On temporality

The Open Places site differentiates between temporary, existing, and former public spaces.  I’m interested in the temporary examples because they seem to incorporate the most experimental and innovative new public spaces.  They represent a kind of exposition of public space and the cities become laboratories where they can be tested or explored.  We found our own network of public expo sites…ones that have yet to be registered online.

SAQ’s Cityscape project in Brussels

Shepard Fairey’s crew installing semi-legal art outside of Amsterdam’s Centraal Station

Talked to UNstudio about their latest pavilion designs in NYC and Chicago.  Hopefully will check out the Burnham Memorial Pavilion at the end of October.

“These conceptual designs or these installations, they are dealing with tests and they form a laboratorium for the rest of the work….ideas that can be later used in the (a)  building” – Ben Van Berkel, UNstudio Documentary part 1

Speaking of Expos, Check out BIG’s latest TED talk (Cities Past and Future) for a compelling presentation on the Danish pavilion design for China’s 2010 Expo (an intriguing example of a fusion of public architecture and public space) and an interesting comparison of Copenhagen and Shanghai.

And, finally, the 4th International Architecture Bienniale opened in Rotterdam this past weekend.   Full of temporary interventions and proposals for public spaces world-wide.  The summer school work was also included in the exhibit.