London - United Kingdom
150 m around Spring House - University of North London
(now: The Cass - London Metropolitan University)
1:1 Urban Research
in context of the debate: "Urban Gallery/Prototypes"
Realization
“Transborder”


FAX 1:
to Raoul Bunschoten, Chairman of the Debate:

“Dear Raoul,
Whenever you want to visit the School of Architecture of the University of North London, you have to pass the security control like a “bordercrossing point”. You have to show your face and your identitiy card like you show your face and international passport when you enter another country. Without an identitiy card, you are not allowed to go further (without a face I guess would be the same) and because an identitiy card is only given to students and staff from University, it is almost impossible for anyone else to pass. No friends, no tourists, no pizzaman. Although this system only wants to protect the inside from the outside, the architects from the dangerous people, it makes at the same time out of an academic architectural institution an unreachable island for the public. The glassfacade to the street, the borderline or fence, shows transparency and openess. But is it not more like a “foggy situation” which gives a vage idea from outside what could be behind - a herd of wild animals called architects - but makes it impossible for anyone to just have a look and feed them? Almost all people are excluded from our events, our thoughts, our discussions, our lifes. Like a biotechnical factory with high secrets we are protected from the space and people outside. We must have very dangerous and secret discoveries !!!
In order to give a response to this situation, for the time of the debate I would like to involve also our neighbours and let them “cross the borderline”. Please leave some space for something unexpected in your structure ...
Margarethe”

FAX 2:

“Dear Raoul,
as I wrote you, our Unit is making a small intervention in order to let our neighbours “cross the border” to inside of our school. Therefore in a radius of 150 meters around the school people will be asked to draw what they think is inside of our building and a photo will be taken from them. The drawings and photos will be exhibited at the glassfacade for the time of the debate. The opening should therefore collaps with the debate in order to confront our neighbours with the dangerous secrets “the Urban Gallery” (title of the debate) is working on. I would like very much open the exhibition within the debate.
Margarethe”

bordercrossing
1:1 urban research
identity
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