MAY 2009 

BRIEF PLAN OF ACTIONS AND INTERVENTIONS

TIMELINE

THE COLLECTION OBJECT AND COLLABORATORS

The collection object will be built by one of the winning groups of urbanaccion 2/2009**, lead by the Group ecosistema**/ Michael Moradiellos. The group will develop an aesthetic, public, functional object suitable for the site and purpose. They will built it, transport it to the site and put it up.
The object will be removed between 22-23th February after emptying it on 20th Febraury 2010. Its future use is open, it can be used by others or will be brought to a public dump.
It has to be developed, built, transported and removed with a total budget of 5000 €. Its function has to be: A collection site for Peseta coins and banknotes. A collection site for wishes and desires. The collection has to be as visible as possible to the public. The collection has also to be as save as possible for the duration of 4 months on a public site in Madrid without any security features. The police and neighbours will be asked to pass with attention¹. The object has to inform and invite the public about it purpose and how it works. It has to be accessible for a person to enter and clean /empty it. It has to survive a public existence, outdoor for 4 months during the cold season. It has to be made in a way, that people cannot be hurt by the material
used. The size of the object shall not be using more than 4-5 qm floor space. The object and underground has to be able to keep a heavy content, as coins weight. The group will get together in June 2009, built in September and put the object up in
mid October 2009.

* urbanaccion 2, see www.coam.es
** www.ecosistemaurbano.org

LOCAL PARTNERSHIP

The project has some previous developments and experiences in Germany (1998-2002) and Italy (2008). Learning from the previous approaches, my intention in Madrid is to involve a specific group of audience next to the general pass-by
audience in public space. The specific group that will be involved is the neighbourhood accociation called La Corrala².

A PROCESS OF 4 MONTHS / ACTIVITIES AROUND THE COLLECTION SITE

The projects functions as a platform inviting people to take part. Participation and engagement in a project in general takes phases:
Realizing an offer, thinking about the offer and the conditions (how much time does it take, what is it, why should I take part, is it of any value for me?...), speaking to someone about it, a moment of decision making, action (giving time and engagement
into it).
Respecting this process, I am proposing a duration of 4.5 months. 3.5 months (mid October to end of January) will be dedicated to active and passive participation and engagement in the area. The month of February will be dedicated to publish the wishes with some public actions, to count the money publicly as an action and to make an open space event where the participants will collectively decide about the outcome of the project.
All stages will be accompanied by massive media work to inform the neighbourhood, the city and the country about the approach.
The phase of collecting wishes and coins/banknotes will be accompanied by monthly activities around the collection site. Several cultural centres in the area have already offered their space to the project to organize group discussions, to screen films, to do workshops with invited groups about topics such as: If money exists plenty, what would I change in my environment? How does money work and impact on decisions?
Collcetive decisions making and the obstacles…. If I would be the King/Queen of the area, I would… Engaging them in thinking about the area and the improvements, changes, ideas they have for the location. Debates around money and values, swimming in money, visit from a banker to explain money circulations, elderly people speaking about the PESETA times…
Once a month I come for 5-7 days to run these kind of events in collaboration with Maria and Virginia (student helpers).
We actively invite all the key institutions, key decision makers to events and upcoming Open Space event and inform about the decision process in February 2010.
The contact is established with La Corrala, but also with others like: Traficantes de Sueños, La Eskalera Karakola, A.VV., Associacion de Mujeres, Juan Vallebuena (fotographer, NO FOTO), Centro cultural Lavapies, C.A.S.I.T.A.,

¹ According to my previous experience in Germany with public collection sites in 3 cities from 2000-2002, the public and also patroling police developed a natural engagement and awaerenss fort

2 http://www.avvlacorrala.org
While doing research in February and April 2009, I talked to a number of neighbourhood associations, social and cultural organisations. I also talked to artists / artists groups as well as architects about areas in the inner city district. La Corala is a head organisation that addressed the entire neighbourhood.

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