Call for Participation: Made by Us @BJDW – a two-day workshop during the Beijing Design Week 2013

Workshop: Saturday 28 September + Sunday 29 September 2013 at CMoDA & Capital Steel Factory

Mini-symposium: Smart and Social Cities: Friday 27 September 2013 at CMoDA, Beijing, China

Organised by The New Institute, The Mobile City and China Millennium Monument Museum of Digital Arts (CMoDA)

[Chinese version below + pdf 130819_Call for Participation 译文]

Architects, planners, media makers, designers, community organisers, local governments, entrepreneurs, researchers and artists are invited to participate in the two-day workshop Made by Us @ BJDW. It will explore how the innovative design and use of digital media technologies can engage “smart citizens” with postindustrial heritage and the reuse of former factories. The workshop is part of Made by Us, a programme of events relating to new media technologies, smart and social cities and postindustrial heritage.

Application: workshop@themobilecity.nl (Extended deadline: Wednesday 11 September 2013, 11pm CET) 

 

About the workshop

In a half-day mini-symposium and a two-day workshop during Beijing Design Week 2013, participants from various professional and national backgrounds will team up with stakeholder organisations to address the reuse of former industrial plants. We will be working with the Capital Steel Factory, now being repurposed into a creative industry park, as a target location. The challenge is to help design smart media interventions that will engage stakeholders in postindustrial heritage planning for the abandoned factory.

The need to meaningfully repurpose former factories is perhaps even more pressing in China than elsewhere. This is partly because of the country’s sheer number of heavy and manual industrial plants and partly because the fluctuating demands of the international economy, shifts in labour and environmental regulations, and high worker mobility force frequent adaptation. How can we use digital media technologies to highlight the need to repurpose postindustrial heritage? Can we create awareness of these places’ spatial, functional and social qualities among stakeholders and the general public? And, most importantly, can we design new media interventions that will involve “smart citizens” as makers and owners instead of mere spectators?

By focusing on ownership as a design approach, we hope to contribute to smart city debates in China and elsewhere. We will use the notion of ownership not in an exclusive sense (i.e., that of proprietorship) but in an inclusive one, defining it as city dwellers’ feeling of responsibility for and involvement with their surroundings, their fellow citizens and changing urban conditions. How can we engage new publics and enable them to act on shared issues in the city, such as the repurposing of vacant factories?

The workshop is part of the project Made By Us, developed by The New Institute (the Netherlands’ new national institute for the creative industry) and the research group The Mobile City in partnership with Chinese organisations including CMoDA. In Made By Us, Dutch and Chinese media makers and designers will work together in a six-month programme to develop a participatory approach to postindustrial heritage planning using digital technologies. The programme aims to promote the exchange of knowledge, culture and market relationships between China and the Netherlands. Three creative makers have been invited to create a new media product and design process to foster awareness, a sense of place and a feeling of ownership of the former factory among the public. They are the augmented reality artist Sander Veenhof, Niki Smit of the Monobanda game studio, and Mark van der Net of OSCity.nl. The project will lead to a series of interventions for the former Guangdong Float Glass Factory, one of the locations of the fifth Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture, taking place in Shenzhen in December. The Made By Us programme is funded in part by the Creative Industries Fund NL (stimuleringsfonds.nl/en/).

What to expect

Because the issue of repurposing former factories is complex, heterogeneous teams will be formed to tap into the greatest possible diversity of knowledge and experience. Teams will be divided between the three Dutch creatives, each of whom will draw on the approach of his respective speciality – augmented reality, sensing and mapping, or playful interventions – and act as a sounding board for the team. Teams will operate independently and have freedom to develop their own ideas and prototypes. The workshop programme will be structured as an iterative process in which the original question will be revisited and ideas tested. After two days, the workshop will yield a rough prototype for an intervention (a product, service and/or methodology) addressing the issue at stake. To optimise the use of the time, participants will be briefed in advance. Outcomes of the workshop will inform the subsequent process of Made By Us.

Why participate?

The workshop will offer participants a chance to work on urban issues in multidisciplinary teams. You will bring your expertise, skills and enthusiasm, and we will give you the opportunity to tackle a real-world problem while innovating with new media.

