THE GRAND
DOMESTIC REVOLUTION

THE GRAND
DOMESTIC REVOLUTION

USER'S MANUAL

‘The Grand Domestic Revolution—User’s Manual’ (GDR) investigates the domestic space and its (changing) use through a variety of methods and disciplines, traversing the fields of art, design, architecture, urban planning, activism and theory. A number of artists and other practitioners contribute to this endeavour. Residents from 2009-2011 include Sepake Angiama, Paul Elliman, and Doris Denekamp who utilized neighbourhood and online research to create prototypes and interventions around the theme of (Green) Cooperativsm. Wietske Maas and Travis Meinolf experimented with Home Production; while 'interor' infrastuctural interventions for the furniture, library and hallways were created by ifau & Jesko Fezer, Mirjam Thomann and Graziela Kunsch. Current themes and residents from February–October 2011 include Kyohei Sakaguchi and Kateřina Šedá who will each investigate forms of usership in architectures; home and housing rights with Maria Pask and Nazima Kadir; the question of invisible and domestic labour taken up by Werker Magazine; Agency will continue its deliberations on copyright issues of domestic THINGS (gardens and textiles); and keywords in relations to food service work will be workshopped with Xu Tan. Parallel to this, the Read-in activity continues. Initiated by artist Annette Krauss and theatre maker, Read-in is an open reading group inhabiting a different neighbour’s home for every session.

LIBRARY

LIBRARY

The GDR library constitutes the backbone of our ongoing ‘living research’ and thus grows over time. The library offers points of engagement with the project and consists of different research materials such as books, articles, images and DVDs (artist’s video, films) that are available for viewing when visiting the apartment. The first installment was done by the GDR team and was later adapted by Sao Paulo-based artist Graziela Kunsch who suggested that the GDR team create thematic selections.

APARTMENT 18B

APARTMENT 18B

'The Grand Domestic Revolution-User's Manual' is a long-term project developed as Casco’s contribution to 'Utrecht Manifest: Biennial for Social Design'. The project deals with the evolutionary and collaborative process of “living” research in the contemporary domestic and private sphere – particularly in relation to the spatial imagining (or the built environment). It aims at re-articulating while exercising the notions of the social, the public and, eventually, the commons.

TOWN MEETINGS

TOWN MEETINGS

TOWN MEETINGS has its genealogy in past regular GDR events from 2009–2010. These include Home Cinema, where the screening of films that touch upon different aspects of domesticity, neighbourhood organisation, urban planning and alternative politics, take place; Thursday Night Supper, occasions for cooking, eating and discussion with various guests, and the midterm manifestation GDR GOES ON which consisted of a series of events over four days in domestic, private, and public spaces in Utrecht.

IN AFFINITY

IN AFFINITY

Since August 2010, the GDR team have undertaken research in order to connect with the local neighbourhood on questions relating to peoples’ social conditions and material environments. Questionnaires, interviews, and conversations are the methods used to explore the themes and problems addressed in GDR, such as self-organised governance, co-operative living, and spatial organisation in and from the domestic sphere.

SEARCH

LIST OF WORKS, THEMES & LOCATIONS

Welcome to 'The Grand Domestic Revolution' project exhibition archive.

This project exhibition shares questions, research and proposals by local and international practitioners aimed at changing our living conditions right here and now, starting from our homes, neighbourhoods and workplaces and extending to our towns, cities and beyond. What are the artistic and historical precedents for this? It’s true that change cannot be made alone—be it by an individual, a government body, or an organisation—but the question for us is: How can we make change in common and for a commons?

