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Current: Urban Inclusivity in the Attention Economy
The Current Team
Russia
Attention economy is the largest and most disruptive innovation in both the information and in marketing. Smart homes are ubiquitous, connected devices that enable people to monitor, and that which is exploited by a large number of people. Attention economy is, therefore, revealed in the transformation of the public sphere into a panorama of relationships of things, of affects, of intentions. The singular constellation of social relations is the ‘state of Things’. It is also, in a way, a mode of production, which throws light on and gives expression to the intensities of this social process and appears in it a kind of objectivity and a mode of definition so that the political process may more appropriately be regarded as a kind of activity. A space is thus less a specific place or a general archetype of entities, and more a particular constellation of relations and a particular object. A space is thus, one in which, what is stored in the ‘actual’ is also what can be transformed into a modulating effect of that, and the inclusivity of the non-human perspective, be it nature or machine.
Urban Planning
Public Space
Latest films
Film Mosaic ·
France
Terrain Vague
‘Terrain Vague’ is a term for spaces that have been unintentionally transformed as the result of design and planning action. The short film reveals the qualities of a Terrain Vague and its users in Versailles in an urgent but poetic tone, inspired by the work of Jem Cohen. ‘Terrain Vague’ is an ode to urban margins everywhere that highlights the shelter these places offer to people that find themselves, either through choice or misfortune, outside of the norms society. The explored terrain in the film is the indirect consequence of planning regulations related to the nearby Palace and Gardens of Versailles. Large parts of the urban fabric of the relatively small town of Versailles cannot be significantly altered due to the UNESCO heritage status of the Palace and Gardens. The development and use of these heritage sites are under strict control as a way to manage, preserve and propagate narratives in the collective memory. The static character of the heritage site has led to the developing of a modern margin to host activities, people and developments that are deemed not fitting within the cultural narrative. As such the Terrain Vague provides space for the people and functions that do not comply with the aesthetic and societal standards of heritage preservation.
Film Mosaic ·
Azerbaijan
Sleposhar
Due to public shaming, lack of awareness and education, and exclusive spaces, disabled communities struggle the most and turn into home prisoners at some point. The integration of disabled people into society is very limited in Azerbaijan and the film highlights a deaf person’s perspective on daily life. Due to little to no existing inclusive infrastructure in Baku, most disabled people find it hard to go out of their houses without being dependent on a helper. Also, those who feel comfortable going out are always subjected as someone “in need” and get many offers from the public for help which the person did not even ask for in the first place. Many also assume that people with disabilities are in need of money and often offer them some financial help as well, which leaves many in an uncomfortable situation. The public authorities who are responsible for the city design and institutions working with people with disabilities are usually very irresponsive and the needs of the community have been unfortunately neglected for years with many empty promises to provide necessary design and tools around the neighborhoods to make life easier for them.