• You’ll be able to network with an international group of professionals and experts.
• You’ll collaborate in a diverse team as you work with a complex, real-life urban problem.
• You’ll meet representatives of stakeholder organisations interested in using digital media in urban design.
• A public presentation of workshop outcomes will take place on Sunday 29 September atCMoDA.
• A mini-symposium will take place on Thursday 27 September at CMoDA.
• Your biography and photo will be posted on the website, as will reports on the workshop’s process and outcomes. Reports will also be published on the event organisers’ websites.

How to apply

What do we ask from participants?

• You should have a background in or strong affinity with disciplines like urban design and strategy, digital media, software development, service design and/or social innovation.
• You should enjoy working in teams composed of people from various professional and national backgrounds.
• You should be proficient in English.

What to send in?

• A motivation letter (max. 350 words) explaining why you want to participate, what you’d bring to the table, and what you hope to get out of the workshop.
• A short curriculum vitae/biography (max. 200 words), a photograph of yourself (to be posted on the website if you’re selected) and your contact details.

Send in your proposal by 11pm CET on Wednesday 11 September to workshop@themobilecity.nl (extended deadline).

A shortlist will be made by Friday 6 September and communicated to applicants. We will admit a maximum of 21 participants overall (max. seven per team). The selected participants will receive a briefing containing further information on Monday 9 September. Practical arrangements can be made and assistance given in the period leading up to the workshop and symposium.

Preliminary schedule

The events listed below are subject to change.

Friday 27 September: mini-symposium @ CMoDA

This half-day mini-symposium will address the theme of smart and social cities and the specific issue of industrial heritage and redevelopment. It is part of the CMoDA’s smart cities events programme taking place during BJDW.

Saturday 28 September: workshop day 1

We will introduce the theme, divide into teams and get to know each other. We will then visit the Capital Steel Factory to meet local stakeholders and discuss the case in depth. The teams will conduct research and begin the ideation phase. The day will close with a group dinner.

Sunday 29 September: workshop day 2

An expert will give an inspiring talk on the use of digital media to tackle urban issues. We will then begin with research and analysis before narrowing our focus to ideation and concept formation and then finally to the creation of a rough prototype. Participants will also prepare a public presentation of their work. After a group dinner, the teams will present their outcomes and receive feedback from a small number of experts. We will end the evening with drinks.

About the organisers

The New Institute arose on 1 January 2013 out of a merger between the Netherlands Architecture Institute; Premsela, the Netherlands Institute for Design and Fashion; and Virtueel Platform, the e-culture knowledge institute. The New Institute works with private and public organisations at the local, regional, national and international levels, functioning as a vital link between economics and culture, politics and society.

The Mobile City is an independent research group founded by Martijn de Waal and Michiel de Lange. The Mobile City investigates the influence of digital media technologies on urban life, and the implications for urban design. The Mobile City frequently collaborates with organisations and individuals from various disciplines who share this interest.

The China Millennium Monument Museum of Digital Arts (CMoDA) is a Beijing-based cultural incubator dedicated to digital art and design. As China’s first comprehensive art centre specialising in digital work, CMoDA is striving to build an interactive, experiential, integrated digital and physical collaborative innovation platform via exhibitions, screening, educational exchange and digital creative incubation.

For more information about Made by Us and the workshop: http://themobilecity.nl/madebyus.

About the Capital Steel Factory
The factory is the former location of Shougang Company Ltd, a pig-iron plant founded in 1919. It became the largest steel mill in China, sprawling from the suburbs over 8.56km2, the size of 2.7 Summer Palaces. At its peak in the 1990s, it had an annual output of 10 million tons and offered “iron rice bowl” jobs to more than 200,000 workers. Nowadays it attracts tourists and photographers for its magnificent displays of urban decay. The factory is located in Wujiacun Lu in Shijingshan District (source: http://www.thebeijinger.com/directory/capital-steel-factory).

 

Download the Call for Participation – Made by Us @BJDW (pdf ).

Back to the main Made By Us page.

 

The program Made By Us is partly funded by the Creative Industries Fund (http://stimuleringsfonds.nl/en/).

