Re-imagining cities: artists' perspective
Istela Imam | Wednesday, 11 June 2008
WOULD not it be exciting if our cities were had colourful and pleasing looks -- something the people can interact with? Just stand and take a moment to look at our cities or when we walk down their grey and gloomy roads, numerous structural forms stand high and the billboards block our vision to dampen our excitement.
Now re-imagine these cities with artists' touches adding colour and flavour to break their monotonous look. There can be imaginative ways of presenting the dirty drains or garbage areas and many other things. The monotonous city can be changed. Here lies the role of artists who can make our cities into looks attractive and liveable, using a combination of art and digital technology.
How artists can play a role in shaping cities, was discussed at a recent panel debate on "Re-imagining Cities" in Bangkok. Artists as well as design organisations, Onedotzero, D-Fuze from UK, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Thailand Creative and Design Centre and BORED (Band of Radical Experimental Design) showed how different aesthetic features can make the cities charming and interesting.
Although the panel debate focused on 11 cities of eight East Asian countries, the ideas, thoughts and findings can also be applied in the cities like Dhaka and Chittagong, where density, untidiness and other problems make city life difficult.
Curated by the British Council and onedotzero, Re-Imagining the City is part of Creative Cities, a cultural and artistic project promoting global citizenship across East Asia. It focuses on shared urban future through the eyes of designers, architects, film makers and creatives.
At the panel debate, D-Fuse, a group of artists from London focused on the everyday activities of life like training, gardening and traffic through video shot on Shanghai, China, under the title, "A Brilliant City".
Onedotzero, the London-based hybrid organisation highlighted cross media production emphasising on new forms of moving image. BORED presented some interesting concert backdrops and couples of installation, made of very simple objects and concepts.
They discussed the ideas for "re-imagining the city", showing how the billboards, used for advertisements, could combine art and technology to be more appealing. Instead of so many billboards flooding a city's skyline, panellists suggested interactive ads could be put up at zebra crossings or on buildings.
Perceiving the whole city as a canvas, artists can utilise vacant space do something more interactive. They can explore new ideas, breaking out of the traditional norms for more interesting presentations. The works of artists can be more interactive. They allow the passer-by's to be their part and to interact. A combination of arts and technology can be more communicative to stimulate thoughts and ideas.
How people from different backgrounds, or people with families, perceive things differently, was discussed. A city's identity or characteristics can be brought out by the artists through creative depiction. The artists make the people perceive a city. They add fun to the environment. Street art interventions by the artists using the urban canvas and graffiti can be made extremely communicative to evoke strong emotions.
Onedotzero put up massive screens in an open space to show the London museum. Standing close to the screen, one can hear a vibrating sound. It lets people feel as if they are in the museum and there is interaction between them. The setting inspires them to ask questions about history and where they are heading in the future.
Visitors could see more examples of unique arts around some cities. The artists smiling faces in the traffic lights to cheer up the passers-by. In the small city of Tirana, Albania, they showed how the mayor, with artistic sense, turned the grey and dull areas attractive by painting them with bright colours. It pushed up the housing prices and inspired more and more developers to invest there.
To brighten up the grey and gloomy city looks they showed that painting drains and pipes can turn them more attractive. Simple interventions to add fun to places like car parkings, shutters and stations would have a positive impact on the people.
The designers referred to the city of Singapore as 'too tidy, bland and generic' because it does not allow room for further change. They opened that the cities that grew randomly actually have a charm, that appeals to all and hold more potential for the artists to work on.
In the Asian cities, density and high migration now pose a growing problem. The panel had no doubt that the cities in East Asia are growing at a rapid pace to be able to accommodate 2,000,000 people. The countries in South Asia have political social problems to deal with, alongside their development. The discussants for 're-imagining the city' suggested for like-minded artists, designers or people to work together to achieve the common goals to make the cities more interesting. They described the commonly perceived weaknesses of cities like Dhaka and Chittagong as the strengths of the two cities. The government can initiate the process, with assistance, to encourage the artists to work with urban planners, architects and by themselves to make our cities unique.
