FRIDAY SESSIONS
BACKGROUND
Friday Sessions have originated in the beginning of 2005 and are conceptualised and organised by 26’10 south Architects. The Sessions were informal in nature, were held approximately every 4th week in Johannesburg, either at 26’10’s offices in an old shop (heritage building) in Pageview or in other public venues. The format varied from film screenings, exhibitions, talks, discussions and excursions. The subject matter was thus diverse and themes were work-shopped by 26’10 and interested parties. 26’10 acted as “curator”, endorsing and on occasion developing content.
PURPOSE
The relative lack of a local culture of debate on architecture, urbanism, art and design in relation to the city served as a catalyst. The Sessions enabled the exchanging of ideas amongst peers, colleagues, lay-people and other professionals interested in design and the urban environment.
AUDIENCE
Friday Sessions gained a dedicated following with new audience members joining through informal networks of word-of-mouth and e-mail. Audiences ranged from 40–80 people per session. About 60% of audience members are architects and architectural students.
NETWORK
A loose local and international network of like-minded professionals grew around Friday Sessions with many international speakers participating en-route through Johannesburg. Friday Sessions have been launched in London in March 2006 by the publicworks group (www.publicworksgroup.net).
Partners / collaborators / sponsors to date
Two Friday Sessions have been held at the Bag Factory, co-hosted by the Fordsburg Artists Studios (www.bagfactoryart.org.za)
Pubic Works (www.publicworksgroup.net) an architecture / artist collaborative based in London is hosting regular Friday Sessions in a similar format.
sharpCITY (www.sharpcity.co.za) – research, exhibitions and events collective run by 26’10 partners (Thorsten Deckler and Anne Graupner) and Henning Rasmuss.
Worldsview / Autodesk – occasional sponsor for drinks and venues 2007
Concrete & Cement Institute (www.cnci.org.za) –supported the Sessions in 2008
FRIDAY SESSIONS HELD TO DATE:
FRIDAY SESSION 1: south america, 50 days, 6 countries
28th of jan 05
a presentation by gavin armstrong and co
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 2: mexico city and the architecture of louis barragan
11th of feb 05
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 2: mexico city and the architecture of louis barragan
11th of feb 05
a presentation by robert rich and bettina andrag
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 3: public works- research and developed projects
11th of march 05
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 3: public works- research and developed projects
11th of march 05
a presentation by kathrin böhm & andreas lang (london)
venue: 26’10 office
MONDAY SESSION: aa school of architecture (london)
21st of march 05
venue: 26’10 office
MONDAY SESSION: aa school of architecture (london)
21st of march 05
informal presentation on research conducted in and around the bag factory
(artists studio’s in fordsburg)
venue: bagfactory, fordsburg artists studios
FRIDAY SESSION 4: orangefarm- township project visit
13th of may 05
venue: bagfactory, fordsburg artists studios
FRIDAY SESSION 4: orangefarm- township project visit
13th of may 05
a site visit by michelle riedmatten & cornelius pfeiffer (austria)
venue: orangefarm
FRIDAY SESSION 5: modernism in ahmedabad
13th of may 05
venue: orangefarm
FRIDAY SESSION 5: modernism in ahmedabad
13th of may 05
a presentation by miki desai (india) organised by
Johannesburg Architecture Centre in collaboration with 26’10
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 6: caracas- living megastructures
27th of may 05
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 6: caracas- living megastructures
27th of may 05
a film and presentation by katharina rhode (germany)
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 7: tree house
22nd of april 05
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 7: tree house
22nd of april 05
a site visit by jason frenkel
venue: private house, Johannesburg
FRIDAY SESSION 8: 2 short films on johannesburg by architects
10th of june 05
venue: private house, Johannesburg
FRIDAY SESSION 8: 2 short films on johannesburg by architects
10th of june 05
after 5_ a film by hugh fraser
jozi _ a film by thorsten deckler and robin acutt
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 9: counter culture a story of troyville
24th of june 05
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 9: counter culture a story of troyville
24th of june 05
a documentary film by paulina babsaka & maciek kwiecinski
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 10: town[tso:e-jozi]
8th of july 05
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 10: town[tso:e-jozi]
8th of july 05
a presentation of photographs taken in the inner city of jhb
by lorenzo nassembeni
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 11: seeking home and sanctuary in the city istanbul
29th of july 05
by lorenzo nassembeni
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 11: seeking home and sanctuary in the city istanbul
29th of july 05
a presentation on the global studio at the UIA 2005
by robert rich
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 12: brazil- floor and roof tectonics
12th of august 05
by robert rich
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 12: brazil- floor and roof tectonics
12th of august 05
a presentation by heinrich wolff (cape town)
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 13: what’s on in yeoville ?
