​Sight construction at construction-site

Instructors / teachers: Lea Anić, Carla Zaccagnini, Lana Hosni

Contact: Lea Anić, lea_anic@hotmail.com

Registration for the course: Niels Christensen, niels.christensen@kunstakademiet.dk

Deadline for registration: March 1, 2023

COURSE DESCRIPTION

An interdisciplinary exchange of knowledge on methodologies and artistic tools used in engaging with and creating works for public space. A theoretical, interactive, practical exploration of ways in which artists can benefit from the working process employed in different disciplines, such as visual arts, architecture, dance/choreography, critical theory and sound.

If the construction site were our classroom, what type of knowledge would surface in it? In the workshop, we will try to take a closer look into a construction site. A place usually not approachable to us – a site already occupied by an activity. A site in transfiguration; a fenced area where the information about what was there before still lingers, yet the atmosphere of what’s next (the future) begins to be projected. Halfway there, in the midst – at the intersection of decisions.

The construction sites we will take as our case study will be Papriøen and Operaparken, both designed by the architecture firm Cobe. This location is poignant for us because of its almost 300-year history in which the rise of the city is inscribed. The island was built on waste discarded from the surrounding city, has fulfilled multiple functions for the citizens, and we are currently witnessing the latest phase of change from being an abandoned paper factory to gaining a new, hybrid role.

The off-site seminar will take place over three full days, each consisting of three parts: guided walks through the site led by professionals from different disciplines, discussions with participants, and practical tasks related to artistic engagement with the specific site.

The guided walks will be led by: a professional with deep knowledge of urban research (especially regarding the developments happening in the city over the past decade), a professional from Cobe Architectural firm who will present us with the current state of the construction site and its plans for future, and the duo of visual artist Lea Anic and choreographer Lana Hosni who will guide a walk with the aim of experiencing the site through movement and sound. The latter will form the basis of entering the site from the perspective of an artist and open a dialogue on the question: Which information lingers on the site, beyond what we can grasp by sight and language?

The dialogue and discussion will revolve around the walks taken, as well as the excerpts from selected texts, films and various artworks in connection to artistic practices engaging with the public space, such as works by the likes of Renata Lucas, Alvin Baltrop, Gordon Matta Clark, Sandi Hilal, Alessandro Petti, etc.

The practical tasks will be given to participants with the aim of collecting different clues and inputs in relation to their interests from the construction site. Through a series of exercises, we will investigate how we can inhabit a site with our bodies, with our voices. From the collected materials and different methods employed, collective knowledge of working within the site will be created and shared.

The workshop is aimed at students and professionals working in the field of visual arts, architecture, dance, sound who have an interest in working with/within the public space, and learning more about artistic practices related to developing art projects in public spaces. The workshop is organized in collaboration between The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and Copenhagen Architecture Festival.

PREREQUISITES

None.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the module, the student will:

– gain an insight on methodologies and artistic tools used in engaging with and creating works for public space.

– develop an awareness of tools and methods one is already working with and how these could be applied interdisciplinary.

– learn more about different artistic strategies used when working in the public space.

CONTENTS

We will work with the following areas:

– sharing the knowledge on the specific site.

– presentation of different artistic practices.

– practical tasks related to artistic engagement with the specific site.

TEACHING AND WORKING METHODS

– guided walks and presentations

– dialogue and discussion

– on-site tasks

GROUP FORMATION

15 students

ASSESSMENT

Group discussion at the end of the workshop.

REFERENCES

The references and reading materials will be provided in the weeks leading up to the workshop.