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Forward! On the Revitalization of Modern Architecture Symposium at SMART Project Space Saturday, 15 December 2007 The symposium Forward! On the revitalization of modern architecture hosting guest speakers from the field of art, architecture and philosophy, encourages interdisciplinary dialogue and debate, and offers a variety of perspectives on the issue at stake in an international context. Having fought extensively to preserve its previous premises in the now demolished building of the former Jan Swammerdam Institute, which was one of the few remaining examples of modern architecture in the center of Amsterdam, the issue of the future of the modern architectural legacy is relevant to SMART Project Space. The symposium takes place in conjunction with the current exhibition Kiosk7: OudWestKiosk. OudWestKiosk is part of the ongoing project Kiosk by artists group Gavin Wade mit Simon & Tom Bloor, in which the artists try to find new functions for two kiosks designed by the Russian architect Berthold Lubetkin and Tecton. The Kiosk project provides an excellent occasion to address the revitalization of modern architecture, which has been under-represented in the context of many recent debates in the field of architecture. The moderator of the symposium is architect, film maker and author Jord den Hollander. Den Hollander was also the editor and moderator of several radio and television programs, and is creative director of the AFR (Architecture and Film Festival Rotterdam). Also on 15 December 2007, the final day of the exhibition Kiosk7: OudWestKiosk, the winner of the kiosk-function competition will be announced. Programme 10.00-10.15 Coffee 10.15-10.30 Welcome by Thomas Peutz (Director SMART Project Space) & Hilde de Bruijn (Head of Exhibitions SMART Project Space) Screening of Jord den Hollander´s Magic Moments 10.45-11.15 Gavin Wade Artists Exploit Zoos Gavin Wade mit Simon & Tom Bloor is an artist group based in Birmingham. In the summer of 2005 they produced an exhibition at Dudley Zoological Gardens near Birmingham including a temporary installation in two kiosks that were built as part of the zoo?s original scheme. The zoo´s architecture was designed in 1936 by architect Berthold Lubetkin and Tecton. Whereas Lubetkin?s architecture at London Zoo is widely feted as shaping the built environment of the 20th Century, his larger experiment at Dudley has been overlooked and uncelebrated. Following on from the project in 2005, Gavin Wade mit Simon and Tom Bloor are now attempting to celebrate Lubetkin?s grand experiment further by updating the function of the kiosk architecture, making the original designs mobile and sending them on new adventures around the globe. Recreating the form of two of the shelters of the zoo they are working on a global network of kiosks as artworks, each responding to the location where it is sited. Gavin Wade will discuss the kiosk project as a speculative way of dealing with modern architecture and an interesting starting point for discussion. 11.15-11.45 Owen Hatherley Recovering the Traces ? Modernism and Memorialisation Owen Hatherley is currently completing Everyday Life, Mass Production, Mass Politics and the Avant Garde in Weimar Germany and the USSR, 1917-1934, a dissertation on art and utopianism in Weimar Germany and the early Soviet Union at the Philosophy Department of Birkbeck College in London. His writings include The Measures Taken, and two related blogs on Architecture, Cultural Studies and Politics. He also writes for Socialist Worker, Historical Materialism, and Archinect. Hatherley´s lecture addresses the future of the Modernist heritage from the perspective of its utopian potential. For many of the Modernists of the 20th century, the ideal was to live without traces. Buildings would be for purpose, changeable, re-usable, temporary and mobile. Taking this point into account, Hatherley questions what it then means when we try to recover the traces of those who wanted to both efface the traces of the old world, and the traces of their own work. Should the aim to preserve be considered a surrender to art history, memorialisation and the ideologies of heritage, as modernism?s surrender to a paradigm that has always opposed it? As Hatherley will argue, there are other reasons for holding onto the remnants of interwar modernism. 