26th of august 05
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 13: what’s on in yeoville ?
26th of august 05
a presentation on urban renewal
by ismail farouk
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 14: couple files
9th of september 05
by ismail farouk
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 14: couple files
9th of september 05
a video project
by anna geering and jo dunkel (artists switzerland)
organized by 26’10 in collaboration w/ bagfactory
venue: bagfactory, fordsburg artists studios
FRIDAY SESSION 15: make:shift cont._
23rd of september 05
by anna geering and jo dunkel (artists switzerland)
organized by 26’10 in collaboration w/ bagfactory
venue: bagfactory, fordsburg artists studios
FRIDAY SESSION 15: make:shift cont._
23rd of september 05
a public discussion
organized by 26’10 in collaboration w/ bagfactory
venue: bagfactory, fordsburg artists studios
FRIDAY SESSION 16: Utopia. Nowhere. Close
3rd of december 05
organized by 26’10 in collaboration w/ bagfactory
venue: bagfactory, fordsburg artists studios
FRIDAY SESSION 16: Utopia. Nowhere. Close
3rd of december 05
sharpCITY presentation and party
organized by 26’10 /sharpCITY/ Autodesk Revit
venue: 26’10 office
organized by 26’10 /sharpCITY/ Autodesk Revit
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 17: experiments on the borderline
3rd of march 06
3rd of march 06
of art , architecture and design
peter fattinger (architect, artist - vienna)
a presentation organized by 26’10 / autodesk revit
venue: Drill Hall, Jhb
FRIDAY SESSION 18: Point of View
10th of march 06
venue: Drill Hall, Jhb
FRIDAY SESSION 18: Point of View
10th of march 06
jean chrisptophe lanquetin (architect, scenographer, artist – Paris, Strasbourg)
presentation and discussion on mobile theatre project, cameroon
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 19: how dutch design will save you
17th of march 06
presentation and discussion on mobile theatre project, cameroon
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 19: how dutch design will save you
17th of march 06
aaron betsky (director nai, Rotterdam, nl)
presentation on dutch design
venue: university of jhb, art gallery
FRIDAY SESSION 20: lets talk
5th of may 06
presentation on dutch design
venue: university of jhb, art gallery
FRIDAY SESSION 20: lets talk
5th of may 06
christophe hutin (architect)
presentation on latest works, research
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 21: my jozi I
23rd of june 06 richard muller (media / film student)
dirk bahmann (architect)
robert rich (architectural student)
lorenzo massimbeni (architect)
august de wet (industrial designer / developer)
10min presentation per speaker on JHB
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 22: peak oil & urbanism
7th of July 06
presentation on latest works, research
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 21: my jozi I
23rd of june 06 richard muller (media / film student)
dirk bahmann (architect)
robert rich (architectural student)
lorenzo massimbeni (architect)
august de wet (industrial designer / developer)
10min presentation per speaker on JHB
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 22: peak oil & urbanism
7th of July 06
tim den dekker (architectural student, aa, london)
urban / architectural repercussions of fossil fuel crisis
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 23: my jozi II
4th of August 06
urban / architectural repercussions of fossil fuel crisis
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 23: my jozi II
4th of August 06
vusi phailane (architectural student, wits)
adele prins (graphic designer / artist)
frans borman (writer)
henning rasmuss (architect)
venue: 26’10 office
adele prins (graphic designer / artist)
frans borman (writer)
henning rasmuss (architect)
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 24: corbCONCRETEcalatrava
25th of August 06
25th of August 06
hugh fraser (architect, JHB)
contemporary concrete architecture
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 25: negotiating difference
10th of November 06
contemporary concrete architecture
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 25: negotiating difference
10th of November 06
thireshen govender (architect, SA)
urban design thesis project, the bartlett, UK
