Nutopia : Exploring The Metropolitan Imagination

Nutopia : Exploring The Metropolitan Imagination
2/3 April 2009

Call for speakers
Deadline for application 30th November 2008

"Each epoch dreams the one to follow"
Michelet, Avenir! Avenir!


A multi disciplinary platform for artists/ archaeologists/ social scientists/
architects/ urban planners/ developers/ environmentalists/ activists and
regeneration/ housing, to meet and make visible their perspectives on the 21c
city; the nature of community, the human narrative, the new - utopia's which
we may be able to find present amongst contemporary town planning and
architecture.


The symposium will be set in Cardiff's Victorian and Edwardian Arcades, home
to a host of independent shops and against the backdrop of Saint Davids 2,
the city's under- construction shopping centre, which has been designed for
larger retailers, primarily multi + national chains. Both architectural
manifestations speak variously of social, economic and cultural shifts and
provide a lens through which to explore a multiplicity of perspectives, framing
our position as individuals and communities within the model of the 'global'
or 'regenerated' city. The aim of the symposium is to create a map of
perspectives revealing our thoughts on the 21c metropolitan 'imagination'.


Submissions are invited for a 20 minute paper / to host a break out discussion
or run a workshop or event in response to the above. Please feel free to
respond with a short abstract outlining an area of research or as a project
which befits the idea or possibility or new- utopia's.


Symposium Format: Working in response to submitted abstracts/ proposals,
your presentations will be located in different places in the city eg. Floor 5 of
NCP Carpark, Arcade basement, in a cafe/ pub, or in shopping centre's/
arcades/ office spaces etc in order to contextualise the discussion and to
create a dynamic between what is being discussed and a physical place. The
audience will be small and all presentations will be documented in location then
made available online please state in your proposal if you need to show images.


Please send 1 side of A4 outlining your responses in relation to your practice/
field, a CV and links to website/ blogs.


All speakers will have the option of having their paper included in the Museum
Of The Moment Archive* and also be featured in "The Arcades Project: A 3D
Documentary" Publication (Jan 2010).


UK travel costs will be covered/ free entrance and lunch provided during the
event participation fee to be agreed.


To make a submission email jennie@arcadesproject.org
To find out more about The Arcades Project : A 3D Documentary go to
www.arcadesproject.org



*The Museum Of The Moment Archive will be a multi media archive which will
be installed in the city centre as 'permanent' legacy of the project.