[URBANTH-L]CFP: Nutopia: Exploring the Metropolitan Imagination (Cardiff)

[Angela Jancius]

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 at 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.