Otherness | Misc. Projects of the Week

#otherness projects this week are hidden in plain sight [of digital mapping programs that is].

1. Looking at Google Street View. (via)

Point Cloud City 

by Patricio Gonzalez Vivo

Point Cloud City from Patricio Gonzalez Vivo on Vimeo.

2. Looking at Apple Maps. (via)

The Rendering Eye: Urban America Revisited 

by Regula Bochsler & Philipp Sarasin

© Regula Bochsler

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Featured Project | Albanian Lapidar Survey

Help the Department of Eagles realize their latest project, the Albanian Lapidar Survey on Indiegogo. 

They can be found in every Albanian town and city, but no one knows how many there are: the lapidars. Their amazing form, architecture, and sculpture is unique to Albania, and the Albanian Lapidar Survey is the very first attempt to photograph, document and geotag every single one of them to preserve this important cultural heritage for future generations. The final publication will also include contributions from renowned theorists in the field of socialist realism and monumentality.

Introducing the Albanian Lapidar Survey for Indiegogo from Department of Eagles on Vimeo.

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Open Parliament of Albania at the Austrian Pavilion | Venice Architecture Biennale 2014

Albania gets another mention in Biennale news, this time for the unrealized Open Parliament project at the Piramida (also here, here, here) site in Tirana. 

The Austrian Pavilion will exhibit “Plenum. Places of Power” - the architecture of the parliament and its role in shaping urbanity, publics, national identity and state sovereignty. 

© Coop Himmelb(l)au

A winning entry by Austrian architects Coop Himmelb(l)au 'The New Parliamentary Complex of the Republic of Albania' made the local media and professional rounds as a highly (too much for some) abstracted sculpture (for a state institution that is), replacing another much controversial piece of architecture [although, calling Piramida a piece of architecture is like calling Albanian prime ministers a doctor (S. Berisha) or an artist (E. Rama)].

In my opinion, one of the most interesting aspects of this debate and design, has been the architects' effort and brave attempt to objectively materialize Albanian politics in a public institutional architectural ensemble. It's no secret that Albanians have never put so much faith, fight, blame and hope in one building as they have in Piramida. As though a part of their national identity originated from and deteriorated  with this 'piece of architecture'. 

Well the Austrian pavilion at the Venice Biennale will be discussing some of these very issues:

“The idea of democratic legitimation of power is so widespread today that no nation can do without building such a place, at least in name, for a representative popular assembly,” described commissioner Dr. Christian Kühn. “What do these places look like? And how are they connected to a public whose trust in democratic formation of will seems to be dwindling around the globe?”

The exhibition at the Austrian Pavilion sets out to find answers to these questions from various vantage points. (via)

Definitely something to look forward to.

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Otherness | Misc. Projects of the Week

These are some of the awesome (I think) videos circulating the web this week. #otherness  

The Bunker of the Last Gunshots | Jeunet & Caro

A group of army men looking a bit disturbed is confined to a bunker. When one of them discovers a dial showing that a countdown has begun, everyone panicks.What is going to happen at the end of the countdown? In this heavily tense atmosphere they all sink gradually into deep madness. (via)

LE BUNKER from kapelaans on Vimeo.

Superscope | Clark

“ I wanted to make tracks that had subtle depth and longevity but were simple and hooky enough to work on the dance floor. They've been tried and tested many times in different ways at all of my recent live shows. It was also really important to tie the oscilloscope imagery visuals into the art work. All in all I was hoping a singular, potent slab of techno that could be matched with accompanying visuals for the live show.” - Clark

Clark - Superscope from Warp Records on Vimeo.

Confluence | Noah Shulman

Confluence: A convergence of two streams or flows into one point. This film explores microscopic worlds, structures and meanings that exist beyond the naked eye. Confluence was shot using speciality macro lenses and microscopes shot in 4K resolution to bring a hyper-realistic image to life. Confluence was filmed as part of the exhibit Mental Fabrications. (via)

Confluence from Timur Civan on Vimeo.

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Featured Participants | Venice Architecture Biennale 2014

The 14th International Architecture Biennale, directed by Rem Koolhaas (OMA), will run from June 7 to November 23 November 2014 at the Giardini and the Arsenale in Venice, Italy.
 

This year's curatorial choice “Fundamentals” focuses “on histories – on the inevitable elements of all architecture used by any architect, anywhere, anytime (the door, the floor, the ceiling etc.) and on the evolution of national architectures in the last 100 years.” 

In a press conference earlier today, curator Rem Koolhaas introduced the 65 national participants (including 11 new comers) among them Albania and Kosovo:

ALBANIA

Potential Monuments of Unrealised Futures  

Edi Hila, Adrian Paci 

Commissioner: Ministry of Culture  

Curator: Beyond Entropy (Jonida Turani, Stefano Rabolli Pansera)  

Venue: TBA

KOSOVO

Commissioner: Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports 

Curator: Gezim Pacarizi 

Venue: Arsenale Pavilion

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For the full list of countries visit the biennale website.

Open Invitation | Western Balkans Museum Grants for Disability Inclusion

Funded by SIDA and Stavros Niarchos Foundation (as part of its initiative to develop disability inclusion in museums in the Western Balkans) CHwB is offering grants to museums in the Western Balkans that include the topics below:

1. Involvement, engagement, participation for access and inclusion of disabled people 

2. Social justice 

3. Negotiating the Past/Storytelling

Participants from the Western Balkans are invited to the second annual regional museum conference “Meet, See, Do” taking place in Tirana, Albania from April 8-10, 2014. 

This event will have all the resources needed to exchange, develop and polish the proposed project ideas. It is also an opportunity to meet local and international experts, find possible partnerships, and put the best ideas forward for funding. 

There are a few grants available up to €4.000 as well as a special award up to €7000.

To qualify for funding, projects must:

1. Have maximum duration of 6 months (implementation period is 1st June – 8th December 2014) 

2. Involve partnerships with non‐museum organizations 

3. Involve groups of people (beneficiaries) 

4. Show clear evidence of community engagement (where appropriate) 

5. Be at least part‐funded from within the museum (at least 20% of total cost)  

6. Is subject to quality financial reporting. 

7. Be evaluated and a brief evaluation report submitted.

For more information check out the documents below:

• Call for project Proposals
• Guidance Notes
• Application Form
• Budget Form

E‐mail your proposals to museums@chwb.org no later than 21 April 2014.

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Open Invitation | BBB Short Film Festival 2014 “Dare To Repeat”

Balkans Beyond Borders has opened the call for submissions for the: 5th edition of Short Film Festival 2014, DARE TO REPEAT.

Artists 35 years of age and younger are invited to participate. The open call submission will run through July 1st, 2014, and this 5th edition of the BBB Short Film Festival will take place in Sarajevo sometime in October 2014.

This year's theme is “Dare to Repeat”:

- Repetition as one of the most used strategies in contemporary art, literature, music, theatre, dance and film.

- Repetition not as occurrence of the same, but as the difference and creative activity of transformation that produces variations through the act of repetition.

- Repetition as a new experience, encouraging new discoveries and experiments, with different expressions emerging each time.

- Repetition produced via difference and not mimesis.

- Repeat = to begin anew again.

- Repetition as transformation, as concept between identical, different and seemingly like, copy and original, primary and consequent, bringing about a reflection on contemporary issues.

You'll find more information on the links below:

• Participation Terms
• Application Form

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