Archive for April, 2011
72 Hour Urban Action @ Rebar Studio
Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 7:30 PM Rebar hosted a 72 HOUR GATHERING AT REBAR at the studio on 20th street btw Folsom and Shotwell.
Title: 72 Hour Urban Action – Regulated Architectural Anarchy
Presented by: Architect Kerem Halbrecht, Founder of 72 Hour Urban Action
This was an informal evening of exciting knowledge sharing about temporary use of public space and urban interventions. As a part of the Bat-Yam Biennale of Landscape Urbanism, that took place in Israel September 2010, unforeseen potentials and solutions to public problematic sites was examined and reacted on by 120 progressive volunteers from 20 different countries. This was a competitive architectural festival that generated interventions in the public realm within an extreme deadline, a tight budget and limited space. Now this interesting and powerful impact is searching for a new city to take action in.
The evening led to a great discussion about the difficulties of creating this kind of projects. How is the process of applying for permit for this kind of project that has no concrete technical drawings or even visionary renderings? And how do you communicate it? The answer isn’t easy and will probably vary depending on the project and it’s context. Kerem Halbrecht explained that taking a determined decision and daring to go for it is crucial for making it happen. The 72 Hour Urban Action was a part of the Bat-Yam Biennale of Landscape Urbanism, and because of that no application for further fundings or grants was necessary. But convincing the Mayor Shlomi Lahiani of the success of this project was hard, and making it was a bet. You don’t know what it will end up becoming, but you do know that the desire, initiative and the power of wanting to create is there. And good qualified volunteers! It turned out that all the 10 teams made positive spin-off of their projects and the tree winning project is still active and existing in the urban realm of Bat-Yam.
Check out more at www.72hoururbanaction.com
72 Hour Urban Action Movie Trailer from 72 Hour Urban Action on Vimeo.
72 HOUR URBAN ACTION | EPISODE 01 from 72 Hour Urban Action on Vimeo.
2011 Sister City Biennale: San Francisco and Sydney
Rebar is thrilled to participate in SF Arts Commission 2011 Biennale exhibition, entitled “Urbanition.”
The show opens this week in San Francisco and then travels to CarriageWorks in Sydney from Aug 4 – Sept 3, 2011.
Here in SF, the show will be at the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery
Exhibition Dates: April 28 – July 2, 2011
Public Reception: April 28, 7 – 9pm. Free and open to the public
There are some really stellar artists involved in this show, including:
And from Sydney:
Juneau Day 4: Sho-Globe pops up in Marine Park
Tomorrow lunchtime….the state capitol…
Juneau Day 2: The shell emerges!
Whoa, day 2 has been huge! Many of our volunteers have commented that they’ve done more ironing in the last day than in their whole lives. It’s strange that architecture and ironing….two ends of the domestic spectrum…are converging in the making of the Sho-Globe. We have 26 long sections (each, coincidentally, 26 feet long) seamed together to form the two concentric shells of the Globe.
We’ve had – again – a great volunteer turnout, and many curious passersby stopping by to ask when we’ll be deploying Sho-Globe on the streets and squares of Juneau. Just a few more hours…
By the end of the day, all of our major sections were put together and we’ve scoped out several potential sites around town to launch. Karen, Adam and Blaine also did a radio interview with James on Juneau’s KXLL.
Juneau Day 1: Sho-Globe is underway
Day 1 saw a busy volunteer turnout at our storefront workspace at 118 Seward, with all the panels cut for Sho-Globe, power system up and running, and getting ourselves organized at our new space. That took less time than we thought…which is good, because the next step is sealing the panels together which can be a tricky process. Thanks to the many folks in Juneau who came in to help Monday!
The Sho-Globe
Created for the Alaska Design Forum’s Common Space program in Juneau, Alaska, Rebar’s “Sho-Globe” is a portable inflatable structure that redefines urban common space. Inclement weather often nullifies the functions of outdoor public space–however, with the “Sho-Globe”, any space can be transformed into a soft, warm ephemeral shelter. With a form originally derived from a seed pod (hey it’s almost spring here!), this emergent space provides a venue for meeting, sharing, relaxing, playing and meditating. It also serves as an ideal venue to host jam sessions and socializing around the Alaska Folk Fest, which is happening in Juneau all week.
Starting today, construction of the Sho-Globe begins in Juneau, Alaska. We will be building it with the help of volunteers at 118 Seward St., please come and stop by! Construction will be completed on the 13th and we will be taking the “Sho-Globe” to key locations around the city of Juneau. Please be sure to follow us on Twitter @rebargroup to find out where we’ll be. Or keep checking ADF’s Common Space website for more updates and volunteer information.