(The writer is studying in the Department of Visual Communication Arts in Assumption University, Bangkok. She can be reached at [email protected])
Now re-imagine these cities with artists' touches adding colour and flavour to break their monotonous look. There can be imaginative ways of presenting the dirty drains or garbage areas and many other things. The monotonous city can be changed. Here lies the role of artists who can make our cities into looks attractive and liveable, using a combination of art and digital technology.
How artists can play a role in shaping cities, was discussed at a recent panel debate on "Re-imagining Cities" in Bangkok. Artists as well as design organisations, Onedotzero, D-Fuze from UK, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Thailand Creative and Design Centre and BORED (Band of Radical Experimental Design) showed how different aesthetic features can make the cities charming and interesting.
Although the panel debate focused on 11 cities of eight East Asian countries, the ideas, thoughts and findings can also be applied in the cities like Dhaka and Chittagong, where density, untidiness and other problems make city life difficult.
Curated by the British Council and onedotzero, Re-Imagining the City is part of Creative Cities, a cultural and artistic project promoting global citizenship across East Asia. It focuses on shared urban future through the eyes of designers, architects, film makers and creatives.
At the panel debate, D-Fuse, a group of artists from London focused on the everyday activities of life like training, gardening and traffic through video shot on Shanghai, China, under the title, "A Brilliant City".
Onedotzero, the London-based hybrid organisation highlighted cross media production emphasising on new forms of moving image. BORED presented some interesting concert backdrops and couples of installation, made of very simple objects and concepts.
They discussed the ideas for "re-imagining the city", showing how the billboards, used for advertisements, could combine art and technology to be more appealing. Instead of so many billboards flooding a city's skyline, panellists suggested interactive ads could be put up at zebra crossings or on buildings.
Perceiving the whole city as a canvas, artists can utilise vacant space do something more interactive. They can explore new ideas, breaking out of the traditional norms for more interesting presentations. The works of artists can be more interactive. They allow the passer-by's to be their part and to interact. A combination of arts and technology can be more communicative to stimulate thoughts and ideas.
How people from different backgrounds, or people with families, perceive things differently, was discussed. A city's identity or characteristics can be brought out by the artists through creative depiction. The artists make the people perceive a city. They add fun to the environment. Street art interventions by the artists using the urban canvas and graffiti can be made extremely communicative to evoke strong emotions.
Onedotzero put up massive screens in an open space to show the London museum. Standing close to the screen, one can hear a vibrating sound. It lets people feel as if they are in the museum and there is interaction between them. The setting inspires them to ask questions about history and where they are heading in the future.
Visitors could see more examples of unique arts around some cities. The artists smiling faces in the traffic lights to cheer up the passers-by. In the small city of Tirana, Albania, they showed how the mayor, with artistic sense, turned the grey and dull areas attractive by painting them with bright colours. It pushed up the housing prices and inspired more and more developers to invest there.
To brighten up the grey and gloomy city looks they showed that painting drains and pipes can turn them more attractive. Simple interventions to add fun to places like car parkings, shutters and stations would have a positive impact on the people.
The designers referred to the city of Singapore as 'too tidy, bland and generic' because it does not allow room for further change. They opened that the cities that grew randomly actually have a charm, that appeals to all and hold more potential for the artists to work on.
In the Asian cities, density and high migration now pose a growing problem. The panel had no doubt that the cities in East Asia are growing at a rapid pace to be able to accommodate 2,000,000 people. The countries in South Asia have political social problems to deal with, alongside their development. The discussants for 're-imagining the city' suggested for like-minded artists, designers or people to work together to achieve the common goals to make the cities more interesting. They described the commonly perceived weaknesses of cities like Dhaka and Chittagong as the strengths of the two cities. The government can initiate the process, with assistance, to encourage the artists to work with urban planners, architects and by themselves to make our cities unique.
(The writer is studying in the Department of Visual Communication Arts in Assumption University, Bangkok. She can be reached at [email protected])