Kurilpa Derby — UnQualified

FIELDWORK BLOG

Shane Sugrue

This blog records the ongoing fieldwork portion of my research into participatory art, performance and public celebration as modes of political action fostering civic engagement. Considering cultural activities such as festivals, street parades, and large-scale art installations as forms of ritualised spatial practice, or theatre, this project uses the methods of architectural design to examine the material and spatial dimensions of these activities in order to determine the social and political role they might play. This work is carried out as part of the MPhil in Architecture and Urban Design (MAUD) at the Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge.

Having been embedded within a community of artists, activists and community organisers in Brisbane over the last number of years, I have made the observation that participating in the production of grassroots cultural events is often a transformative experience for participants of diverse backgrounds, challenging their preconceptions of place, identity, and community, heightening their expectations of democratic participation and accountable governance, and empowering them to exercise creative agency. Drawing on my experience as both a participant and organiser of these events, my aim with this research is to develop a methodology for design practice that a) validates this observation, and b) can be repeated in new contexts. In order to do this, I have proposed to undertake a series of design experiments that seek to enact this type of transformative participation. A pilot study presented the first set of these tests – a series of paper design exercises through which I have developed a theoretical approach and a concept design proposal. The fieldwork period is taken as an opportunity to further develop these in a series of full-scale built and performed interventions in-situ. These will be undertaken in collaboration with arts practitioners and cultural organisations in Brisbane, and paired with detailed site and context analysis, in order to develop a schematic design proposal to be carried forward into the next phase of the project.

Last Sunday the annual Kurilpa Derby set off down Boundary Street in West End:
https://www.facebook.com/events/boundary-st-west-end-qld-4101-australia/kurilpa-derby-2019/668061670324179/

A few of the folks from Modifyre’s Rapid Art Deployment (RAD) team put together a float for the occasion - the High Rise Cult: a brand new lifestyle concept for the compact city-dweller.

Drawing inspiration from West End’s colourful, eclectic, and charming traditional houses, this stack of milk crates offers a golden opportunity for the savvy investor. But they went quick. The team of real estate agents-cum-construction managers managed to shift all the units whilst maximising spatial efficiency, by measuring up prospective buyers amongst the onlookers in street-side bars and cafés. A well-placed BURN Arts micro-grant facilitated the purchase of emergency blankets to create fresh gold flags for the occasion.

Working bees for the High Rise Cult took place over three weeks leading up to the event. Most of the work happened underneath a rented house just off Boundary Street. In typical Brisbane fashion, the space was temporarily transformed into an artisan workshop, with masters in the crafts of cardboard and masking tape, spray paint and markers, bamboo and emergency blankets, milk crates and plywood coming together to share their skills. The work often went late into the night, with meals and beers galvanising a small but dedicated community around the growing tower.

Late night work proceeds underneath 46 Russell St while dinner is prepared upstairs.

So compelling was the result of this labour - and the pitch of the sales team - that the tower was deemed by the Derby judges to be deserving of the ‘best float’ award. Lead Developer, and designer of the milk crate tower, Stirling Blacket proudly accepted the award from Councillor Matik on behalf of the team.

The irony wasn’t lost on Councillor Sri, who duly elicited a well-timed boo from the crowd. However, there doesn’t seem to have been a hint of irony for the editors of Westender magazine when they used images of the Cult to illustrate Michael Major’s step-by-step guide to place-branding…

https://westender.com.au/change-is-happening-for-west-end-how-can-we-protect-its-essence-and-character/

Lead Developer Stirling receives the award for best float on behalf of the RAD team.