Brilliant opening at the Open House Worldwide Festival
43 out of the 46 cities that make up this family actively took part in the creation of content and project management, so that all activities could take place in a full agenda dedicated to the theme Global thinking for global challenges. The access-free programme addressed the themes of the current climatic crisis, housing, mobility and migration challenges, around the leitmotif of the pandemic context and the issues that it has accentuated.
Founded by Victoria Thornton, this network has been growing year after year with the mission of making architecture accessible to all people, promoting discussion about city transformation in all its aspects, favouring public debate through the participation of those who inhabit it and the agents - formal and informal - dedicated to housing and mobility issues. The Lisbon Architecture Triennale has been part of this network since 2012, and participated through the presentation of the short film Filomena, by Pedro Cabeleira, followed by a conversation with the film director, architect Patrícia Marques (Site Specific), landscape architect Samuel Alcobia (Baldios), and Filipa Tomaz, coordinator of the Triennale’s educational service. Here are some testimonies taken from this experience:
Carolina Vicente, who has assumed the coordination of Open House Lisboa since 2018, points out that “it was a great honour to be part of this chain that connected five continents for 48 hours and opened the way for reflection and discussion of such present, urgent and relevant topics on the present and the future of cities. The diversity of the knowledge sharing we have seen has brought hope to believe that, together, we can contribute to a better future.”
“This event, in my opinion, was important because it allowed the exploration of a line of thought that unites spaces and the people who inhabit them, and above all, to give the opportunity to listen to those who think the design of a space, discovering the philosophy behind this design, and to understand how organic the connection between a building and the way of life of a human being is”, Pedro Cabeleira comments.
Filipa Tomaz, who moderated the conversation, highlights that “OHWW represents a true case study in the organisation of a global event that voluntarily brought together representatives from more than 40 cities which are part of this international network connecting the different continents.”
Patrícia Marques, author of one of the buildings represented in the film Filomena, says that “each conversation about the city quickly brings evidence of its abundance as a space of diversity and interdependence, communitarian and public. Its success depends exclusively on the commitment and participation of each one. We are many, we are not expendable.”
Samuel Alcobia, from Baldios studio, underlines that “for me, this event opened new perspectives related to urban reality, and reinforced the idea that Culture and Architecture can improve our lives a little.”
Along with the usual followers from North to South, East to West, the occasion attracted new YouTube and Instagram fans, with over two thousand and eight hundred registered subscribers and a whole world with their eyes on these live streams. If you were unable to attend the Open House Worldwide Festival, you can check the online programme and see some remarkable moments. The graphic identity of the encounter was designed by the Portuguese V-A Studio, which also developed the OH Lisboa online platform.
We highlight here the following events from the programme
To Care About Cities: In conversation with Vicente Guallart and Elke Krasny
Construction and the Climate Crisis: Taking the next steps
Living Together: A panel on housing
Restoring Our Ecology, Restoring Our City: Organising around the Santa Catarina river, Monterrey
Open Cities and the Social Justice Movement
Citizen-led visions for a city in transition: What could Santiago learn from recent political and health crises?
Youth Manifesto! Architecture in a Climate Crisis
If you wish to join this network, you can become a Founding Friend, allowing architecture and its vitality to remain a topic of the day. From 2021, the Founding Friends will have access to exclusive monthly events curated by the various member cities, plus more content and conversation as this family continues to grow. More info here.