Thursday, August 11, 2005

new STAND: Architecture for Humanity Chicago announces design competition


Architecture for Humanity Chicago has announced it's first design competition. Next to the international organization's projects creating homes for victims of Hurricane Emily, designing mobile health clinics to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, and has assisting in the rebuilding after last year's Tsunami, the subject of the Chicago chapter's competition is bound to seem a bit of an anti-climax.

The competition brief for new STAND cites "the daily interaction between reader and news vendor" as part of the dynamic of a healthy urban streetscape. It directs that competition entrants address "a) the decline of print media; b) the positive effects of community business; and c) small scale architectural impact on the streetscape."

The application deadine is 5:00 CST, October 1st. The fee is $35.00, $15.00 for students. Interested parties can email afhchicago@gmail.com to request an applicaton.

The way the automated box now dominates the streetside sale of newspapers suggests that participants have their work cut out for them. Doug Garofalo's entry to the Art Institute's recent Ten Visions exhibition included a design from one of his students for a public digital information kiosk. Will there still room for newspapers and magazines (and the people who sell them) in the depersonalized, hyper-efficient supply chains of today?

2 comments:

John Hill said...

And don't forget Garofalo's own contribution to the Material Evidence exhibition at the MCA in (I think) 2000.

The competition does seem shallow compared to AFH's other endeavors, though striving to imbue activity on our sidewalks with something more than television news storefronts is welcome in my book.

Lynn Becker said...

I had forgotten about this. It's another great project. You can also view it on Garofalo's own website