regional planning) to architecture, photography, industrial, graphic, fashion, textile and interaction design, and all related creative fields. There are therefore no disciplinary or geographic limitations to the projects that can be submitted for inclusion in the Biennial. The deadline for submissions is June 2nd, 2012. A full list of pre-events, workshops and activities can be found on the Biennial website. Follow the Istanbul Design Biennial on Facebook and Twitter Istanbul Design Biennial Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts Sadi Konuralp Caddesi No: 5 Şişhane 34433 Istanbul T +90 212 334 07 65-66 F +90 212 334 07 19 E ist.designbiennial@iksv.org istanbuldesignbiennial.iksv.org Media Relations Ms. Elif Obdan T + 90 212 334 07 13 F + 90 212 334 07 16 elif.obdan@iksv.org

Artist talk by Betsey Biggs on “The Providence Postcard Project”

UCHCP Team meet with Bert Crenca, Director of AS220

On Saturday 28 January 2012, the UCHCP project team met with Bert Crenca, Director of AS220 – Providence’s international renowned unjuried and uncensored art space and community. The ongoing work of AS220 in working with urban communities and artists and in revitalizing the city through the development of dilapidated historic properties in downtown Providence was a remarkable and inspirational case study for the project team in thinking about the impact that collective creative action can have on the form and manifestation of urban life.

Providence Postcard Project opens at the Granoff Center

Friday 27 January 2012 in the Fribourg Family Atrium of the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts at Brown University:

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Winter 2012 symposium hosted at Brown University

On Friday, January 27, 2012 the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage at Brown University hosted the winter 2012 symposium to discuss issues of Urban Cultural Heritage and Creative Practice.  The morning session, included presentations from our international partners:

• Cape Town: Nick Shepherd (University of Cape Town, Center for African Studies)
• Dublin: Pat Cooke (University College Dublin, School of Art History and Cultural Policy and Director, Arts Management and Cultural Policy)
• Hong Kong: Oscar Ho (Chinese University of Hong Kong, Department of Cultural and Religious Studies and Director, Arts and Heritage)
• Istanbul: Lucienne Thys-Senocak (Koç University, Department of Archaeology and History of Art)
• York: John Schofield (University of York, Department of Archaeology and Director, Cultural Heritage Management)

Also included was a special artist talk by Betsey Biggs who spoke about The Providence Postcard Project which launched at the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts that evening.

In the afternoon session all participants took part in an Open Space meeting to collaboratively elaborate and explore the issues related to issues arising from the presenters work and the development of this form of interdisciplinary creative practice.

Brown to host International Symposium on Urban Cultural Heritage & Creative Practice

A  Discussion of International Approaches

Heritage professionals from around the world converge on Brown’s campus for a day of conversation.

Cape Town – Dublin – Hong Kong – Istanbul – Providence – York

What is heritage, and what forms does it take in an urban environment?  How are creative practices affected by, and how do they form the urban contexts in which they take place?  How do we look at these issues in Providence, and how are people dealing with them in cities around the world?

On Friday, January 27, 2012 Brown University will host a symposium to discuss issues of Urban Cultural Heritage and Creative Practice.  All events will be held at the John Nicholas Brown Center (357 Benefit Street). The morning session, held from 9:00 am to 12:00, will include presentations from our international partners:

• Cape Town: Nick Shepherd (University of Cape Town, Center for African Studies)
• Dublin: Pat Cooke (University College Dublin, School of Art History and Cultural Policy and Director, Arts Management and Cultural Policy)
• Hong Kong: Oscar Ho (Chinese University of Hong Kong, Department of Cultural and Religious Studies and Director, Arts and Heritage)
• Istanbul: Lucienne Thys-Senocak (Koç University, Department of Archaeology and History of Art)
• York: John Schofield (University of York, Department of Archaeology and Director, Cultural Heritage Management)

The afternoon session will provide an opportunity for students and faculty to engage in conversation about these issues through a series of small, break-out meetings organized around participant interests.  These will take place from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, with lunch provided.

The Urban Cultural Heritage and Creative Practice international research collaborative is organized by Ian Alden Russell, Curator, David Winton Bell Gallery in collaboration with Prof. Sue Alcock, the Joukowsky Institute of Archaeology; Prof. Steven Lubar, the John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage; Prof. Rebecca Schneider, the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies.