Multistory Complex and The Theatre Centre are in the process of putting together an exhibit that explores the marketing, development and impact of condominiums in Toronto, and they are looking for submissions from a variety of disciplines:
condo BOOM!
The rise of presentation centres and other outposts of lifestyle
September 14-October 1, 2006 at The Theatre Centre
Call for submissions:
Condo presentation centres have cropped up all over the Toronto landscape. These temporary model suites are the contemporary pioneer outposts, pushing the frontier of gentrification. They are used to sell condos not as homes but as lifestyles. This project aims to appropriate the form and function of the presentation centre to re-present images of home and existing lifestyles in the city. It aims to expose the marketing and development of condominiums, opening both to interrogation and action. The project asks; what is home? How is it constructed? Is home a lifestyle or a right? Who’s building these condo homes? Who are they for? And what’s the impact of condos on existing neighbourhoods?
The exhibit’s Presentation Centre is mobile, enabling it to be used as a tool within and across neighbourhoods for planning education, interrogation and intervention related to condo developments. It is the goal to link critical engagement in the planning process across local boundaries and encourage greater participation in the planning process.
Expression of interest due June 15. For more information, email: multistorycomplex@gmail.com
About Multistory Complex: Multistory Complex explores urban issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. We are composed of an ever-evolving network of local and international architects, planners, designers, artists and others. We are a platform for collaboration, experimentation and action. We use research, education and other tactics to expose and highlight the urban environment, from large scale redevelopments to everyday life, rendering it open to investigation and intervention. We aim to democratize planning discourse and practice, introducing new perspectives, approaches and plans. We work with humour, curiosity, imagination and radicalism towards an urban movement founded on social and environmental justice.
