Blue sky thinking

By Shane Solanki

This is the most exciting time we have ever known. In such a short space of time, the world has changed completely. And it’s only just started; we’re hurtling towards a future that will look radically different from the one we knew even twenty years ago.

Can we pool our wisdom and imagination to create a future for all of the planet’s creatures that is rich and positive?

Hopefully we’ll remember that we all came from the same place. That we’re all related. There’s so much to be done; we need to work to find real solutions to the problems that face us all. VivaCity attempts to find such solutions, especially ones that help us to negotiate the mediated and often controlled public spaces to be found in cities.

In 1996, the British organisation Reclaim The Streets became infamous for their impromptu parties organised on roads, reclaiming the streets from cars (which offer speed and comfort to their users, whilst other road users pay the price through fear, injury, pollution and congestion). One of their most celebrated festivals was the M41 street party, where for nine hours 8,000 people took control of the M41 motorway in West London, partied and generally enjoyed themselves, whilst some dug up the tarmac with jack-hammers and in its place planted trees (trees that had been rescued from the construction path of the M11 link road campaign, which led to the loss of homes, loss of quality of life and community fragmentation).

These days, some activists are looking to be a little bit more playful and less confrontational in their approach to reclaiming the streets; take the pothole gardener, who saves cyclists from the perils of the pothole and simultaneously scores a goal back for nature in the match against tarmac.

Activism doesn’t have to be militant, subversive and illegal; Brighton Council (home of the UK’s recently elected first Green MP) commissioned artist Stig Evans to paint blue skies across the boarded-up windows of a derelict pub in one of Brighton’s most rundown estates. Since then, residents claim there’s been a marked decrease in problem behaviour there.

In London, artists Fugitive Images were concerned with the lack of identity which residents of their soon-to-be-demolished council estate had, amongst faceless new builds and endless property developments. So they put up life-size pictures of residents on the windows, allowing the personality of their community to breathe life into their ‘hood. 

Look at these interventions as graffiti for the 21st century; signposts to a way of life which is richer with meaning, looking to enhance the quality of our lives and make us feel happier about the places we inhabit. Seed the future; paint the sky; reclaim the streets. Make them yours. It could be through poetry, guerrilla gardening, bike rides or many of the other ways we’ve documented on VivaCity. Together, like slacktivist guerillas in the midst, we can resist the grizzly grist of the corporate fist…

why vivacity

This is the century of the city.

Over half the world’s population now live in cities. This is projected to rise to three-quarters of all people in 2050. With population increases, this means 6.75 billion of us will be city dwellers, an increase of 3.75 billion from today. As the future success or failure of mankind lies in cities, new ways of using them are needed.

The city represents an incredible paradox. We have never been closer together physically, but we have never been further away from each other emotionally. At vivacity we celebrate city movements around the world that change and re-define the way we interact with and use cities. Whilst cities cannot cope with the numbers now and the resultant strain on the world’s natural resources and eco-systems are already painfully evident, we believe that human spirit and endeavor will overcome, as it has done before.

vivacity promotes city movements that are connecting people & creating new types of communities. They are typically low impact, highly sociable, enabled by technology, using public and private spaces in new ways and empowering people to act locally.

vivacity promotes new ways of feeling alive, new ways of being invigorated, and new things to be a part of. We call it grassroots stuff in the city. We hope you get involved and share your experiences with us.

who we are

Andy Marks vivacity founder and editor

Social entrepreneur, lecturer, writer and curator, Andy Marks is an agent of positive social change practicing at the intersection or fault-line of business, society and culture. Andy is the founder of research and consultancy network Salad Worldwide, an advisor to some of the world’s leading companies on Corporate Responsibility and an advisor to a number of non-profit organizations. Andy is an expert on grass roots city movements, and a founding partner of an upcycling enterprise launching in 2010.

Julian Broadhead contributor

With a background in advertising, branding and corporate responsibility, Julian works with blue-chip companies from a wide range of industries and sectors, advising on strategy and new ways of connecting with people. He is currently developing a number of new opportunities in the environmental sector, with a particular emphasis on making environmental action more accessible.

Shane Solanki – contributor/distributor/carburettor/carbon-ara

Artist, writer, performer, producer and director, Shane’s first short film was commissioned by the BBC and directed by Peter Cattaneo. His first record was produced by Mercury Prize Winner Talvin Singh. He worked for years to forge the unique identity of independent record label Ninja Tune. We at Vivacity like to think of him as a grass roots detective, covertly operating under the pseudonym of the Last Mango in Paris; imagine him skulking around the world in a beige macintosh, recording and documenting our shift into a society where social responsibility and public creativity are norms.

contribute

become a vivacity scout

As more and more of us live in urban areas, individuals and communities can feel overwhelmed and isolated by the sheer intense-city of it all.

However we at vivacity believe that human spirit and endeavor will overcome as it has done so many times before. That is why we are celebrating movements around the world that are changing and re-defining the way we interact with the city. We would like to hear from you about grassroots movements or activities that bring people together face to face and use cities in new ways. The more original and imaginative the better.

Please email us describing a movement you would like to see on vivacity using a maximum of 300 words. info@vivacity.me