The Chicago Architecture Biennial has revealed the calendar for this year’s program of events, lectures, workshops and performances exploring how architecture shapes communities and cities. Titled The Available City, this edition aims to highlight the potential of vacant urban areas as community spaces, with the event debuting on September 17 at 12 sites across Chicago featuring 16 interventions that activate unused plots. The projects are complemented by a series of outdoor programming, as well as digital events that kick off on August 17.
Curated by David Brown, this edition of the Chicago Biennial will showcase 16 projects developed by 68 contributors, exploring various scenarios for activating vacant plots within different neighbourhoods of Chicago, all created in collaboration with local communities. These interventions in the city are augmented by lectures, essays and workshops that frame the relationship between communities and public space.
Discussing the potential of transforming vacant spaces into vibrant community hubs through collaborative processes, the online event Reimagined Space: The Douglass 18 Miniature Golf Course examines the case of an underutilized miniature golf course redesigned into a community space through the lens of bird conservation. Partner programs include the You Are Here: The Emerald Camino Project, which features walking performances along the boulevards that connect Chicago’s parks or Community Day At Anthony Overton, a workshop that supports community self-determination efforts and creative cooperation.
The complete calendar program will be released in the next few weeks, with the list of events updating on a rolling basis. Throughout the Biennial, the installation sites will be activated through a series of performances and workshops developed in collaboration with neighbourhood organizations, local schools and residents.
