Cyprus 2016

“Contested Fronts” is an exploration of architecture’s role for commoning practices in ethnically and socially contested spaces. It focuses on the agencies of architecture’s ad-hoc technologies that contribute into conflict transformation by advocating for relations between reconciliation and urban reconstruction processes. Through “Contested Fronts”, architecture claims active role in geopolitical, disciplinary and everyday urban politics’ frontiers. “Contested Fronts” is an Open Source Archive, (O.S.A.) made of three commoning processes for conflict transformation: counter mapping, inserting thresholds and introducing urban controversies. It unfolds how the ad-hoc technology’s materiality and use encourage the emergence of collectives across divides. It hosts the “Hands-on Famagusta” project that advocates for the creation of common urban imaginaries across the Cypriot divide. In addition, it invites international practices, networks and pedagogical programs thus becoming a support structure for the civil society in confronting two major challenges: firstly to operate in actual hostile environments where institutions produce narratives based on division. Secondly to challenge actual trends of post conflict reconstruction processes based on either large scale segregating private developments or on inflexible bureaucratic, non-transparent produced plans, both unable of encouraging commoning practices nor of handling the ever changing contested urban environments.

Exhibitors: AA&U For Architecture, Art and Urbanism, Imaginary Famagusta, Laboratory ofUrbanism University of Cyprus,(L.U2.CY), Archis Interventions, Build Up, City Reparo, Institute of Threshold, Mapping Controversies, Passages.