For three days Katowice was the centre of the debate about research methods and development directions of European cities. Visitors from 10 countries presented the resident activation projects in various parts of the continent. One of the most frequently asked questions was what role in the democratisation process will be played by new technologies?
The guests of the conference included some of the leading names in city research and new media, practical implementers of innovative technologies and representatives of the most important institutions in Central Europe to promote urban culture and democratisation of cities. The event was attended by more than 20 internationals representing the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, the UK and the US.
The conference was attended by 230 people, while the associated events brought together approximately 600 people. 60 participants came to the conference from outside Upper Silesia, mainly from Kraków, Warsaw and Gdańsk, but also Gdynia, Opole, Lublin, Łódź, Poznań and Wrocław.
The conference gathered a diverse audience, roughly half of them came from the academic world, including academics, post-graduate students and students in different fields (e.g. sociology, architecture, spatial management). The second group consisted of professionals who engage with the city in their daily work, such as activists, NGO representatives, officials, representatives from municipal institutions and specialist media sector. There were also a lot of people from other backgrounds: designers, software developers, economists, people involved in team projects requiring broad interdisciplinary competencies.
1. Appetite for Radical Change (data-driven exhibition): Katowice stands out from the rest of Poland as a city defined by great dynamism and constant need for change. The rhythm of the city’s history is marked by bold visions put forward in defiance of previous achievements. The exhibition is devoid of the traditional historical narrative, which usually puts the focus on important historical figures, political events or wars. Instead, it uses diagrams, maps and data visualisations to illustrate the rapid transformations of Katowice. Thanks to this approach, a visitor can quickly understand the key historical facts and is given a broader insight into the origins of current changes.
2. CEE Cities Meeting: As part of the three-day event, a meeting was also held, bringing together representatives of key institutions involved in promoting liveable cities in Central Europe.
3. SensLab Workgroup Lanuch: A meeting with Tomas Diez (Fab Lab Barcelona), who talked about the strength of the community from the perspective of the project SmartCitizen KIT, as well as the activities of Fab Lab dedicated to the exploration and understanding of the city.
4. Pischinger typeface and new neon sign: The meeting was devoted to the presentation of the results of workshops led for Medialab Katowice by designer Verena Gerlach. A multi-layer typeface was created as part of Katowice Typographic Research, while the neon design workshop yielded a new neon sign to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Katowice’s foundation.
5. Mapathon: Katowice Buildings: In preparing the exhibition Appetite for Radical Change. Katowice 1865-2015 on the history of the city, we created a detailed map of Katowice buildings. Thanks to the data received from the Surveying Department of the City of Katowice we were able to present the addresses and commissioning dates of selected buildings. We are currently working on expanding the range of information available within the app, such as names of architects and descriptions of buildings.
6. Katowice Sound Department Afterparty: The Katowice Sound Department aims to revitalize the local electronic music scene through workshops, lectures and joint concert sessions. The KSD members are continuing a 2014 experiment to find a new Katowice club music sound. The workshop is designed to teach them innovative forms of sound processing and developing improvisational skills.
Curator’s comment
From the curatorial point of view, the combination of three different perspectives on the issue of urban transformation was a tricky venture. On the one hand, we listened to city and media theorists and manufacturers of technological solutions from Western Europe. On the other — representatives from Central European institutions engaging in city related initiatives. In addition, we showed examples of projects (case studies) conducted in Poland, with particular focus on Medialab Katowice. The conference presentations were prepared by people with very different backgrounds: urban theorists and researchers, activists, social and cultural project managers and, last but not least, by people who implement technologies: designers, architects, engineers and programmers. What did we achieve by this highly interdisciplinary mix?
Quite often, I could not help but notice the gap between the research carried out in Western Europe and the problems we face in Central Europe. No, it is not about an inferiority complex towards the West and blind imitation of a certain development model, but rather a different cultural context and the specific nature of the problems that we face. Our perspective is mostly local. Despite using universal tools, we are mainly concerned with what we can do here and now, in our own environment. Our ambitions are not (yet?) focused on repairing reality on a global scale. We must first complete the tedious tasks related to, among others, opening public data, dissemination of information literacy and helping navigate the development of our cities.
At the same time, it is striking how similar to each other are the lexicons used by people involved in new technologies and urban activism. We all talked about sharing, engagement, participation and democratisation.
Of course, some might say that it is just unjustified optimism which stems from naive faith in progress. Be that as it may, it is the healthy optimism of dedicated grassroots activists, as opposed to the technological determinism promoted by technology corporations. The speeches showed that we are now past the stage of blind fascination with new technologies and faith in the potential of smart cities. It seems clear that intelligent technologies will not absolve us from taking responsibility for the city. It is the residents themselves that have to take matters into their own hands (DIY). Is this an early sign of an urban revolution?
If we curb our over-inflated expectations and stop believing that technology can magically change our lives for the better (or worse), perhaps we will be able to notice that in many cases, they are very useful tools that can help us improve the quality of life and promote a better understanding of the increasingly complex processes taking place in the city. Especially, when they are used for the benefit of the residents and not just the city authorities and big business.
And though the conference may have failed in providing a fully consistent picture of the role played by new technologies in the transformation of cities, I do hope that it at least managed to bring these two worlds closer together. After all, every urban activist is a bit of a geek (and vice versa).