City Projects

‘Pool – Creative City Projects

This post comes to you from Cultura21

What does “pool” in “Liverpool” stand for? It is the goal of ‘Pool to explore, reveal and celebrate the origins of the city of Liverpool and in so doing to contemplate and influence the city’s future. Through walks, picnics, celebrations, conferrings and positive documentation, ‘Pool works with communities in Liverpool to raise awareness about the ecology and social dynamics of their spaces.

Current projects:

1) Earth: Seed: Nurture: Grow reveals unused land in a series of monthly events which challenge the understanding of neglected urban spaces.

2) Growing Granby is a collaboration with Granby Adult Learning Centre to provide a course exploring sustainability past, present and future in the Granby triangle of Liverpool.

3) Construction Site is an exhibition which looks at the changes of the city and invites citicens to have their say.

For more information visit: www.poolproject.co.uk.

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

– Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)

– Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)

– Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)

– Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

Artist Commission: Nils Norman – Loughborough University Arts

“Public Workspace Playscape Sculpture Loughborough” is a prototype for an outdoor public play/workstation, composting unit, a roof planter, wifi-hotdesking area and rocket oven.

The design embodies 5 core concepts – play, organisation of the work place, DIY-eco design, defensive street furniture, and the public sphere. Creating an absurd prototype for a new kind of creative industry workstation, public sculpture and piece of street furniture. Expanding the work place into public space, conflating the modern factory space with the urban space of the public park.

As innovations in creative industry workspaces ape those of traditional public spaces: The Agora, the Market Place, the Street and Boulevard so too the privatised and enclosed spaces of the city and its various civic spaces: the Museum, the University, the Park, etc begin to reproduce the conditions and design of the factory. With gates, surveillance, controlled usage, prescriptive recreational areas and productive activity zones.

In order to capture and maximise those moments between work, those lost minutes having lunch,time-out, between class, walking home, weekends, cigarette breaks, family time… a new space and design is required to potentialise those seconds that are the elements of profit. Enclosing creativity and leisure, its activities and spaces, in order to harvest value.

Nils Norman has developed his own mix of art and activism, examining histories of utopian thinking and ideas on alternative economic systems that can work within urban living conditions.

Recent solo shows include;

Surrounded by Squares, Raven Row, London, 2009

Degenerate Cologne, Galerie Christian Nagel – Köln 2006

The Homerton Playscape Multiple Struggle Niche, City Projects – London 2005

Hey Rudy!: A Phantom on the Streets of Schizz, Galerie Christian Nagel – Berlin 2003

The Geocruiser, the University of Cambridge Botanic Garden and The Institute of Visual Culture, Cambridge – England 2001

Recent group exhibitions include;

It Starts From Here, De La Warr Pavilion – Bexhill on Sea 2007

Revolution is not a Garden Party, Galerija Miroslav Kraljevi – Croatia 2007

British Art Show 6, Newcastle (touring) 2005/6

50th International Art Exhibition Venice Biennale – Italy 2005

via Artist Commission: Nils Norman – Loughborough University Arts.