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Award and Exhibition
La Cambre ISACF 12/12/2007
<Go directly to the Discussion Forum for this workgroup 4>
Those Present:
Summary: The team reflected upon the organization of a joint award-exhibition-publication project in the field of African architecture.
Key Areas of Address:
Mapping:
-Awards-
(1) Status Quo, what is already there-
The reporter made an inventory of the different architecture awards present in Africa and quoted the very important Aga Khan award- only available for Muslim countries-.
Then, he examined the exhibitions and biennales displaying contemporary African architecture. At last, he browsed through the publications and editions related to the latter topic.
(2) Lacks and gaps-
He then went through the lacks in the areas mentioned previously.
There are indeed several awards existing for African architecture but they coexist separately; an integration that would concern the whole of Africa is needed.This award should also be legitimate and all the partners in our network should feel invited to paticipate in this prize.
Several ideas are proposed on the award level: award for best student projects in Africa, award for best professional project or award for best community based project…
-Exhibition-
There is obviously a need for the exposure of African architecture in Africa and the world. Actually, emerging architecture in East and West-Africa are not yet part of the global picture on architecture. It should be seen in Africa and it should draw people to the locations to visit it and see it for themselves.
The related questions to this are the form that this exhibition should take and if it should go together with the conference, for instance.
-Publication-
The main problem is that architects are not publishing, there is a major lack of information on what is being produced and thought upon.A research award would bring this out.
Also a website and a newsletter should give shape to this network. Another idea would be to write a template letter inviting all participants to become a correspondent to the network.
There could be a selection of published academic articles which would be paid for.
In order to ensure the smooth running of the project, there should be a guest editor and an African-based editing house which puts in motion written publications on the field of architecture by local architects on the place itself and aimed at local people too.
-Organisation-
First comes the issue of audience: for whom are we organizing these events and then the issue of distribution: how do we get this back to Africa?
A capacity/an infrastructure should be built, that could then be established in other countries.
Perhaps could the project be endorsed by The African Union of Architects. It is a gathering of representative practitioners and academics from local regions.
Progressively, the network should open up to a wider circle of representative organisations on African architecture. It could work towards national pre-selection, then a regional, and eventually a continental one.
Priorities to be addressed as soon as the opportunity arises:
Topics to be reflected upon
- Are there any models we can look at on the organizational side?
- Should the awards refer to a single or to many themes? Should it be a monetary prize or just an award? How could it gain some legitimacy?
-Would it be a development award / and if so, applicable to different stages of a project?
-Should the exhibition-award be brought to a national level first and then to the regional/continental level? Should the exhibition be the output of the competition?
-For whom would this price be aimed at? Would it be for an architecture exclusively built and designed in Africa? Would it be limited to professionals or also opened to communities that are building for themselves?
-Would a one-off exhibition have a greater impact than a regular one?
-What and how are defined the criteria or categories of selection?
-Should there be one big prize or a series of smaller ones? Here comes the issue of “less is more”/”start small” vs the opposite approach .
-Should the exhibition be linked to the biannual conference? (space there, participants there for jury)
-Could it realistically bring people to the arena from countries with a lack of resources? What are the barriers for that? What is possible to overcome this issue?
-Reflexion upon the issues of audience and distribution
-What would be a realistic proposal to set up an African architecture award?
The constitution of a committee? It is urgent to define the core ideas, to start preparing now a steering committee to work it out and establish it in the next 2-3 years.
-There would be the need to hire a full-time coordinator to coordinate this and bring it all together. Could ArchiAfrika and/or Africalia be in charge for that?
-The specific issue of management-fundraising is especially pressing, the logistics of this award/exhibition:minimum
10 000 euros
-Would there be any tax implications on prizes?
Concrete steps
Who can do what
> Iain Low: in charge of the publication of the architecture digest
> Africalia : can find some time for coordination, look for funding and fundraising, can help to kick start this project
> Nicholas Clarke : resource efficiency (?)
> Anselmo Cani : can be the focal point for the Mozambique Association of Architects (+ links to Portuguese-speaking countries)
> Jean-Pierre Maïssa : his architectural school in Gabon can bring something new to the fore: a conceptual input .
> Antoni Folkers : idem ditto Africalia – he can bring resources in to make this happen, seek funding and facilitation
> Alphonce Kyessi: can participate to the organization of a national exhibition on the East-African level (venue, publications and content, linking region). He will not be able to contribute on the money-seeking side but can look for people to give prizes (financers to give prizes)
> Nnamdi Elleh : he will be in charge of the database.
The conclusions for the Scheme:
- Further research needs to be done in order to build the basis for a funding application for this award and exhibition. An architecture postgraduate should be hired for a full-time fundraiser position for a couple of months (5000>8000 € to have it done properly) and should be in charge of building an argument for potential funders.
-The exhibition-award and conference should go all together.
-The award should not be a prestigious trophy/a publicity one-off but an event oriented towards knowledge and diffusion
-The database should be constantly updated and documented as well as the network kept alive
-The next conference will definitely happen in Pretoria in April 2009
<Go directly to the Discussion Forum for this workgroup 4>
<Go directly to the Discussion Forum for this workgroup 4>
Those Present: Hannah Leroux (reporter)
Nicholas Clarke
Iain Low
Nicholas Clarke
Iain Low
Jean-Pierre Maïssa
Alphonce Kyessi
Anselmo Cani
Antoni Folkers
Antoni Folkers
Bjorn Maes
Summary: The team reflected upon the organization of a joint award-exhibition-publication project in the field of African architecture.
