Beyond Participation

Beyond Participation is a day of inspiring presentations about architecture and community featuring innovators, provocateurs and activists from Ireland, the US, Africa and the UK.

Beyond Participation is curated by Nathalie Weadick and Rebecca Blake from the IAF and Tara Kennedy. (Tara is supported by the Arts Council Artist in the Community Scheme Bursary Award 2015: Collaborative Arts and Architecture managed by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts in Ireland).

On June 16 at the Light House in Smithfield, the IAF has lined up 7 speakers for an exciting conference, each presenting on the hour every hour, to create a stimulating marathon of ideas, fuelled by food from Luncheonette, all topped off by a networking after party to encourage people to connect and conspire.

The choice of speakers were selected for their reinvention and propensity in questioning the norm. Provocateurs on the day include Alastair Parvin (UK), the brain behind WikiHouse, an open-sourced platform that promises to rethink architecture and the role of the designer. Irena Bauman (UK) is on a mission to make cities more lovable and to make architects happy. Christian Benimana, from Mass Design Group (US), heads up the Africa office, he is big into local innovation, ideas, labour and materials.

Dominic Stevens and Claire McManus (Irl) will reveal new strategies for housing in Ireland. Relational Urbanism, a London based architecture studio, are embarking on a new community led design initiative in Ballyfermot.

Grainne Hassett (Irl), returning from her exhibition in the Barbican will talk about her responsive and impactful architecture with migrant settlers on the front line in the Calais Jungle.

Collectively the audience will be introduced to incredible stories that present a diverse range of themes from open source design, ethnicity, technology, to harnessing local skills and will cover projects from housing, health, education and public space.

The day is mc’d by Diarmaid Lawlor, an Irishman who is Head of Urbanism at Architecture and Design Scotland.

Tickets are priced at €25/20 and include admission, lunch and after party.

Beyond Participation’s offshoot FREE programme of events comprises of Film Screenings and scheduled Conversations hosted throughout June by the IAF.