As part of a lecture series, Design and Culture, The dimensions of public space, of the Academie van Bouwkunst in Rotterdam Jasper de Haan invited three speakers for a public lecture around this years theme of the academy: STREETWISE.
The first is by Arie Graafland on september 9 at 20:00 hours at De Unie in Rotterdam.
Jeroen Boomgaard will lecture at september 23 about art and public space.
The third guest speaker is not yet confirmed.
Public space is directly related to ‘the political’; a notion George Baird starts from in his most recent book, referring among others to Walter Benjamin, and Hannah Ahrendt. The discussion in the USA is much about that political, or the absence of critical thinking in relation to urban spaces. Graafland will focus on one city only, Tokyo, and try to explain how over time public spaces in Tokyo have changed. But more importantly, what were the qualities of these public spaces which the Japanese called ‘sakariba’s’. If we understand these qualities, then we might get an idea of a possible ‘loss’, and what has been substituted for these spaces in our contemporary society.
5 September 2013