Ecologies of Encounter + Het Vehikel in the Vitrine

Ecologies of Encounter

Cities are alive; ‘urban’ is almost synonymous with bustle, movement and interaction. Historically, cities have often been situated at crossroads, marketplaces or in harbours: places where people meet. As cities grow, these spaces multiply – public spaces pulsate with the changes in use between day and night, specific places are full of meaning for the communities that use them, some spaces are out of sight: hidden spaces become meeting places for young people, a patch of wasteland suddenly becomes a flower garden, a windowsill becomes a meeting place…

Space, seasonality, age, use – all of this contributes to a network, an ecology of encounters within the city.

• How can we capture the stories that emerge from such encounters?
• How can we discover the qualities of hidden spaces?
• Can they be designed? How can we design spaces for people to meet?

During an intensive summer school, seven teams with participants from Ghent and Kanazawa have worked on spaces of encounter, ranging from the urban scale to the street corner. Come and discover their work during the exhibition’s opening hours. On 6 October, the exhibition will draw to a festive close during the Gent-Kanazawa Encounters-evening.

The Vehikel

Collecting stories, experiencing architecture, discovering Ghent: Archipel and Maalstroom take to the streets!

To do so, we need a vehicle. Something mobile. Something recognisable. Something that, with just one or two people, can set a whole procession in motion. Something that brings people together. Something that provides a framework. A vehicle, in other words, to take us right to the thresholds of architecture and to set the architectural scene of our city, Ghent, in motion.

To find one, we launched Open Call °°4. All entries will be on display until 6 October in an exhibition curated by Maalstroom in the Vitrine at the City Administrative Building (Woodrow Wilsonsquare 1). The winning design will be announced on Tuesday 29th of September.

With this vehicle, we aim to roam through Ghent as urban nomads: out onto the streets, into the neighbourhoods, and across the outskirts. We want to bring architecture and spatial issues to the city’s residents, users and passers-by. Not only during lectures or events, but also in squares, in neighbourhoods, at architectural projects, on campuses and in places where everyday life unfolds.

Over the coming years, the vehicle will take on various roles. It can be used for jury deliberations for the Ghent Architecture Prize, as a gathering point during street festivals, as a mobile base for Maalstroom, as a pop-up photo studio, as a toolbox available for loan, as a travelling archive or as a suggestion box for the city. The vehicle creates space for encounters, conversation and exchange. It brings together different voices: residents, students, designers, policymakers, chance passers-by and everyday users of public space. The vehicle becomes a place to share, listen, gather, display, celebrate, discuss and learn.