11.45-12.15 Michelle Provoost, Crimson Architectural Historians WiMBY! (Welcome to my Backyard) Crimson Architectural Historians was established in 1994 in Rotterdam and consists of six architectural historians, who act as curators and consultants on urban planning and architectural affairs. For the past six years, Crimson, together with Felix Rottenberg, has been project leader of WiMBY! (Welcome into My Backyard!), an urban regeneration project in Rotterdam involving the re-design of Rotterdam-Hoogvliet, a neighbourhood designed in the 1960´s. Michelle Provoost will discuss the project and relate it to Crimson´s The New Towns project, which researches post-war cities worldwide and deals with the export of urban planning as a political instrument in the Cold War, and the current planning and building policies aimed at The New Towns. 12.15-13.00 Round Table Discussion 13.00-13.45 Lunch Break 13.45-14.00 Announcement of the winner of Kiosk7: OudWestKiosk 14.00-14.30 Keyvan Lankarani, Avanti Architects Built heritage and its new comer modern architecture Avanti Architects is a London-based practice established in 1981. Avanti Architects has developed a particular interest and expertise in working with listed modern buildings dating from the 1920s and into the post-war period. Their work has involved the development of conservation principles and repair technology for the problems of ailing modern constructions. Avanti accommodates new requirements within the existing fabric in a way that respects the historic interest of the design and the formulation of appropriate new uses where abandonment of the original use threatens a structure that deserves to be saved. Keyvan Lankarani will speak about the increasing importance of non-monumental buildings as heritage assets and the importance of modern examples in reflecting the cultural heritage of the 20th Century. He will also discuss Avanti´s approach to modern conservation, illustrated with two case studies: Isokon Flats by Wells Coats, and Wynford House by Lubetkin and Tecton. 14.30-15.00 Dirk Snauwaert From Blomme to Wiels: The foundation of a contemporary art institution in a modernist architecture Dirk Snauwaert is the initiator and artistic director of Wiels, a new art center in Brussels located in the Blomme, the corner building of the former Wielemans-Ceuppens Breweries. From January 2005 until December 2007, the team of Wiels has been working on both the restoration and the refurbishment of the historical building, and the artistic and financial development of the center. The Blomme building is one of the rare examples of modernist industrial architecture in Brussels. Dirk Snauwaert will speak about the development of Wiels as an art center in relation to the architecture of the building and its restoration. 15.00-15.30 Wessel de Jonge Wessel De Jonge is an architect who specializes in the restoration of modern architecture, including the Dutch pavilion by Gerrit Rietveld at the Giardini in Venice. He has contributed extensively to the discourse around the issue of restoration and revitalization of modern architecture. Together with Hubert-Jan Henket he was involved in the foundation of DOCOMOMO, the international organization for documenting and the preservation of buildings and environments of the Modern Movement. De Jonge will discuss his perspective on revitalization and will illustrate this with case studies from his own practice such as the Rietveld Pavilion in Venice, the Van Nelle Ontwerpfabriek in Rotterdam and the restoration of sanatorium Zonnestraal. 15.30-16.00 Coffee Break 16.00- 16.30 Marko Lulic Erased History ? Modernism in Serbia and Croatia Investigating utopian moments of modernism in his videos, installations and sculptures, Marko Lulic explores the connections between ideology, architecture, public space and society. He is interested in the relation between form and ideology and in determining the importance attributed to them. He has been dealing with modernist monuments and the history of modernism in former Yugoslavia. Lulic´s lecture Erased History ? Modernism in Serbia and Croatia will give a brief overview of art and architecture in the region, highlighting the richness of movements and their connections to the international context. Lulic will address the problematic relationship of the people in the region with modernism, the consequent tearing down of modern(ist) architecture over the last years, as well as recent changes in the issue of revitalization under the influence of a global economy and capitalism. 16.30-17.30 Round Table Discussion 17.30 ? 18.30 Screening of Jord den Hollander´s film Many words for modern, 2007 18.30-19.30 Closing Reception Entrance fee: ? 15,00 (including lunch) Reservations: Until 10 December, by replying to this email under the subject: reservation symposium. |
