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

'OUR AUTONOMOUS LIFE?'

Maria Pask, Nazima Kadir, and an evolving cast and scriptwriters including: Katayoun Arian, Priscilla Desert, An ja Groten, Wart Kamps, Klaar van der Lippe, Ruchama Noora, Lisette Olsthoorn, Karien Schilder, Bart Stuart, Maiko Tanaka and Mariska Versantvoort
2010-2011
sitcom

OUR AUTONOMOUS LIFE? is a new ‘cooperative sitcom’ that offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of a fictional living group, and was co-written with people who have a stake in the practices of communal living.

installation view at Casco

Based on research collected on the Dutch squatting movement and the social housing situation in the Netherlands, the sitcom is an experiment in workshopping new narratives and spatial constructions for ‘living together’ in confrontational, humorous and creative ways. The sitcom is filmed in a ‘domestic set’ designed by artist Ruth Buchanan and architect Andreas Müller. Situated in the Casco space, the set is a site that encourages a playful undoing and reinvention of relations and affects with one another.

Produced by Casco in partnership with SKOR, and conceived in collaboration with artist Maria Pask and cultural anthropologist Nazima Kadir, OUR AUTONOMOUS LIFE? will manifest with episodes broadcast on RTV Utrecht and live screenings at Casco.

screen view from episode 1

For more information, check out the sitcom project website at http://www.ourautonomouslife.info

Locations: Casco
Themes: Domestic Space

All photos by Emilio Moreno unless stated otherwise

Related:

NOTES

New books: recent contributions to the GDR library.

The GDR Library continues to grow! It has now twelve new books! From these we would like to highlight to books given by two residents of the house: Our House given by Patricia Sousa, DAI student, and Urban/Act by Atelier d’architecture autogérée (AAA) participants of Forum – Dwelling on the Commons (architects Doina Petrescu & Constantin Petcou) .

Our house, book given by artist resident Patricia Sousa

2 February 2011, 18.19 — posted by Casco

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