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 26: sans souci movie screening
2nd of March 07
urban design thesis project, the bartlett, UK
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 26: sans souci movie screening
2nd of March 07
26’10 & Kliptown Our Town Trust
open air film screening at sans souci ruin,
venue: kliptown, Soweto
FRIDAY SESSION 27: garbage architecture
15th of March 07
open air film screening at sans souci ruin,
venue: kliptown, Soweto
FRIDAY SESSION 27: garbage architecture
15th of March 07
jan corbes (architect, NL)
re-functionalised architecture and design
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 28: sans souci movie screening
16th of March 07
re-functionalised architecture and design
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 28: sans souci movie screening
16th of March 07
26’10 & Kliptown Our Town Trust
open air film screening at sans souci ruin,
venue: kliptown, soweto
FRIDAY SESSION 29: improvisation in urban contexts
11th of May 07
open air film screening at sans souci ruin,
venue: kliptown, soweto
FRIDAY SESSION 29: improvisation in urban contexts
11th of May 07
christopher dell & bernd kneiss
(international design forum ulm / germany)
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 30: designing politics_the politics of design
25th of May 07
(international design forum ulm / germany)
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 30: designing politics_the politics of design
25th of May 07
dr. rené spitz (international design forum ulm / germany)
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 31: a documentation of street art in johannesburg
27th of July 07
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 31: a documentation of street art in johannesburg
27th of July 07
marcel rossouw (graphic designer, molasses, webdesign jhb )
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 32: sustainability through involvement
7th of September 07
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 32: sustainability through involvement
7th of September 07
dustin tusnovics (architect, lecturer, kuchl, austria)
reflecting on design and build studios in orange farm
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 33: think positive: make the absent present
28th of September 07
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 33: think positive: make the absent present
28th of September 07
alex opper (architect, lecturer UJ, Johannesburg)
an archaeological approach to the dilemma of the palace of the people and the castle, berlin
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 34: 3 cities
21st of August 08
an archaeological approach to the dilemma of the palace of the people and the castle, berlin
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 34: 3 cities
21st of August 08
alex opper (maputo)
thorsten deckler (new york)
henning rasmuss (beijing)
thorsten deckler (new york)
henning rasmuss (beijing)
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 35: tricks of the ‘no’ trade
18th of September 08
FRIDAY SESSION 35: tricks of the ‘no’ trade
18th of September 08
stephen hobbs, marcus neustetter
reflecting on ‘history’ of method‘s & approaches
(trinity session, Johannesburg)
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 36: letters from afar
16th of October 08
reflecting on ‘history’ of method‘s & approaches
(trinity session, Johannesburg)
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 36: letters from afar
16th of October 08
matthias pauwels
analysis of the upgrading of ‘problem’ areas in the netherlands and the role of so called activism
(BOVA, Rotterdam, NL)
venue: 26’10 office
analysis of the upgrading of ‘problem’ areas in the netherlands and the role of so called activism
(BOVA, Rotterdam, NL)
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 36: letters from afar
16th of October 08
16th of October 08
matthias pauwels
analysis of the upgrading of ‘problem’ areas in the netherlands and the role of so called activism
(BOVA, Rotterdam, NL)
venue: 26’10 office
analysis of the upgrading of ‘problem’ areas in the netherlands and the role of so called activism
(BOVA, Rotterdam, NL)
venue: 26’10 office
FRIDAY SESSION 37: blade runner
30th of November 08
30th of November 08
film screening
venue: Arts on Main building site
venue: Arts on Main building site