| OudWestKiosk: Extra Events during the Exhibition Saturday 8 December 2007 On 8 December extra activities will take place at SMART Project Space and in the neighbourhood of Oud-West organized by the groups involved in the project Kiosk7: OudWestKiosk by artists group Gavin Wade mit Simon & Tom Bloor. 16.00-17.00 Medicinal-Plants-Give-Away Action at Overtoom - Eerste C. Huygensstraat Intersection By Art Library / Gallery Beeldend Gesproken Oud-West longs for more public green, better air quality and less road rage. To address these needs Beeldend Gesproken will distribute calming plants to passers-by at the busy, dangerous and polluted Overtoom-Eerste C. Huygensstraat intersection. The plants will reduce CO2 fumes and distribute oxygen-rich air which might even lead to reduced road rage. Passers-by will calmly continue their journey with a plant in their hand and will contribute positively to the problems Oud-West is facing. Art Library / Gallery Beeldend Gesproken is a nationwide institution specialising in art made by professional artists with a psychiatric background. Currently Beeldend Gesproken has a collection with works by eighty five contemporary artists. The collection contains 1600 works of art in a range of styles and techniques. Beeldend Gesproken has been in its current home in Amsterdam Oud-West since 1997. 18.30-19.20 A Reminiscence Workshop at SMART Project Space (in Dutch) By Stichting Tijdgeest (Foundation Spirit of the Time) The main aim of Stichting Tijdgeest is to bring history to life through personal memories using reminiscence as a method to help elderly people trigger stories from their past. Joke Luijendijk will speak about reminiscence and its different forms. She will also discuss the use of special software developed for Tijdgeest that allows an extremely accessible way of publishing personal photographs and stories online. 19.30-20.00 Artist talk by Lorenza Boisi at SMART Project Space By M4gueststudio Lorenza Boisi (1972) is a Milan-based painter and a resident at the M4gueststudio from 1 November 2007 to 1 February 2008. Boisi´s romantic iconography tells a story of emptiness, loneliness and decay, often with a humorous touch. Boisi: ?I specifically try to focus on the growth of my imagery, fed by very many sources, from literature to the history of painting and personal life, tinted by the sentiment of my emotional self. I have recently worked on several installation projects altering the environment by the means of painting, reproducing somehow the nature of space as represented in my paintings. Therefore alluding to a painted space within a physical environment or white cube, I have installed paintings in relation to the creation of an imaginary dimension providing several examples of my practice in different media?. The talk will be moderated by Monica Aerden. The M4gueststudio Foundation (2005) offers a guest studio in the centre of Amsterdam. It is part of the Tetterode complex, a large studio and apartment building, squated in the eighties and home to over 200 residents for almost 25 years. 20.30-21.30 A fashion show of Moroccan wedding dresses at SMART Project Space By Youth Center Argan The fashion show (using the roof of the Lubetkin kiosk as a cat walk) will open with music selected by Souhailla Lakdim played by DJ Saif, followed by the presentation of four splendid taksjitas (Moroccan wedding dresses) belonging to Mrs. Ziana Fatima Chakroni, who is a well-know Nagaffa, a bridal make-up artist. Her taksjitas will be shown by the four Argan girls Fadoua Amenzou, Naima Toehami, Hanan Lammou and Hanan Bouhrir. Younes Abi Yaala and Khalid Moudoi will show men´s clothing: the jeleba and the bedi3a. All models will be styled by Najat Amanzo. Enjoy the show with Moroccan tea and small bites to eat. Final tunes from DJ Saif. |
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Kiosk7: OudWestKiosk Exhibition by Gavin Wade mit Simon & Tom Bloor Exhibition until 15 December 2007 Gavin Wade mit Simon & Tom Bloor is an artist group based in They then set out to find new functions for the kiosks (from A for Aquarium to Z for Zeppelin) by making the original designs mobile and sending them on new adventures around the globe. By recreating the form of two of the human shelters of the zoo, they are working on a global network of kiosks as artworks, each responding to the location where it is situated. Kiosk3: MerzKiosk was an offsite project for Merz, Magazin4, Kiosk7: OudWestKiosk for SMART Project Space in ElevatorKiosk - the kiosk as an elevator, bringing the visitor to the guest studio and the roof terrace of the Merkelbach building on the Da Costakade, proposed by M4gueststudio. FloraKiosk - the kiosk as a natural oasis containing plants and an air-filtration
system, located at a busy intersection in Amsterdam Oud-West, proposed
by Beeldend Gesproken art library / gallery.
