informal urban practices

Daniel Kerris (industrial 4), Phillip Pille (industrial 4),  Brian Wonyoung Yoon (interior 6),  Chris Herman (industrial 4),  Michelle McDonell (industrial 4),  Ivan Hooi (interior 6)

The Habitallery team project was to communicate with the public by promoting subtle shifts within the everyday life of the city, awareness of the The Habitallery persona and of one’s own habits within their urban surroundings.

This was achieved by extracting mundane aspects and input of the urban fabric and its inhabitants and then re-issuing these ideas back into the public realm to promote self awareness and a sense of intrigue in relation to their environment. In this particular urban context of Melbourne, already heavily saturated with ‘interesting things to look at and do’ from both formal and informal channels, we intended to complement existing informal urban practices (I.U.P) with a fresh take through unexplored avenues and experiments we felt were interesting, effective or evocative. We endeavored to let The Habitallery project unfold naturally and become self defining.

PDF:

habitallery project presentation posters

Extended video:

Audio Source – The Naticnal Geographic : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSHKqX8_pqU

Are we erasing parts of our record?
The Habitallery wonders if this is true.

The Habitallery could be part of yours?

What do you think?

Jiazhen Ken Chen & Irene Ka Ming,Lee

This week we focus on swapping with services, objects and information. We run our mobile booth at dockland next to designers market. We choose our location carefully, co that we catch as many pedestrians as we could but out of market area. We ask people pick their favourite souvenirs, then we start our conversations about what did they brought, the feeling of today, what did they visit, etc. it seems they swapping the souvenirs by spending their time, emotions and information. While we were chatting, we start object swap activity. A graphic design student would like to swap a butterfly souvenir with a batch that she bought in the market.

From the activities, we recognize that people would like get a ‘free’ souvenirs/ objects by spending their time and start a conversation for a few minutes.

We plan to do our activities indoor in building 8 and 88. we ask them to get a bookmark or craft object by motivated themselves to start a conversation with someone they don’t know in computer labs. It gives their opportunity to enlarge their social network in campus. Also they get a rest and escape form the assignments.

Gift Exchange Systems and Bartering Exchange Economies

The concept of bartering exchange has been around for thousands of years, well before the first forms of currency came about in China and Ancient Egypt. In war-torn parts of Eastern Europe and Russia during WWII, counterfeit notes were introduced in high quantities by German military forces under Hilter’s orders. This caused confusion over the value of the currency and caused people to adopt a more primitive method of trade without the use of modern money. The Zulu people of South Africa still trade commodities with others in their tribes and other tribes in nearby areas without the use of any form of currency. The value of items are often recognized and understood without much confusion or dispute. The British Columbian (Canada) based tribe Kwakiutl are a small group that traditionally partook in potlatch ceremonies involving the exchange of gifts improving tribe-to-tribe relations in the future aid of commodity exchanges.

Modifying & Customising from informal.urban on Vimeo.

This video deals with the themes of modification and customisation of urban spaces – explores three different ways that this could occur in Urban Spaces.

The first clip is a work Banksy produced on a wall that divides Israel and the Gaza Strip. This work is typical of the politically provocative style in which the artist works. Banksy, along with many other street artists of his type provoke the viewer into thinking about the wider context of which they live, in particular, how citizens might be ‘controlled’ by particular aspects of the spaces around them.

Knitta Please is a Street Art group that works in the medium of Knitting, which goes by a variety of names, most commonly those of “Guerrilla Knitting” and “Yarn Bombing”. Whilst this may not have the same political potency that perhaps Banksy and other Street artists work might have, it none the less subversively works to make the viewer question the context and in particular, the materiality of the vernacular spaces in which they encounter on a daily basis. “Yarn Bombing” as an informal urban practice is interesting in this sense in that it directly deals with the viewers current physical environment.

Guerrilla Bench by German firm Rugwind, further narrows this trend of customisation down to deal with the ‘user’ (unlike the other two examples, there is a capacity for the ‘viewer’ to become the ‘user’ within the context of this example) and how they might engage with public furniture on a one-to-one basis. A park bench, which is normally out in the open is now concealed and available only to those who know of its existence.

Guerilla Gardening from informal.urban on Vimeo.

Guerilla Gardening Groups are mostly Non-profit organisations run completely by volunteers and donations without permit or license, plant seeds and seedlings in neglected corners of public spaces.   They are passionate to design public spaces to raise awareness by example by beautifying the city without a big budget, without sponsors and without logos to bring life back to the street.  It is simply creating a space of “positive influence” for concerned citizens to get involved and participate.

Individual Guerilla Gardeners are creating opportunities for people to feel better as they pass by and promote positive human behaviour by using public spaces.

Guerilla Gardening from informal.urban on Vimeo.

Is it that hard to throw a few coins into a hat? A few coins that may contribute to someones weekly salary. A small thanks, showing appreciation for a persons love of music, entertainment, or hard work. A buskers pursuit  for growth and unique skills never stops to either fly over the tops of our heads, or make us feel appreciative of them. An area of street that becomes a place for people to connect through music, or entertainment. The weird and amazing ways in which buskers try to make us feel something, whether it be a laugh, an old memory or just sheer disbelief.

Christopher Dalamagas

KA MING,LEE S3202690 INFORMAL URBAN PRACTICE.EXAMPLE from informal.urban on Vimeo.

in the vedio, there are several public games in China, American and Thailand. the number of players in public games are various. in China and America, some public games equiptments are belong to players which are simple and common. e.g. pogs, Chinese Rings, ropes,  etc. time and location of the games are flexible.

Thai boxing is a different case. it needs large spaces, fix location with a large boxing ring. however,  it attract the large number of audiences like the other public games in America and China.

at last,  1 falsh mob is captured in America. the goal of the flash mob is to draw American’s attention or to express their emotion or opinions. url is here.

The beggars in Asian are quite different from the Western. In China, the beggars got hundred years history. It becomes a special culture such as “Beggar’s Chicken” (food), “The Mad Monk” (fairy tale), “The king of Beggars” (movie) and so on. Usually beggars just sit on the street with a bowl and bagging for money. Lots of them are disable people, but actually some of them are pretended. Some baggers scaming from people, as if their son or parents just died. The beggars trend toward younger age. These little beggars like fasten on passerby such as catch their cloth or hug their legs.   Most of children beggars are organized by criminals. Criminals trafficking in children and make them become disabled. So that leads one problem: How to treat thebeggars? Some people stop giving beggars alms, because beggars have to give most of the money to criminals. Some people have other rules, like this:

If they ask for money,
I gave them food;
If they ask for food,
I gave them money.

little beggar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcE92B__vBY

disable beggar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyyQn3yLIoQ

My video:

http://vimeo.com/13664225

By  Jiazhen Ken Chen