Themes
Locations
Spatial Design
Events

ASSEMBLY (THE GRAND DOMESTIC REVOLUTION), 1992-
various materials
Agency
Casco, Volksbuurtmuseum, Rooie Rat

BATTLE POETICS AND OTHER ISSUES, 2010-2011
text, adhesives
Emilio Moreno
Rooie Rat

BEMUURDE WEERD 18Boz LADDER, 2011
photographic sketches
Graziela Kunsch & Vincent Wittenburg
Volksbuurtmuseum - 18b pavilion

CENTRE FOR COOPERATIVE LIVING, 2010
activities and device
Sepake Angiama with Sam Causer and Doris Denekamp
Volksbuurtmuseum - 18b pavilion

CHARMING FOR THE REVOLUTION, 2009
film, 11 min
Pauline Boudry/ Renate Lorenz
courtesy Ellen de Bruijne Projects
Volksbuurtmuseum

COTTAGE INDUSTRY (MAKING ACCOMMODATIONS), 2010-2011
loom and blankets
Travis Meinolf
Volksbuurtmuseum - 18b pavilion, Casco

EXPERIMENTAL KITCHEN PHARMACY, 2010-2011
audio field guide, bottled honey brew
Wietske Maas
Casco

THE EXTENDED FAMILY, 2011
video, audio, photographs, archival, documents, map
Casco - HKU Creative lab
Volksbuurtmuseum

FAMILY PORTRAIT, 2005
framed digital print
Shiu Jin
Casco

FOR POTATOES WE'VE GOT POTATOES, 2010
booklet
Jort van der Laan
Volksbuurtmuseum - 18b pavilion

GDR PAD PUZZLE, 2011
object and poster
Andrea Francke in collaboration with Katayoun Arian
Casco

HOMEMAKING, 2011
string webs
Germaine Koh
outdoor venues

HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT HOME LOOKS LIKE?
The Unite d'Habitations de Le Corbusier at Firminy, France, 1993
video, 31 min
Martha Rosler
courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix
Casco

IF YOU LIVED HERE STILL, 2010
open forum audio recording (edited), ca. 2hrs
Forum participants: Binna Choi, Graziela Kunsch, Andreas Muller, Martha Rosler, Lukasz Stanek,
Wendelien van Oldenborgh, Anton Vidokle
Casco

IRON DRAWINGS, 1999
bed sheets
Kateřina Šedá
Volksbuurtmuseum

I WILL NOT ASK ANYTHING ABOUT YOU, YOU WILL NOT ASK ANYTHING ABOUT ME, 2011
shadow play film, ca. 10 min
Domestic Workers Netherlands (part of FNV Bondgenoten) with Matthijs de Bruijne
Volksbuurtmuseum

KAMERA LAUFT!, 2004
video, 32 min
kleines postfordistisches Drama
Casco

KEYWORDS COOKING SCHOOL, 2011-2012
publication
Xu Tan
Casco

LIBRARY, 2009-
GDR team
Casco

LIBRARY QUESTIONNAIRE, 2010-
Graziela Kunsch
Casco

MANIFESTO FOR MAINTENANCE ART 1969!
Proposal for an Exhibition 'CARE'
four typed pages (enlarged versions), framed
Mierle Laderman Ukeles
courtesy Ronald Feldman Fine Arts
Volksbuurtmuseum

MEAL MACHINE, 2010-2011
mechanised greenhouse
Doris Denekamp & Arend Groosman
Volksbuurtmuseum - 18b pavilion

NON-INDEPLIABLE, AZURE, 2009
drying racks, fabric
Haegue Yang
courtesy Wien Lukatsch
Volksbuurtmuseum

NR. 1 - AUS BERICHTEN DER WACH - UND PATROUILLENDIENSTE, 1985
film, 11 min
Helke Sander
courtesy Deutsche Kinemathek
Museum fur Film und Fernsehen
Rooie Rat

OUR AUTONOMOUS LIFE?, 2011-2012
sitcom
Maria Pask, Nazima Kadir and an evolving cast and scriptwriters including: Katayoun Arian, Priscilla Desert, Anja Groten, Wart Kamps, Klaar van der Lippe, Ruchama Noora, Lisette Olsthoorn, Karien Schilder, Bart Stuart, Maiko Tanaka and Mariska Versantvoort
Casco

READ-IN MANUAL and TEACH-INS, 2011
print and occasions
Casco

REALITY PROPERTIES: FAKE ESTATES, 'JAMAICA CURB', BLOCK 10142, LOT 15, 1978
exhibition facsimile of collaged gelatin
silver prints, deed and three maps
Gordon Matta-Clark
courtesy David Zwirner and Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark
Rooie Rat

