Laser Zurich - Reclaiming Urban Ecology

Today there is a perceived lack of public space that is open to unplanned develop-ments in contemporary cities in affluent countries. Matthew Gandy calls these places Unintentional Landscapes, others call them "terrain vague" or wastelands. How can we protect and regain these spaces of the unplanned, for those that are neglected or under-privileged in our cities? How are we supposed to save modern cities from many of their problems: climate change, unsustainable lifestyles, loss of life quality, or lost connectivity to nature and animals? Are green cities a real opportunity or misguided romanticism? How can this complex relationship with urban spaces be re-appropriated by humans? Can artists and scientists collaborate here to offer open, exploratory and experimental solutions? How could citizen science help?

Join us for this LASER Rendezvous at WWF in Zurich (Hohlstrasse 110, 8010 Zurich) on September 1, 2018 (14:30 to 18:00 pm, snacks and drinks included) for a discussion with an interdicplinay panel of artists and scientists.

In this event we premiere a new film Natura Urbana / The Brachen of Berlin by Matthew Gandy. These questions will be discussed by a trans-disciplinary panel:

• Christoph Kueffer, urban ecologist and evironmental scientist, FHNW and ETHZ
• Matthew Gandy, cultural, urban and evironmental geographer, University of Cambridge
• Kevin Vega, urban ecologist, ETHZ
• Bárbara Maçães Costa, architect and artist, EPFL
• Jill Scott, media artist, ZhdK

More Information: Reclaiming Urban Ecology (PDF, 136 KB)

For attendance registration please send an email to adriana.puente@wwf.ch