Open Call for ‘The Built, the Unbuilt, the Unbuildable: A Festival of Creative Urban Living’

Apr. 04, 2019

How do we live well in cities – now and in the future? This is the primary question posed by raumlaborberlin in anticipation of the inaugural ‘A Festival of Creative Urban Living 2019’. The festival, which will run between Sept. 26–Oct. 13, 2019, takes place in Milton Keynes, one of the UK’s more successful ‘New Town’ developments of the 1960s, and brings together art, design and architecture to consider “the built, the unbuilt, the unbuildable” in the ever-developing city.

Image courtesy raumlaborberlin

Through a free public programme of new commissions, exhibitions and conferences, raumlaborberlin will work in collaboration with various MK associations, organisations, community groups, cultural institutions and residents in order to explore the city’s current urban reality and future potential. Within this macro exploration, the festival will attempt to address the micro – with a critical revision of MK´s urban planning ideals, opening up debate and discussion concerning the founding design principles of the city, and their relevance or irrelevance to the 21st Century.

To help shape and inform the festival programme, raumlaborberlin have developed the Crossroads Open Call opportunity, which is open to local, regional, national and international applicants. Raumlaborberlin and the MK team invite professional and amateur artists, designers, architects, makers and performers to propose a temporary structure/platform or programme, which can be realised as part of the festival. The total available budget for each commission is £12,000, which includes £3,000 for artists/creatives’ fee and £9,000 for production costs. Support from a technical and production team will be available, as well as administrative and practical assistance. MK and raumlaborberlin construction teams will also be available to assist with construction. A building workshop will be available on site.