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

'WE WERE HERE'

Paul Elliman
2011
engraved maps

These information panels map out all the visible plant matter from the front and rear balcony views of the former GDR apartment, including the flowers and domestic trees on our neighbours’ patios.

installation view amongst other 18B Pavilion objects at Volkbuurt Museum

Removed from place and time, the maps recall their original gesture of activating the surrounding environment into the interior scope of the apartment whilst simultaneously extending the GDR balcony garden to its surrounding communities through the act of seeing. Over time, some of the identified plants were torn up to be replaced with a new housing block. In this way, the work also becomes a modest monument to the changing urban surroundings of Utrecht.

WE WERE HERE was conceived by London-based artist and researcher, Paul Elliman in collaboration with Amsterdam-based graphic designer Na Kim, artist and gardener Hans van Lunteren and ecologist and gardener Rob van de Steen.

apartment view

Locations: Volksbuurt Museum, 18B Pavilion
Themes: Domestic Properties

All photos by Emilio Moreno unless stated otherwise

Related:

NOTES

TOWN MEETING JUNE PHOTOS
'Assembly (The Grand Domestic Revolution)'

Saturday 25 June 2011, 11.00-13.00h
Huis a/d Werf dressing room
Boorstraat 107, Utrecht

June Town Meeting - 'Assembly (The Grand Domestic Revolution)' took place at the Huis a/d Werf dressing room

For TOWN MEETING JUNE Agency speculated around the question: "How can textiles be included within art practices?"

TOWN MEETING JUNE

6 July 2011, 11.03 — posted by Casco


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