Balloons to talk about

Relational approaches to urban development have gained ground in academic literature, highlighting diverse perspectives, such as experience, participation, aesthetics, performativity and affection. However, these practices neglect conversation as a connection between local everyday life and urban d...

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Main Authors: Tiina Hotakainen, Essi Oikarinen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AESOP Association of the European Schools of Planning 2019-12-01
Series:PlaNext
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.aesop-planning.eu/index.php/planext/article/view/61
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author Tiina Hotakainen
Essi Oikarinen
author_facet Tiina Hotakainen
Essi Oikarinen
author_sort Tiina Hotakainen
collection DOAJ
description Relational approaches to urban development have gained ground in academic literature, highlighting diverse perspectives, such as experience, participation, aesthetics, performativity and affection. However, these practices neglect conversation as a connection between local everyday life and urban development. We argue that as art generally provokes discussion, material art acquires potential to question urban development and thus, act as a conversation mediator in public space. To test the hypothesis, we organised an explorative action research study: a data art installation within the annual ‘Oulu Night of the Arts’ in August 2017. The installation illustrated spatiotemporal analysis of everyday life in Åström Park, Oulu, Northern Finland. The art intervention succeeded in engaging diverse social groups online and on-site, although it proved challenging to evoke focused conversations. The induced discussions bore relevance to everyday realities in the locality. If public discourse on urban environment concentrates solely on municipal urban planning projects and visible new constructions, we risk creating a misconception of them being superior to mundane everyday life. The study suggests that even tentative information without specific objectives, when presented in a public data installation, could prove valuable for urban development discourse.
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spelling doaj.art-d4621c9277cf4d0ba9ecd5e6e27f6e952024-01-08T03:51:53ZengAESOP Association of the European Schools of PlanningPlaNext2468-06482019-12-0191Balloons to talk aboutTiina Hotakainen0Essi Oikarinen1University of OuluUniversity of Oulu Relational approaches to urban development have gained ground in academic literature, highlighting diverse perspectives, such as experience, participation, aesthetics, performativity and affection. However, these practices neglect conversation as a connection between local everyday life and urban development. We argue that as art generally provokes discussion, material art acquires potential to question urban development and thus, act as a conversation mediator in public space. To test the hypothesis, we organised an explorative action research study: a data art installation within the annual ‘Oulu Night of the Arts’ in August 2017. The installation illustrated spatiotemporal analysis of everyday life in Åström Park, Oulu, Northern Finland. The art intervention succeeded in engaging diverse social groups online and on-site, although it proved challenging to evoke focused conversations. The induced discussions bore relevance to everyday realities in the locality. If public discourse on urban environment concentrates solely on municipal urban planning projects and visible new constructions, we risk creating a misconception of them being superior to mundane everyday life. The study suggests that even tentative information without specific objectives, when presented in a public data installation, could prove valuable for urban development discourse. https://journals.aesop-planning.eu/index.php/planext/article/view/61Everyday lifeinterventions in urban developmentaction researchspatio-temporal designperformative urbanismnew urban aesthetics
spellingShingle Tiina Hotakainen
Essi Oikarinen
Balloons to talk about
PlaNext
Everyday life
interventions in urban development
action research
spatio-temporal design
performative urbanism
new urban aesthetics
title Balloons to talk about
title_full Balloons to talk about
title_fullStr Balloons to talk about
title_full_unstemmed Balloons to talk about
title_short Balloons to talk about
title_sort balloons to talk about
topic Everyday life
interventions in urban development
action research
spatio-temporal design
performative urbanism
new urban aesthetics
url https://journals.aesop-planning.eu/index.php/planext/article/view/61
work_keys_str_mv AT tiinahotakainen balloonstotalkabout
AT essioikarinen balloonstotalkabout