Media Release: Defence of the Public Realm (PDF)
Media Release: Defence of the Public Realm. 6pm, Monday 25th June 2012. The Great Hall, Bishopsgate Institute, 230 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 4QH.
As London prepares to host the Olympic Games, military and security forces are being mobilized on a scale not seen since the Second World War. Our freedom to move through our city spaces will be monitored and restricted during this time.
Local authorities are selling off record amounts of parks, playing fields and allotments to the private sector. Does the privatisation of our public spaces together with arbitrary restrictions and controls – backed up with state of the art monitoring systems – constitute a threat to individual liberty, and does it also reveal a fundamental democratic deficit for society as a whole?
What is the reason for this tight control of the public realm, and how does it affect our freedom of expression, or that of the photographer, artist, protester, skateboarder, graffiti artist or rough sleeper? You?
The Speakers
Andrew Altman, Chief Executive, Olympic Park Legacy Company Limited.
Iain Borden, Professor of Architecture and Urban Culture at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL and author of Skateboarding Space and the City: Architecture and the Body.
Anna Minton, writer and journalist. Author of Ground Control.
Robin Priestley, skateboarder and founding member of the Space Hijackers.
Anna Strongman, Project Director at Argent Group, working on Estate Management at King’s Cross Group.
Marc Vallée, documentary photographer whose work covers the London graffiti scene, anti-skateboarding architecture and political dissent.
Olly Zanetti, writer and journalist specialising in environmental issues, urbanism and political cultures.
Notes to editors.
“Defence of the Public Realm” – defenceofthepublicrealm.com
“London Festival of Architecture 2012″ – lfa2012.org
“Facebook Event” – facebook.com
Defence of the Public Realm is a free public event: 6pm, Monday 25th June 2012. The Great Hall, Bishopsgate Institute, 230 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 4QH. The event will be.
The event is organised and hosted by Grant Smith, Jonathan Warren and Marc Vallée. With support from INGMEDIA.
Contact:
Grant Smith: grant@grant-smith.com
Marc Vallée: marc@marcvallee.co.uk