诚挚敬邀——我们诚挚邀请您参加为期两天的2013年北京设计周讨论会

工作坊：9月28日（周六）和9月29日（周日）两天在中华世纪坛数字艺术馆（ CMoDA）和首都钢铁厂举行

小型研讨会——智能和社会城市：9月27日（周五）在中国北京中华世纪坛数字艺术馆（ CMoDA）举行（请参考地图）

主办方：荷兰新创新产业国家研究所、移动城市和中华世纪坛数字艺术馆（CMoDA）

我们诚挚邀请设计师、规划师、媒体制作人、设计师、社区组织者、地方政府、企业家、研究人员和艺术家参加为期两天的北京设计周研讨会。该研讨会将探讨如何通过创新设计和数码媒体技术的应用，让“智能公民”参与到后工业遗产和老厂房的再次利用中去。这次研讨会是“我们制造”项目的一部分。“我们制造”项目有一系列活动组成，这些活动涉及新媒体技术、智能和社会城市以及后工业遗产。

申请邮箱：workshop@themobilecity.nl （截止日期：9月11日（周三）， 中部欧洲时间 11pm）

 

关于工作坊

在2013年北京设计周期间的为期半天的小型研讨会和两天工作坊中，来自不同行业和国籍的参会者将同利益攸关的会议组织者一道，探讨老厂房再利用的解决之道。我们将同首都钢铁厂合作，作为一个目标地点。首钢现正被改造成一个创意工业园。我们面临的挑战是设计智能媒体界面，从而让利益攸关方参与到废弃厂房的后工业时代遗产的规划中去。

和其他地方相比，对中国的老厂房进行重新规划可能尤为迫在眉睫。究其原因，一方面是因为中国国内的重工业和制造业厂房数量庞大，另一方面是由于国际市场需求起伏较大，劳动力转移、环保规定的实施以及工人流动性大。那么，我们怎么利用数码媒体技术来强调重新规划后工业时代遗产的重要性呢？我们是否能够唤醒利益攸关方和整个社会，让他们意识到这些老厂房的空间、功能和社会价值？而且，更为重要的是，我们是否能够设计出新的媒介，能够让“智能公民”也参与进来，成为制造者和拥有者，而不仅仅是看客？

我们的设计方法是聚焦所有权，希望促进中国和其他地方的智能城市讨论。我们使用的所有权概念不是专有含义（例如，独资企业的所有权），而是广义的含义，其定义是城市居民对城市环境的责任和参与，城市市民以及不断改变的城市环境。我们如何引导新时代的民众，让他们能够身体力行地参与到共同的城市事务中去？比如，废弃厂房的重新规划。

工作坊是“我们制造”项目的一部分，由新荷兰创新产业国家研究所、移动城市（一家研究组织）和中华世纪坛数字艺术馆（CMoDA）等中国机构联合开发。在“我们制造”项目里，来自荷兰和中国的传媒制造和设计人员将精诚合作，利用6个月的项目时间，使用数码技术开发出一款用于后工业遗产规划的参与方式。项目旨在促进中荷两国之间的知识、文化和市场交流。 三位富有创意的制作人员已接受邀请，开发一款新的媒体产品，以及设计流程用于培养民众对老厂房的认知、空间感和所有权。这三位制作人员分别是来自Monobanda游戏制作室的增强现实艺术家Sander Veenhof和Niki Smit，以及来自OSCity.nl的Mark van der。该项目将为广东浮法玻璃厂打造一系列的规划改造方案。广东浮法玻璃厂是第五届城市\建筑双城双年展的场地之一，该展览将于12月份在深圳举行。“我们制造”项目部分由荷兰创新产业基金赞助。（网址为：stimuleringsfonds.nl/en/）

我们的期望

鉴于老厂房规划事宜较为复杂，不同背景的人员将组成团队，以期尽可能地带来更多的知识和经验。团队分为三组，由三位荷兰创新人员指挥。每位创新人员都会使用其各自专长的方法，包括：增强现实、定向和绘图以及游戏化改造。同时，这三位专业人员还将扮演传声筒的角色。各个团队将自行运作，并有充分的自由发展各自的创意和模型。工作坊项目的架构是一个反复性的流程，先前提出的问题将被反复研究，创意将被反复验证。经过两天的时间，工作坊将会产生一个大致的改造模型（一个产品、服务和/或是方法论），用于解决迫在眉睫的问题。为了优化时间，将提前告知参与者相关信息。工作坊的成果将告知“我们制造”的后续流程。

为何要参加？

 

