KNOX PLACE COLLECTIVE

OUR PUBLIC SPACES ARE BECOMING MORE AND MORE INHOSPITABLE. CITY STREETS ARE GENERIC, LOW-RISK, SEQUENCES OF ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE AND LOCKED GATES. IN RETAIL ENVIRONMENTS SUCH AS MELBOURNE CENTRAL, SECURITY DETERMINES THAT FUNCTIONS AND DESIRES ARE COMPLETELY CONTROLLED. ENTRENCHED IN A POLITICS OF REVENUE AND PRIVATIZATION, THESE SPACES ACTIVELY RESTRICT THE COLLECTIVE WAYS OF URBAN LIFE.

OUR PUBLIC SPACES ARE BECOMING MORE AND MORE INHOSPITABLE. CITY STREETS ARE GENERIC, LOW-RISK, SEQUENCES OF ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE AND LOCKED GATES. IN RETAIL ENVIRONMENTS SUCH AS MELBOURNE CENTRAL, SECURITY DETERMINES THAT FUNCTIONS AND DESIRES ARE COMPLETELY CONTROLLED. ENTRENCHED IN A POLITICS OF REVENUE AND PRIVATIZATION, THESE SPACES ACTIVELY RESTRICT THE COLLECTIVE WAYS OF URBAN LIFE.

DIY URBANISM. INTERPRETING INVISIBLE BOUNDARIES & DEMARCATING PROPERTY LINES.MAKING VISIBLE THE PSYCHOGEOGRAPHICAL EXPERIENCE OF SPACE.

TEMPORARY INTERVENTIONS ALLOW PEOPLE TO CLAIM, EXPERIENCE & ACTIVATE PUBLIC SPACE.

DIY URBANISM. INTERPRETING INVISIBLE BOUNDARIES & DEMARCATING PROPERTY LINES.MAKING VISIBLE THE PSYCHOGEOGRAPHICAL EXPERIENCE OF SPACE.

TEMPORARY INTERVENTIONS ALLOW PEOPLE TO CLAIM, EXPERIENCE & ACTIVATE PUBLIC SPACE.

PLAY

PLAYPUBLIC SPACE IS A SETTING FOR INFORMAL, NON INSTRUMENTAL SOCIAL INTERACTION OR PLAY.

OCCUPATION.TEMPORARY CLAIMS ENABLE THE EXPERIENCE OF EPHEMERAL MOMENTS IN THE URBAN CONTEXT.

CRE

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OCCUPATION.TEMPORARY CLAIMS ENABLE THE EXPERIENCE OF EPHEMERAL MOMENTS IN THE URBAN CONTEXT.

THE PUBLIC EXIST WITHIN TEMPORAL SPATIAL

INHABITATIONS.THIS BEING EITHER BY CHOICE OF PARTICIPATION,

OR AS HETEROGENEOUS PARTICIPANTS WITHIN AN

UNDEFINED CONTEXT

THE PUBLIC EXIST WITHIN TEMPORAL SPATIAL

INHABITATIONS.THIS BEING EITHER BY CHOICE OF PARTICIPATION,

OR AS HETEROGENEOUS PARTICIPANTS WITHIN AN

UNDEFINED CONTEXT

“THIS IS WHAT A CITY IS, BITS AND PIECES.” – J. JACOBS

CONDITIONS WHICHENCOURAGE THE PUBLIC TO CHOOSE FURTHER KNOWLEDGE AND ENGAGEMENT.

DECOMMODIFICATION REFAMILIARIZATION DEFAMILIARIZATION “P

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DECOMMODIFICATION REFAMILIARIZATION DEFAMILIARIZATION

“PUBLIC SPACE IS DEFINED BY BEING ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE AT ANYTIME, IT IS THE SPACE OF COMMUNITY & SOCIAL INTERACTION, THE SPACE IN WHICH PUBLIC LIFE UNFOLDS”. - ROCHUS HINKEL

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PEOPLE & PEOPLE, PEOPLE & THINGS, PEOPLE & SPACE

PEOPLE & PEOPLE, PEOPLE & THINGS, PEOPLE & SPACE

THROUGH INTERACTION A NEW SPACE IS FORMED,ENCOURAGING A SENSE

OF COMMUNITY

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INFORMAL TESTINGPARTICIPATION WITHIN PUBLIC SPACE TESTING TEMPORARY TACTICS ENCOURAGING PERMANENT STRATEGIES

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A GIFT ECONOMY (OR GIFT CULTURE) IS A SOCIETY WHERE VALUABLE GOODS & SERVICES ARE REGULARLY GIVEN WITHOUT ANY EXPLICIT AGREEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE OR FUTURE REWARDS.