Key Areas of Address:
Mapping:
-Awards-
(1) Status Quo, what is already there-
The reporter made an inventory of the different architecture awards present in Africa and quoted the very important Aga Khan award- only available for Muslim countries-.
Then, he examined the exhibitions and biennales displaying contemporary African architecture. At last, he browsed through the publications and editions related to the latter topic.
(2) Lacks and gaps-
He then went through the lacks in the areas mentioned previously.
There are indeed several awards existing for African architecture but they coexist separately; an integration that would concern the whole of Africa is needed.This award should also be legitimate and all the partners in our network should feel invited to paticipate in this prize.
Several ideas are proposed on the award level: award for best student projects in Africa, award for best professional project or award for best community based project…
-Exhibition-
There is obviously a need for the exposure of African architecture in Africa and the world. Actually, emerging architecture in East and West-Africa are not yet part of the global picture on architecture. It should be seen in Africa and it should draw people to the locations to visit it and see it for themselves.
The related questions to this are the form that this exhibition should take and if it should go together with the conference, for instance.
-Publication-
The main problem is that architects are not publishing, there is a major lack of information on what is being produced and thought upon.A research award would bring this out.
Also a website and a newsletter should give shape to this network. Another idea would be to write a template letter inviting all participants to become a correspondent to the network.
There could be a selection of published academic articles which would be paid for.
In order to ensure the smooth running of the project, there should be a guest editor and an African-based editing house which puts in motion written publications on the field of architecture by local architects on the place itself and aimed at local people too.
-Organisation-
First comes the issue of audience: for whom are we organizing these events and then the issue of distribution: how do we get this back to Africa?
A capacity/an infrastructure should be built, that could then be established in other countries.
Perhaps could the project be endorsed by The African Union of Architects. It is a gathering of representative practitioners and academics from local regions.
Progressively, the network should open up to a wider circle of representative organisations on African architecture. It could work towards national pre-selection, then a regional, and eventually a continental one.
Priorities to be addressed as soon as the opportunity arises:
Topics to be reflected upon
- Are there any models we can look at on the organizational side?
- Should the awards refer to a single or to many themes? Should it be a monetary prize or just an award? How could it gain some legitimacy?
-Would it be a development award / and if so, applicable to different stages of a project?
-Should the exhibition-award be brought to a national level first and then to the regional/continental level? Should the exhibition be the output of the competition?
-For whom would this price be aimed at? Would it be for an architecture exclusively built and designed in Africa? Would it be limited to professionals or also opened to communities that are building for themselves?
-Would a one-off exhibition have a greater impact than a regular one?
-What and how are defined the criteria or categories of selection?
-Should there be one big prize or a series of smaller ones? Here comes the issue of “less is more”/”start small” vs the opposite approach .
-Should the exhibition be linked to the biannual conference? (space there, participants there for jury)
-Could it realistically bring people to the arena from countries with a lack of resources? What are the barriers for that? What is possible to overcome this issue?
-Reflexion upon the issues of audience and distribution
-What would be a realistic proposal to set up an African architecture award?
The constitution of a committee? It is urgent to define the core ideas, to start preparing now a steering committee to work it out and establish it in the next 2-3 years.
-There would be the need to hire a full-time coordinator to coordinate this and bring it all together. Could ArchiAfrika and/or Africalia be in charge for that?
-The specific issue of management-fundraising is especially pressing, the logistics of this award/exhibition:minimum
10 000 euros
-Would there be any tax implications on prizes?
Concrete steps
Who can do what
> Iain Low: in charge of the publication of the architecture digest
> Africalia : can find some time for coordination, look for funding and fundraising, can help to kick start this project
> Nicholas Clarke : resource efficiency (?)
> Anselmo Cani : can be the focal point for the Mozambique Association of Architects (+ links to Portuguese-speaking countries)
> Jean-Pierre Maïssa : his architectural school in Gabon can bring something new to the fore: a conceptual input .
> Antoni Folkers : idem ditto Africalia – he can bring resources in to make this happen, seek funding and facilitation
> Alphonce Kyessi: can participate to the organization of a national exhibition on the East-African level (venue, publications and content, linking region). He will not be able to contribute on the money-seeking side but can look for people to give prizes (financers to give prizes)
> Nnamdi Elleh : he will be in charge of the database.
The conclusions for the Scheme:
- Further research needs to be done in order to build the basis for a funding application for this award and exhibition. An architecture postgraduate should be hired for a full-time fundraiser position for a couple of months (5000>8000 € to have it done properly) and should be in charge of building an argument for potential funders.
-The exhibition-award and conference should go all together.
-The award should not be a prestigious trophy/a publicity one-off but an event oriented towards knowledge and diffusion
-The database should be constantly updated and documented as well as the network kept alive
-The next conference will definitely happen in Pretoria in April 2009
<Go directly to the Discussion Forum for this workgroup 4>
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