ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
The architecture theorist Ignasi de Solà-Morales describes the concept of ‘terrain vague’ as, ‘external places, strange places left outside the city’s effective circuits and productive structures’, these spaces include, ‘industrial areas, railway stations, ports, unsafe residential neighborhoods, and contaminated places…where the city is no longer.’
Other Spaces is a virtual exhibition which explores the potential of terrain vague – or urban wastelands – within our cities. This exhibition will gather ideas, proposals, and critiques which look specifically at temporary interventions to activate or make use of urban wastelands. The exhibition intends to question the life cycle and future of our urban environments, prompting further discussion within the discourse.
The exhibition will look to curate a sample of proposals, built and hypothetical, that address this issue on both a local and international scale. This exhibition will give designers, architects, artists, urban planners and thinkers a forum to present ideas and propositions for the future of urban wastelands.
The virtual exhibition will be live for the entire duration of Melbourne Design Week, March 17th-27th, 2022.
This event is part of Melbourne Design Week 2022, an initiative of the Victorian Government in collaboration with the National Gallery of Victoria.
OPEN CALL
Other Spaces is calling for contributors to submit material which explores the opportunities of terrain vague as a consequence of our fluctuating urban environments.
Solà-Morales’ term terrain vague can be translated in English as urban wastelands. This is not a new concept, and it is not localised – it is a global phenomenon, which often occurs as a result of the expansion and contraction of our cities. Due to fluctuating political, social, and economic conditions, our cities exist in a constant state of physical transformation. As such, terrain vague is shaped by the structures of our cities, while it also presents us with the residue of a moment in time. This global phenomenon results in a trail of inequalities but also possibilities for recycling, reusing, re-wilding and reactivating. Our cities are littered with under-utilised spaces which have the potential to become urban platforms for temporary interventions – politically, environmentally, and socially activating our communities, and connecting these spaces back to the city and its people.
Temporary activation of space has the power to build social interaction and connection with place, while experimenting with ideas for the future use of land.
————————–
What could we do with these spaces?
We want you to submit your ideas, propositions and past projects for temporary interventions in urban wastelands, to better connect the social and urban fabrics of our cities under the following categories; architecture, landscape, ecology, and art.
Submissions for this exhibition can take the form of design proposals, critical insights, practical solutions, and speculative provocations for the future and life cycle of urban wastelands. We are looking for a wide range of innovative, imaginative, and inventive ideas. Proposals can either be written or image based, head to the website for more information.
