Your name/collaborative or group name:

Matej Vakula

Title:

Manuals for Public Space

Project logo.  Image courtesy of Artist.

What does “Free” mean to you?

The very core concept of the project is based in philosophy of the Open Source movement, which is one of the largest and most important movements advocating for openness, collaboration and free sharing (of not only software, but almost everything including governments and economies) in the contemporary society.  MfPS is about free sharing of ideas and reclaim public spaces and how to make them free and open for public needs.

To be part of the AiOP “Satelite Series” and work with communities in Greenpoint is really interesting because we will be looking into mitigation of the ecological damage, after the infamous oil spill in the area, and also problem of gentrification. We would create a speculative model of what could the Greenpoint’s ecologically damaged areas become, if we could remake it to absolutely anything we wish it to be.

Manuals for Public Space Workshop, Martin, Slovakia, 2013.  Photo Credit: Ján Gašparovič

What reactions are you hoping to draw from the public?

The Manuals for Public Space workshop would take form of a game. During this game we will use specially designed map and cognitive objects, which would lead to creation of an alternative architectural models of this for this area, with specific focus on public spaces, mitigation of the ecological damage and gentrification. In a form of a user manual, we would offer speculations on how this models could happen. This manuals would be shared with other communities which could be facing the same problems.