In June 2008, the Metropolis Laboratory 2008 opened, continuing the series of Thinking Metropolis seminars with investigations into aspects of the city as a place of sensorial experience, memory, dreams and desire as well as a look into the city as a place where cultural regeneration, cultural profiling and city marketing are also topical issues.
For three days, the Thinking Metropolis seminars were open to professionals working with the city – as artists, as architects, as managers, as developers, as students, as local government officers or councillors, as researchers and theorists. Here we invite to share experiences, views and projects. More than 60 international experts lead the plenary and break out sessions during these three days.
It was three highly intense and inspirational days from 9.30 – 18.00, each day with two plenary sessions, with six speakers in total. Each plenary was followed by three breakout sessions with specific themes. After dinner there was a chance to see films on the main screen, interact live with new media, while the inspiration grew through informal discussions. Later, DJ’s take over in the lounge and deckchair-area of MS Halfmachine.
Each of the three Thinking Metropolis seminars had lead themes, as entrances to the exchange of knowledge and pratice:
CREATIVE URBAN PROCESSES
TEMPORARY SPACES, PLACES AND MOBILE STRUCTURES
NEW MEDIA AND NEW TECHNOLOGY
SPEAKERS
Amongst the speakers at the Thinking Metropolis seminars were Professor of Sociology at Columbia University, Saskia Sassan, Laurent Gutirrez and Valerie Portefaix from MAP office in Hong Kong, the young Dutch theatre maker and performer, Lotte van den Berg, Artistic director of Holland House, Jacob F. Schokking, Associate Professor and Director of the Visual Arts Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ute Meta Bauer, Slovakian artists Viera Collaro, Artistic Director of the New York performance company STREB, Elizabeth Streb and Tim Jones, Director of Artscape in Toronto.
Thinking Metropolis IV, V & VI was supported by Realdania and Kunstrådet.
N.B: For more and detailed info regarding the Thinking Metropolis 2008 seminars, download programme to the left. Or download a transcript of the seminars below:
Transcript of Thinking Metropolis IV
Transcript of Thinking Metropolis V
Transcript of Thinking Metropolis VI