The School of Architecture of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in collaboration with Goethe Institute in Thessaloniki, Goethe Institutes in South East Europe and the ‘Five Museums Association’ led by the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, organize an Architectural Exhibition (18 January – 26 February 2012) focusing on the Schools’ of Architecture contribution to the city. The exhibition is entitled ‘Architecture and the City in South East Europe’ and will be presented in the exhibition halls of the five museums mentioned above.
 
The exhibition aims to open up a discussion on the role of the schools of architecture in issues of urbanity and urbanism and, more particularly, on matters related to recent transformation of public and social space, to cultural differentiation and to environmental concerns, as these emerge in the metropolises of South East Europe. The exhibition in Thessaloniki will only mark the beginning of the discussion which aims to mature into a broad network of joint projects in the future. These may include events, visits, conferences, exhibitions, publications etc.
 
The inaugurating event in Thessaloniki includes:
– A big Exhibition of Architecture (18 January – 26 February 2012) in which each school will exhibit projects related to the contribution of schools in the public and social space of the city.
– An Open Discussion (18 January 2012) in which teachers from all participating schools of architecture will be invited.
 
The main question that the exhibition wishes to address is in what ways can architecture contribute positively to the city’s contemporary transformations, for example through: drafting design strategies towards environmental sustainability, addressing the hybrid landscape of urban sprawl, improving public services, reasserting public space, introducing participation of social groups in planning and use of public space, shaping livable and just urban neigbourhoods, investigating the role of networks of information and transport, negotiating social and environmental boundaries, and finally investigating innovative approaches to the representation and the conceptualisation of metropolitan life.
 
It is quite important that, in current conditions of globalisation and within the spread of networks, a series of concepts, tools and models are emerging. Architecture, urban design and planning could play a vital role in transforming the city into a regulative place of this expanding field of economic, cultural and political flows.
 
 
DATES
The Exhibition will take place from January 18th to February 26th, 2012.
The official opening of the exhibition is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012.
Special events will be scheduled separately to present each school’s exhibits to the public. These events will begin on the morning of Wednesday 18th and will last until the evening of Friday 20th.
 
 
VENUES
The exhibition will take place in the following Museums of Thessaloniki city:
• Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art
• Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki
• Museum of Byzantine Culture
• State Museum of Contemporary Art
• Teloglion Foundation of Art Auth
 
 
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Papakostas Yiorgos, Professor, Head of School
Fragos Dimitris, Professor, Vice-head of School
Athanassiou Evangelia, Assistant Professor
Tellios Anastasios, Assistant Professor
Vergopoulos Stavros, Assistant Professor
CURATORS / DESIGNERS
Filoxenidou Korina, Architect
Kotzia Katerina, Architect
VISUAL COMMUNICATION
Filoxenidou Fotini, Graphic Designer
COORDINATION / COMMUNICATION
Emmanouil Helen, French Littérature, Secrétariat
COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC RELATIONS
Chastaoglou Vilma, Professor
Papadopoulou Aristi, Professor
Spiridonidis Konstantinos, Assistant Professor
Tsitiridou Sofia, Associate Professor
WEBSITE MAINTENANCE
Pavlidis Konstantinos, Technical Staff
Tilkeridis Michalis, Web Developer
Archisearch - Department of Architecture, University of Patras, GreeceDEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS, GREECE

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