Prototyping the Civic City

The School for Civic Action is a pedagogical experiment that tests situated modes of learning in support of civic city making, while challenging traditional urban teaching and disciplinary restriction. The School manoeuvres across disciplines that complement one another, implementing new ways of knowing and acting. Teaching and learning at the school is symbiotic; by situating its curriculum within live projects, it can mutually provide a support structure back to the local communities, the sites they occupy and for the individuals enrolled.

Join the School for Civic Action for the public programme of our Summer School under the themes of Prototyping the Civic City. Through a series of workshops, talks and events we explore how artist, design and activist practices empower citizens to remake and re-imagine the city. Core to this is the idea of prototyping open source designs and rethinking organisational structures.

We are inviting you to explore and share prototypes for the Civic City while we are building prototypes in support of local actions for environmental change. Transforming Tate Exchange into a public classroom, bringing together activists and practitioners engaged in civic movements. In this space we’re hosting multiple voices through a number of public talks, discussions and workshops, itself prototyping a collective education platform for civic action. Finally we’ll be hosting a closing Exhibition of Action at R-Urban Poplar where we try and put all our learning back into place.

Prototyping the Civic City is hosted by public works in collaboration with; Umeå School of Architecture, Tate Exchange, Roskilde Festival, R-Urban Poplar, Spatial Engagement Network and Just Space.

Walking Field Trip: Existing Prototypes
Saturday, July 14, Kings Cross, 11am–6pm
Join us for a walking field trip around Kings Cross, London, exploring some of the existing initiatives which are prototyping and re-imaging the city. We will be looking at green prototypes at Calthorpe Project, Arts Catalyst and the King’s Cross Skip Garden as well as a organisational prototyping from the Camley Street CLT and Forum.
The fieldtrip begins at 11am at Calthorpe (WC1X 8LH), RSVP is essential, please confirm via email at school@publicworksgroup.net.

Testing Prototypes for Action
July 18 & 19, Tate Exchange, 12–6pm
Join us in building, making, testing new prototypes for civic action. We’ll be focussing on three different kinds of green infrastructure which address air quality, food waste and off-grid cooking. Come lend a hand or your knowledge.

UK Commons Assembly
July 20, Tate Exchange, 12–6pm
The School of Civic Action in collaboration with Commons Rising are inviting commons initiatives and commoners to come together to initiate a UK-wide Commons Assembly. Offering an open platform to meet others and see if there’s an appetite for an ongoing UK Commons Assembly. An exhibition will show the wealth of Commons projects happening in the UK alongside discussions and workshops to inform the public about the commons. It is also an opportunity to vision how the commons might work beyond the individual projects and to set up practical outcomes going forwards.

The UK Commons Assembly will see the launch of Design for Cultural Commons, a new masters programme that has been designed to strengthen the movement of the commons and expand its network beyond it’s current scale. The practice-based and applied MA supports global commons initiatives and practices rather than purely focusing on theories on the commons. Find out more here.

Ideas For Civic Action with the 
Spatial Engagement Network
July 21, Tate Exchange, 12–8pm
This one-day symposium, curated by Sol Perez-Martinez of the Spatial Engagement Network, will explore ways to engage critically with our urban environment. Ideas for Civic Action, will bring together practitioners, researchers and community groups who have worked connecting people with their surroundings in order to share practices and discuss further action. The event will showcase initiatives where architects have been aware of the social and political implications of their work, aiming to encourage a more conscious way of practice which serves community interests.

Following the symposium, a final shared event in collaboration with Just Space, public works and Umeå School of Architecture, will discuss current projects where communities across London are taking action over their local areas and will draw conclusions from the day’s parallel events.

Pedagogies of the Temporary
July 22, Tate Exchange, 1–3pm
Join us for an afternoon session in collaboration with Roskilde Festival, which draws a line of thought between archival practices and learning formats inspired by temporary use projects. Speakers will present ideas, archives or projects opening up a view on the alternative learning spaces offered by temporary use projects and how this learning can be captured, passed on and mobilised in other forums.

Exhibition of Action
July 25, R-Urban Poplar, 5–8pm
Bringing the summer school to a close on site at R-Urban Poplar, we’ll be exhibiting all the prototypes built and tested over the previous week. Join our students in celebrating the schools hard work over a collective meal and reflective discussion. RSVP is essential please confirm via email at: school@publicworksgroup.net