A GIFT ECONOMY (OR GIFT CULTURE) IS A SOCIETY WHERE VALUABLE GOODS & SERVICES ARE REGULARLY GIVEN WITHOUT ANY EXPLICIT AGREEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE OR FUTURE REWARDS.

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“WE SHOULD LET THE PUBLIC REALM NOT ONLY REFLECT, BUT ENCOURAGE THE FULL RANGE OF POSITIVE HUMAN ACTIONS AND QUALITIES.” – IAIN BORDEN

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INTRODUCING REFERENCE POINTS. CO-EXISTENCE OF VIRTUAL SPACE & REAL SPACE.

PUBLIC SPACE IS FOR YOU TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT. PUBLIC SPACE IS A PLACE WHERE YOU & OTHERS CAN...

PUBLIC SPACE ONLY EXISTS WHEN THERE IS SOMEONE STANDING IN IT.

ALLOWING OTHERS TO FIND

A DIFFERENT WAY OF BEING IN

THE CITY

PRIVATE ENCOUNTERSCREATING INTERACTIONS & RELA-TIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS. LEARNING THROUGH ENGAGEMENT WITH PEOPLE.

“IN THE MODERN CITY PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE MORE FREQUENT AND NUMEROUS ENCOUNTERS WITH OTHERS, BUT THESE TEND TO BE TRANSITORY, INSTRUMENTAL OR INCIDENTAL…THESE ARE RELATIONS BASED ON FAIRLY EXPLICIT FORMS OF CONTRACT….THE LEGAL CODES OF PUBLIC BEHAVIOR TO THE MARKET EXCHANGE INVOLVED IN BUYING A NEWSPAPER, OR ELSE ON THE MINIMAL CONTACTS OF SHARED SOCIAL SPACE... BEING IN THE CROWDED CITY MAGNIFIES THE CONTRADICTION BETWEEN THE COLLECTIVE NATURE OF SOCIAL LIFE AND THE RADICAL SOLITUDE OF THE INDIVIDUAL, BETWEEN THE CLAIMS OF THE GROUP AND THAT OF THE PERSON.” – FRAN TONKISS

THE LOGIC OF ACCUMULATION, NOT

GENERALIZATION. - MARGRET CRAWFORD

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VIRTUAL ENTRY POINT“THE WAYS PEO-PLE SENSE URBAN SETTINGS, MOVE THROUGH THEM & ACT WITHIN THEM”- IAIN BORDEN

HOW DO WE MOVE FROM TEMPORARY TACTICS TO PERMANENT STRATEGIES?

THE INFORMAL/LOW BUDGET

SIMPLE MEANS THAT GO BEYOND THE ACTION & CONTRIBUTE TO THE BOND BETWEEN EVENT, INDIVIDUAL AND MEMORY

THE INFORMAL/LOW BUDGET

SIMPLE MEANS THAT GO BEYOND THE ACTION & CONTRIBUTE TO THE BOND BETWEEN EVENT, INDIVIDUAL AND MEMORY

WE ARE WORKING ON IMPLANTING STRUCTURES THAT ENABLE A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE TO ENGAGE WITH THE SPACE AND EACH OTHER.

“SMALL INTERVENTIONS AND GESTURES ARE CONTAGIOUS” - CERI HANN

REFAMILIARIZATION:REINTRODUCING A COMFORTABLE & DOMESTICATIVE

ENVIRONMENT WITHIN

THE CITY

OUR DIY INSERTIONS & EVENTS BEGIN TO GENERATE AN URBAN INTERIOR, TRANSFORMING PUBLIC SPACE THROUGH A SERIES OF COLLECTIVE ACTIONS. FRIENDS OF KNOX PLACE HAS BEEN WORKING TO GENERATE AN OPEN COMMUNITY WITH A VESTED INTEREST IN FACILITATING A RELATIONAL PUBLIC SPACE OF PARTICIPATORY STRATEGIES. OUR INTENTION IS TO ALLOW THE PROJECT TO GROW WITHOUT PRE-DETERMINING THE OUTCOME. FRIENDS OF KNOX PLACE IS OPEN-ENDED, CONSTRAINED ONLY TO THE BREADTH OF THE IMAGINATION.