New Practice

Out in the Open

 

Out in the Open

Explorations centred on the use of open access outdoor events to promote the sharing of ideas on transforming places

 
““in or into a situation in which something (such as a feeling) is no longer hidden or kept secret””
— out in the open [idiom]
 

At New Practice we work directly with communities to encourage and support individual, social, civic and intercultural participation with the built environment. Through positive stewardship and active collaboration with every part of the community we draw out local knowledge, strengthen networks, create new links and enhance what already exists.

Marc Cairns and Becca Thomas have championed projects that fully embrace the opportunity to build collective empathy through open access outdoor events that promote the sharing of ideas. Together they have developed an expertise in motivating active citizenship through honest public exchanges and curated conversations.

 
 
An aerial photograph of Venice, showing residential buildings and canals.

This exploration first began when they were selected, alongside DO Architecture, GRAS Studio, and Stone Opera as the Scottish delegation to the 13th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2012.

 
 

‘Critical Dialogues’, directed by Jonathan Charley, played with popular themes of alternative urban practice: the politics of community engagement; the ludic dimensions of architecture; the celebration of the architecture of everyday life; and the investigation of different ways of seeing and mapping.

Marc and Becca centred their contribution around their commitment to engaging communities normally excluded from the design process around the built environment.

 
A small public square space. In the centre ground, people assemble a dining space, while children play in the foreground.
 
 
 
A cartoon illustration of people gathered around a long dining table, covered in food. Speech bubbles surround the characters.
A person sat at a dining table, decorated with an illustrated table cloth. The person is holding a printed leaflet.
 

Inspired by ‘The Long Table’ (2003) a project developed by the artist and academic Lois Weaver, ‘Banchetto’ (Italian for Banquet) was an event out in the open which highlighted the ongoing struggles of Venice to find an authentic sense of identity and create a place for locals and visitors to both enjoy.

The project questioned the impact of the Biennale on the local population that lives around and trades within the historic Castello neighbourhood.

 
 

Structured as a piece of theatre for the community and presented as a ‘theatrical’ open air dinner in the Castello neighbourhood where local residents, artists, architects, bar owners, curators, sex- workers and activists ate, drank and discussed into the night the future of Venice.

The presentation at the Venice Biennale reinforced an understanding in the value of everyday cultural exchanges to improve understanding and knowledge of the wide ranging perspectives that exist when societal transformation and significant change begins or takes place.

 
 
People sat at a long dining table at night. The table is covered in food and drink bottles.
 
 
People sat at a long dining table at night. The group are holding their wine glasses aloft for a toast.

The lessons learned from Venice were reapplied three years later against the backdrop of Glasgow post Commonwealth Games where there was a keen interest in the redevelopment of the Barras Market - the key gateway from Glasgow City Centre towards the East End and Commonwealth venues. This led to a number of regeneration projects of varying scales and new arts and culture businesses setting up within the area.

Like Venice, The Barras Banquet was a theatrical open air dining experience which invited participants from all walks of life to discuss the regeneration of the Barras Market.

 
 
An aerial photograph of The Barras area of Glasgow, centred on Many Studios.

Artists and cultural organisations newly working from within the Barras Market sat side by side with traders and residents who had occupied the area long before the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

 
 

Over a specially curated lunch; each course designed by a Glasgow based artist in collaboration with a business in the Barras Market, seated guests explored the perceptions and impact of the regeneration and, most importantly, discussed how the newly forming community could work together to retain the unique history and heritage of the Barras Market.

 
A young man in conversation with an older woman.
 
 
A group of people sat at a long dining table under a gazebo. In the centre, one of the group is stood addressing the group with a microphone.
 
A row of people sat at a dining table. One of the group is speaking in to a microphone.
 
 
Paper containers of seafood, illustrated with drawings in gold on a white background.
A selection of sandwiches, wrapped in illustrated paper.

In both Venice and Glasgow all food and drink for the banquet was sourced locally and, where possible, all materials and tools to fabricate the scenography of the events were bought from local traders and employed local craftspeople.

 
 
People sat at long dining table, with a person addressing them with a microphone in the foreground.
 

These projects provided the platform to develop an ‘out in the open’ approach to community engagement which is central to the work of New Practice today across digital and direct-contact engagement.

Our ‘out in the open’ approach levels the playing field, removes barriers, provides insights, sparks new conversations and engages the unusual suspects. Demonstrating the importance of participatory and theatrical experiences in creating new ways to discuss and deliver placeshaping projects.

 
 
 
 

  • Client: Scotland + Venice (Venice), Merchant City Festival (Glasgow)

  • Location: Venice, Italy and Glasgow, UK

  • Completion: 2012 - 2015

  • Collaborators: Jonathan Charley, Gervasuti Foundation, Bespoke Atelier, Many Studios, Velocity