IslamicYouthKiosk - a
kiosk that would serve as the podium for a variety of activities by
Islamic youth, proposed by Stedelijk Jongerenwerk Amsterdam (Municipal
Youth Organization Amsterdam), unit Argan.
StoryTellingKiosk - an inter-generational and inter-cultural storytelling kiosk, proposed by Stichting Tijdgeest (Spirit of the Time Foundation). Kiosk7: OudWestKiosk incorporates aspects of architecture, urban planning and social systems within a framework of localized and international aesthetics, forms and ideals. Each entry has been designated a section of the kiosk (bar, roof etc.) as a symbolic sculptural gesture and has been invited to provide materials for use in the exhibition space to represent the organizations? ongoing activities and aspirations. The artists have worked with the material resulting from the proposals through the principle of collage, appropriating and adapting quotes by Berthold Lubetkin and have playfully collaged and written a special edition of the publication series SMART Papers. The winning Kiosk will be selected by an international panel of experts and exhibition visitors. SMART Project Space aims to realize the winning kiosk proposal in the public space of Oud-West in 2008. |
| Coded Cinema | November Programme Code: 0705 While working towards the re-opening of SMART Cinema, as a gesture of appreciation to our audience, SMART has developed a radical new approach to the cinematic experience. The new Coded Cinema offers 24 hour access to an intimate 12 seat film theater, allowing visitors to let themselves in at their own leisure, make themselves at home and enjoy the eclectically mixed programme of video art, experimental film, art house cinema and documentary film. The Coded Cinema is located in a small outbuilding adjacent to the main building. Each month the access code is distributed through an online newsletter which you can subscribe to on the SPS website. Part I El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, English subtitles, 10:00 min, 2005, a video by artist Jean-Baptiste Gannes, proposed by M4guesststudio. Dezelfde wereld maar dan Anders, a documentary by Beeldend Gesproken art library / gallery, in Dutch, 30:00 min, 2004. Historical Fragments of Amsterdam Oud-West from Amsterdam City Archives, proposed by Stichting Tijdgeest, 10:00 min, fragments from the 1970s. Loverboy, Lodewijk Crijns, in Dutch, 79:00 min, 2003, proposed by Stedelijk Jongerenwerk Amsterdam, unit Argan. Part II The New Architecture of the London Zoo, documentary by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy for the Part III Rashomon, Akira Kurosawa, in English, 88:00 min, 1950. Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin, in English, 85:00 min, 1936. Groundhog Day, Harold Ramis, in English, 101:00, 1993. Night on Earth, Jim Jarmush, in English, 129:00, 1991. |
| Looking for an Apartment SMART Project Space is urgently looking for temporary accommodation for an intern who comes to Amsterdam in the context of the Youth in Action Program of the European Union. The internship is for one year and starts in December. For further information or suggestions, please respond to this email or call the SMART Project Space office during office hours. |
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Renovations Underway In August 2005 SMART Project Space acquired the former Pathological Anatomical Laboratories of the |
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SMART Project Space and Kiosk 7: OudWestKiosk are kindly supported by the Mondriaan Foundation, Gemeente Amsterdam, VSBfonds, Stichting Doen, Filmfonds, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, Netherlands Architecture Fund, Henry Moore Foundation, Cultuurfonds Stadsdeel Oud-West. |
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SMART Project Space
Arie Biemondstraat 105-113 | NL-1054 PD Amsterdam
phone:
Location map: www.smartprojectspace.net/info/location
Opening hours: Tuesday ? Saturday, 12:00-17:00 hrs |
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