Why Mesh Cities Christchurch?
A roundtable discussion event was held at The Physics Room Gallery on the 30th of March. This was to begin the research project with a thorough grounding with the projects and artist communities operating already in the this space. A group of fifteen discussed their work and the alignment with proposed themes as part of the launching of this project. The discussion in its raw form is here – http://piratepad.net/TLeKCQbnmw , the purpose being to embed the research project in both a local and national context.
A beginning framing statement:
Referencing the concept of Robert Oullette’s MESH, the research project Mesh Cities Christchurch positions the ubiquitous cyclone fence as a metaphor for framing the interconnectedness of the network, actual, social, creative, urban and rural, within the digitally networked community that is Aotearoa Digital Artists. Like the woven fence the strength is in the connections developed throughout the project, the mesh both contains and provides permeable space for developing synergies between the ongoing development activities in Christchurch and the ramifications for the rest of the country. A palpable disjunction emerges between the top down or data-driven approach driving government designs for the city’s rebuild, and the highly social, bottoms up and collectively imagined future. These plans sit alongside a city rich in a creative response to resident experience.
The research project Mesh Cities Christchurch addresses how artists might respond, what opportunities arise and how nimble processes may offer insights for speculation on public spaces as creative venues and their importance for future community development.
Your comments are invited through the Mesh Cities Christchurch FB page
Further links:
http://www.shareanidea.org.nz/
http://www.rebuildchristchurch.co.nz/blog/2011/5/share-an-idea
Art work photographed in Christchurch 29th March 2013