Social
Spaces

On July 15th, we (Katrien Dreessen and Selina Schepers) were present at the Design4Health conference in Sheffield, UK. The conference was hosted by Lab4Living, a collaboration between the Art and Design and Health and Social Care Research Centres at Sheffield Hallam University and the users, consumers or customers. According to the organizers, the conference “was a focus for researchers, policy makers and practitioners to discuss, disseminate and test their approach and methods. It challenged the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and engagement with users and stakeholders” (see: http://www.design4health.org.uk/).

Social Spacer Rosanne van Klaveren has exhibited her FOOD RELATED work in progress at DeFKa during ‘INVESTIGATIONS on artistic research’ from 26 May till 18 June 2011. This exhibition opened with a conference day. Van Klaveren made an igloo shaped cake that was eaten by the participants from hand painted plates with hand written napkins before their debate about the practice of artistic research started. The cake functioned as an icebreaker, while the plates and napkins nourished the discussion.

After the conference reindeer soup was served from a Lada pot to all who wanted to try the daily food of the Nenets, a nomadic reindeer herding people in the North of the Russian Federation, while Van Klaveren explained her wish to drive her Lada Niva to this people as a gift.

Read more about this work in progress: www.foodrelated.org

Visit the website of DeFKa /SMAHK: www.smahk.nl

Phara de Aguirre (for Canvas, Belgian television) visits and interviews young artist Karl Philips in Hasselt, where he explains his caravan concept and surplus city guide on how to ‘survive’ in Hasselt’s public space.

Participants sought for the art project ’Short Cut Leuven’ by Stijn Van Dorpe

“Short Cut traces an imaginary straight line (a ‘short cut’), via a group of walking people, through Leuven. The aim is to form a line and walk a trail between Naamsevest and Engels Plein, straight across private property, public buildings, streets and squares. In this way Van Dorpe reconnects the private to the public, while making us think about topics like “living in the city,” “loss of privacy” etc.” Source & more info