Frascati is hosting a special programme of talks with invited guests around the questions of space and porosity on 2 and 3 May at 20.00, as part of the PoroCity evenings.
In the two discussions following on from PoroCity, we will be investigating the porous third space forged and evoked in PoroCity. What are the possibilities for filling this space anew; for arriving at a new imag(in)ing? We will probe the relationship between architecture and dreams – between the psychology of a city and urban designs for this. We will discuss the criteria and associative designations used to refer to an area, a building and the hyper-individual experience of these.
· Dream Logic - On 2 May, together with Erik Willems and Liesbeth Groot Nibbelink, we will be examining what happens when we take the organic structures and the logic of dreams seriously as a way of thinking about our relationship to our surroundings; the structures we build, nature and one another. What happens if we claim the domain of dreaming as a way of reimag(in)ing the here and now? We will also discuss the porous relationship between artist and audience, between art and the public space: how does this third space arise, through art?
Erik Willems is a hypnotherapist and NLP trainer with his own practice in Amsterdam: Hypnoworks. He also teaches and gives various workshops, lectures and training courses. His background is in the theatre: as an actor and theatre-maker, he has created and/or performed in various productions with Toneelgroep Amsterdam, NNT and Stichting Nieuwe Helden, among others.
Dr. Liesbeth Groot Nibbelink is a teacher and researcher in Theatre Studies at the University of Utrecht and an editor for the scenographers’ network Platform Scenografie [Scenography Platform]. She is also involved in (PhD) research into ‘nomadic theatre’, as part of which she is investigating different forms of mobility and uses of space in contemporary (location-specific) theatre.
· Urban Environment and Mental Mapping – how can we redefine our urban environment on the basis of a psychological approach to space?
The discussion on 3 May will concentrate on the relationship between social processes and urban development, between imag(in)ing and architecture. We will talk with urban psychologist Sander van der Ham and Charlie Clemoes (Faile Architecture) about the identity of the urban environment and the process of Mental Mapping: the hyper-individual selective representation of reality. How do you experience a space, an area, the city? How does perception of the city take place and how does architecture relate to perception, and to the psychology of the city? This time, we will claim the space to investigate whether it is possible to redesign the urban space.
Sander van der Ham works as an urban psychologist and advisor throughout the Netherlands, including for urban consultancy STIPO and ‘sense of home’ specialists Thuismakers Collectief [Homemakers Collective]. His research and expertise operate particularly at the intersections of developments in cities and psychology, community building and residents’ participation, the sense of home and public space. He co-authored the book ‘De stoep, ontmoetingen tussen huis en straat’ [‘The Sidewalk: meetings between home and street’], which sees the sidewalk as a space where a liveable, pleasant city begins.
Charlie Clemoes writes and talks about architecture, culture and social issues. Originally from England, he now lives and works as a writer in Amsterdam. He is the editor of Failed Architecture and part of Amsterdam-based art&design platform fanfare, where he develops podcasts. He also works as a ‘Cultural Streetscaper’ with Kantar Futures.
Aukje Verhoog (dramaturge and Fringe Director Amsterdam Fringe Festival) will moderate both evenings.
More information here