Preparing an Intervention Strategy

Tuesday 13 January 2009, 10:30–18:30

3rd Dutch Art Institute workshop of the Detroit UnReal Estate Agency taught by Partizan Publik.

Title:
PREPARING AN INTERVENTION STRATEGY
The preparation of an intervention strategy is a work in progress – process with the clients or aimed at clients, on the site and with the officials. The participants will have to develop a wide overview of the do’s and don’ts, the wishes and demands and, importantly, a ‘nose’ for the right intervention in the complex society of Detroit.

We think, though, that the definition of economic value, even if according to alternative value systems, reproduces the logic of the real estate market—precisely the logic we are trying to subvert. Instead of proposing alternative values, then, what if we hijack the notion of value entirely? What if we attempt to undermine the accumulation of value (ie, the logic of real estate) completely? What if those features of real estate that are currently understood to diminish or eliminate value (inefficiency, redundancy, waste, danger, disfunctionality) are precisely those that we value? In so doing, we think, we could radically shift the perception of Detroit’s value: what is “destroying” the city would be rendered as projective or potential and, reciprocally, what is thought to “reconstruct” the city (optimization, functionality, efficiency) would be rendered as destructive?

With a lecture by artist Marjectica Potrc.

DUEA is acuratorial project is a collaboration between Partizan Publik, architect Andrew Herscher, curator Femke Lutgerink and architect Mireille Roddier.