An impression of the London Workshop - click on a photo to view the album
LONDON – 9 MAY 2010
PARTICIPANTS 22Danubians: Sophie Bloemen, and Jan ter Burg
Jury: Jan ter Burg – Danube Foundation (Amsterdam), Segolene Pruvot (European Alternatives), Maaike Stevens
Davide delle Monache, Francisca Michielsen
In this concept the city is shaped in the form of a wheel consisting out of several segments. All in all there are six sub-communities or hubs where people live and work, according to their beliefs, yet there are 7 spheres where people can meet and exchange ideas. Additionally there is a large green area in the center and all forms of transport are shared by the different communities.
A government will provide all the basic needs, such as transportation and facilitates the process of decision making. Even though the communities are self-sustainable they are not closed, everyone may join in. The city is a mosaic in which each hub may grow and develop as it inhabitants wish for and as such has elements reflecting both “pillarisation” (verzuiling) as could be found in 19th century Netherlands as well as contemporary multi-cultural societies such as Canada which projects itself as a cultural mosaic. Despite it`s modernistic planned outlook, the future development will be bottom-up and organic.
In reverse city all values are inverted. What is good becomes bad and vice versa. In tradition with Bernard Mandeville`s The Fable of the Bees vice and virtue seem to have changed position. Within this cynical system of morality, vice becomes attractive by ingenious paradoxes. The key-word within this concept is libertarianism. The free will reigns supreme. As such everything is permitted which brings along the question where one`s freedom ends and another begins. Interestingly, anonymity is highly praised. In carnivalesque surroundings people dare to shake of their inhibitions and experience their hedonistic pleasures. Nothing is as it seems in this urban bal masqué.
Reverse City isn`t so much an utopia, it has closer resemblance to dystopian universes such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell. Yet it does serve as an interesting critique on morality, authority and the philosophy of nihilism.
In contrast to Reverse City, Europia City states itself is being feasible. Its key-elements are fairness, self sufficiency, aesthetics and equality. Just like Atlantis, Europia City consists out of concentric circles with a modernistic separation of spheres. Living takes place in one circle, work in another. Yet at the heart there is a highly urban area where in a organic fashion everything is combined. Here people work, live and indulge at the same time. In this respect Europia Ciy combines both modernist and post-modernist views in one.
Since Europia highly values equality, money is distributed equally and as such reflects socialist thinking. Unlinke Reverse City anonymity isn`t mentioned, however in Europia people would have a zone where they could enjoy their privacy. Naturally this city would be sustainable as well and people would live in balance with nature. Aesthetics are specifically referred to. Not only does this city contain many beautiful parks, gardens and nature reserves, the urban fabric has to be pleasing to the eye as well.
Ongoing Changing City
Aude Urcun, Matthieu le Charpentier, Cecile Parriat, Dan WuThe Ongoing Changing City is as its title reflects about change and dynamics. Its collage consists out of a spiral portraying the ever continuing process of change within a city and society. Utopia is the end goal of this spiral, even though it may never get there, Utopia serves as a light house to attract the spiral.
This change comes back within architecture, buildings have the capacity to adapt and change. Society and people are in a constant state of flux as well, ever adjusting and changing. Impetus is put upon bottom-up processes since this is a democratic inclusive society where strong legislation exists in order to build up this city.
It has a pragmatic approach and this city slowly emerges during a never ending conceptual dialectic process. Creation takes place upon the principle of common accept of the community. It’s the people that make this city and everyone has a right to participate.
FloatopiaYi Yao, Silu Yang, Jonny Running
Within Floatopia the most important factor is time. In this metaphysical dreamlike world time has become liquid and people can swim through the ocean of time to go back and experience the past. The old forlorn world is to be seen as a warning with its limited social economical organization and lack of respect for the environment. Not only time is liquid, so is space. Structures can change to suit the needs of its users and habitants. The four seasons are all present in this city, one can travel from spring to fall, depending upon mood. In this ethereal world people travel via airships, from season to season and from era to era. All is possible. The physical and metaphysical are intertwined in floatopia. Society will have become peaceful and organic with mankind living in harmony with its surroundings. As such floatopia truly has become a utopia, being both a good place and yet at the same time a non-place, since everything is fluid.
Winning concept
After careful deliberation, the jury decided upon Floatopia as the winning concept and each group-member was awarded with a copy of Thomas More`s novel “On Utopia”
As in Berlin, all participants were given a questionnaire, in which they commentated upon their concept and gave their contact information. They will be kept up to date on future activities. The diverse multicultural population of what makes London was present in the composition of the participants with people coming from a vast array of different countries; France, Germany, China, Italy, the Netherlands and Albania.
Artist Maaike Stevens will make an art-piece reflecting the ideas of the concepts that were presented, with special emphasis on the winning concept Floatopia, which will be send to Amsterdam within weeks.
The Danube Foundation is organizing a new UTOPIAN CITY workshop in LONDON, on the 9th of May 2010. Check the Flyer for more details.
Send an email to contact @ danube-foundation.eu to register
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