RUE DAGUERRE IN 2005
film 23 min
Agnes Varda
courtesy CINE TAMARIS
Volksbuurtmuseum

SOUND SOUVENIR EXCHANGE, 2011-2012
sound installation
Patricia Sousa
Casco

SPEAKING TRUMPETS, 2011
recycled plant containers and lamp stands
Valerie Tevere & Angel Nevarez
Volksbuurtmuseum - 18b pavilion, Casco

THERE'S NOTHING THERE, 2003
video and exhibition facsimile of drawings Kateřina Šedá
Volksbuurtmuseum

TURN-KEY HOME/ TWO IN ONE, 2010-
drawings, text
Kateřina Šedá
Casco

TWO PART DOOR, 2010
wooden panels
Mirjam Thomann
Volksbuurtmuseum - 18b pavilion

WE WERE HERE, 2010
engraved maps
Paul Elliman
Volksbuurtmuseum - 18b pavilion

WERKER 3: A POLITICAL KITCHEN CALENDAR, 2011-2012
posters, website, calendar prototype
Werker Magazine
Rooie Rat and various venues

WHY WE WORK TOGETHER and RESPECT AND RECOGNITION FOR DOMESTIC WORK, 2011
video, flyers, shirts, aprons, stencils
Ask! in collaboration with Andreas Siekmann
Rooie Rat, Casco and outdoor venues

WOMEN & WORK: A DOCUMENT ON THE DIVISION OF LABOUR IN INDUSTRY, 1975
exhibition catalogue & scanned reproductions
Mary Kelly with Margaret Harrison and Kay Hunt
Volksbuurtmuseum

Related:

NOTES

Wormery

If you don’t have enough space for a proper compost heap, you can build your own Wormery or Vermicomposting system. For the Casco balcony I use two mayonnaise buckets which I collected at the local cafetaria. Look for two buckets who can sit into each other in such a way that the lower bucket forms a reservoir.

Drill holes in the bottom of the upper bucket. In this way the liquid which forms 80-90% of our kitchen waste can escape. This leachate will collect in the lower bucket. You can use the leachate to fertilize your plants if you water it down ten times.

Drill some holes in the upper part of the bucket as well for ventilation.


Now connect a tap to the wall of the lower bucket. This is used to tap the leachate. I found a perfect tap at the local hardware store. It is called ‘garden hose connector tap’:


Cut a hole in the lower part of the buckets side. Due to the rubber rings the tap will close water tight.


The structure is ready. Now cover the bottom of the upper bucket with pieces of cardboard, small branches, torn newspaper or hay. This layer has to be 5 centimeters thick and very loose. Sprinkle this layer with water until it is 70% wet.

On top of this layer you put a layer of compost with worms. You need the ‘tiger worms’, worms that live in compost heaps. I will try to bring them tomorrow from my own compost heap in Rotterdam. You will need a few hundreds of them, but I trust my worm family will take care of that themselves.

Leave the Wormery for one week in order to give the worms time to settle themselves in their new home. After one week you can start with adding some kitchen waste. Don’t put large quantities and not too much of the same thing. Worms like diversity. The eat coffee, teabags, peals.. They don’t like bread, meat, fish and citrus peels.

Empty the leachate reservoir regularly. To harvest the worm compost, you have to remove the upper layer of fresh kitchen waste. Then remove the compost layer where the worms are in, and keep this apart. On the bottom of the bucket will be a layer of dark crumbly worm compost. Distribute it to your plants or store it in a spare bucket for later use. To start the process again, add a new bottom layer of cardboard an put the worms back in.

Put the bucket on a place protected from the sun and free from frost. I will keep the Wormery for now in the storage room. The Wormery will not smell unless it is too wet, than add some dry material like sawdust. Take care the compost doesn’t get too dry, because the worms will die.

15 December 2010, 13.57 — posted by Doris


Edit