该工作坊将为参与者提供一个在跨学科团队中共商城市问题的机会。您带来您的专业知识、技术和热情，我们将为您提供解决现实问题的机会，同时带来新媒体的创新。

• 您能够和国际专业人士和专家建立人脉关系。
• 在您着手解决某个复杂实际的城市问题时，您将与不同背景的组员合作。
• 你将见到相关组织的代表，其代表的组织有意在城市设计中使用数码媒体技术。
• 9月29日（周日）将在中华世纪坛数字艺术馆向公众展示工作坊成果。
• 9月27日（周四）将在中华世纪坛数字艺术馆举行小型研讨会。
• 您的简介和照片，以及工作坊进程和成果报告都将公布在网站上。同时，报告也会发布在活动组织方的网站上。

如何申请？

我们对参与者有哪些要求？

• 您需要有下列专业背景，或从事的行业与下列专业高度相关：城市设计与规划、数码媒体、软件开发、服务设计和/或社会创新。
• 您将享受绝妙的团队体验，这些团队由不同行业、不同国籍的人员组成。
• 您应该精通英语。

需要提供的材料：

• 一封动机信（最多350字），说明您为何想参加，您的专长以及您想从工作坊得到什么。
• 一份简短的简历或简介（最多200字）， 个人照（如果您参与此项活动，您的照片将公布在网站上）以及您详细的联系方式。

请将材料于9月11日（周三）11pm 前（欧洲中部时间）发送至workshop@themobilecity.nl.

9月6日（周五）将作出一份参与者名单，并通知所有的申请人。我们至多接受21位参与者（每队最多七人）。被选中的参与者将收到一份简报，该简报包含9月9日（周一）的进一步信息。我们将对工作坊和研讨会作出相应的安排，并为您提供帮助。

初步时间表

下列活动时间可能会有变。

9月27日（周五）：小型研讨会，在中华世纪坛数字艺术馆举行。

小型研讨会为期半天，以“智能和社会化城市”和工业遗产再开发的具体问题为主题。该研讨会是北京设计周期间，在中华世纪坛数字艺术馆举行的智能城市活动的一部分。

9月28日（周六）：工作坊第1天

我们将介绍主题，团队分组并互相初步了解。随后，我们将参观首都钢铁厂，会见当地的利益攸关方，并深入讨论案例。团队进行研究，并启动创意阶段。当天活动以聚餐结束。

9月29日（周日）：工作坊第2天

专家将进行演讲，主题为使用数码媒体解决城市问题。随后，我们将开始研究和分析，进入创意和概念形成阶段，最终生成一个大致的模型。参与者将向社会公开他们的作品。聚餐结束后，团队将展示成果，并得到若干专家的反馈。当晚将举行酒会。

关于组织方

新研究所 2013年1月1日成立，由两家荷兰设计研究所合并组成，前身为Premsela（荷兰设计时尚研究所）和Virtueel Platform（电子文化知识研究所）。新研究所与本地、地区、国家和国际的私人、公共组织合作，在经济和文化、政治和社会间构建了强有力的联系。

移动城市 是一家由Martijn de Waal和Michiel de Lange创立的独立研究团队。移动城市研究数码媒体技术对城市生活的影响，以及对城市设计的启发。移动城市多次与志同道合的其他专业领域的组织和个人合作。

中华世纪坛数字艺术馆（CMoDA）是一家位于北京的文化孵化企业，主营业务为数码艺术和设计。作为中国第一家数码主题的综合艺术中心，中华世纪坛数字艺术馆力争建设成一个互动式、有经验、一体化的数码和物理协作创新平台，形式有展览、屏幕、教育交流和数码创新孵化。

如需了解“我们制造”和工作坊的更多信息，请参阅themobilecity.nl/madebyus.

关于首都钢铁厂

该厂区的前身为首钢公司，是一家成立于1919年的生铁厂。首钢是中国最大的钢铁厂，厂区绵延北京郊区，占地8.56km²，相当于2.7个颐和园的面积。上世纪19年代巅峰时期，年产量为1000万吨，是20多万工人的“铁饭碗”。今天，厂区作为城市兴衰的宏大展示，依然吸引着游客和摄影爱好者。工厂位于石景山区的吴家村路。

(Source: http://www.thebeijinger.com/directory/capital-steel-factory)