Press Release: 11 November 2004
Sideshow’s first salon: “DIY Urbanism” announced
Sideshow is today announcing their forthcoming first salon and exhibition.
A conference circuit of urban sales conventions are blooming around the concept of Greater London’s
“Gateways”: the Thames Gateway and Thames Reach. DIY Urbanism is the first of a series of salons
initiated to start a deeper analysis of these proposed new frontiers.
During this first Sideshow event, held in Spitalfields’ Hurwundeki gallery on the evening of the 25th
November, an assembly of multidisciplinary urban practitioners will informally present and exhibit their work
as alternatives to standard-issue city regeneration and development approaches. This DIY Urbanism salon
will situate the selected projects within the current context of the Thames Gateway, and the conference
culture that’s grown up around it.
The future shape and feel of a vast area of London are being determined now. The environmental, economic
and social health of the city is fundamental to our common future, and must not be left only to the devices of
complacent and self-ordained Urban Gatekeepers. Sideshow’s DIY Urbanism event is planned to coincide
with the latest Thames Gateway “visioning” conference at the Excel Centre (Cityscape, in September, was
another such example). The Sideshow salons aim to articulate alternative practical and theoretical
perspectives, and build networks to showcase and generate innovative, provocative projects.
Contributors to DIY Urbanism will include mæ Architects, Eric Reynolds (of Urban Space Management),
OSA London (Office of Subversive Architecture), and painter Despina Stokou. The salon will be chaired
by Denna Jones.
mæ Architects will discuss the communal capital offered by group self build housing. They will explore
some interesting/alarming aspects of the current British housing scene, starting with a brief history of UK
housing space standards, then by comparing recent European community models, and offering suggestions
of their own.
Eric Reynolds, DIY’s relative “insider”, will discuss Urban Space Management’s Container City venture: a
system of providing affordable accommodation for a range of uses made from redundant shipping
containers. The original Container City project, in the heart of London's Docklands, houses artists and
creative start-up businesses; later implementations include a classroom addition in Tower Hamlets.
Bernd Truempler and Karsten Huneck, of OSA London (Office of Subversive Architecture) will present
their London Roof and Intact projects. Intact, located in east London and the web, opened discussion on the
type of housing proposed in the “Gateways”, to look into the deeply guarded ideology of dream
homes/communities that drives many current policies. London Roof, in Trafalgar Square, recruited 250
people and their umbrellas to produce an installation that refers to the timeless and ephemeral qualities of
architecture.
Berlin-based painter Despina Stokou will display The Haddo Estate, a piece produced while she was a
London-Berlin Exchange resident at APT Studios in Deptford, London. This mixed media piece chronicles
passers-by’s wide-ranging reactions to Stokou’s day-by-day painting of a South London housing estate as it
underwent demolition.
Denna Jones, DIY’s chair, is director of creative agency Paracity and was formerly curator of contemporary
initiatives at the Wellcome Trust.
The event will take place on Thursday, 25 November from 19.00 to 21.30 at the Hurwundeki gallery,
98 Commercial St, London E1 6LZ.
The event is free and open to the public. However space is limited. Registration and more
information is available at www.sideshow.org.uk .
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Notes to Editors
mæ
mæ Architecture was formed in 2001 by Michael Howe and Alex Ely. The partners in mæ lecture widely,
undertake research, contribute to design periodicals and advise on policy through Alex’s work at CABE.
Their projects include domestic housing—some mobile some static—designs for public and arts projects
including their award-winning urban cemetery design. Alex’s ‘The Home Buyers Guide: what to look and ask
for when buying a new home’ was recently published by Black Dog Publishing in association with CABE and
is available in all high street book shops.
A survey by the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society recently revealed that 70% of homeowners
have considered building their own home. The current percentage of housing procured by this method in the
UK is between 10 and 12% of the total new build market, in Germany the self-procured figure sands at 55%.
How can we improve this situation? The financial gain to an individual or family which this empowering form
of housing procurement can deliver is well documented; the communal capital which group self build offers
is an aspect which mæ will discuss in its talk for DIY Urbanism. Starting with a brief and partisan history of
housing space standards in this country--(Did you know that the current size of many London Housing
association properties have shrunk to the level of those recommended for working class accommodation in
1918?)--and by comparing some recent European community models, (and offering some suggestions of
their own), mæ wish to explore with the audience some interesting/alarming aspects of the current British
Housing scene.

Eric Reynolds, Urban Space Management
Eric Reynolds is the evening’s acknowledged “insider.” His company, Urban Space Management
(www.urbanspace.com) is a developer and manager of specialty retail projects in Great Britain and the
United States, drawing more than 15 million visitors to it projects annually. Camden Lock, begun by USM in
1978, is the fourth busiest visitor destination in Greater London and spawned the "Body Shop" and fashion
designer "Red or Dead". For over 25 years USM has been reanimating a wide variety of inner city spaces,
revitalising them for new cultural and commercial uses. These may be historic buildings whose
circumstances have changed, sites blighted by impending development for which profitable interim uses can
be found, or prime downtown locations which cry out for a more imaginative mix of uses. As required, Urban
Space Management acts as consultant, planner, developer, project manager, letting agent, promotion
specialist, retail adviser and hands-on site manager. Their stated approach is never to impose a solution but
to grow it organically from the nature of the space. Creativity, individual enterprise, and often performance
arts are essential ingredients.
At DIY Urbanism, Eric will focus on USM’s Container City venture: a versatile system of providing stylish
but affordable accommodation for a range of uses made from redundant shipping containers. Containers are
a flexible method of construction, being modular in shape, strong structurally and readily available.
Container Cities offer an alternative solution to traditional space provision, be it office and workspace, livework
and key-worker housing. The original Container City project, in the heart of London's Docklands,
provides space at a construction cost low enough to ensure affordable rents for artists and creative start-up
businesses. Container City 1 was completed in 2001 in a total time of just 5 months. It was originally three
stories high and provides 12 work studios across 4,800 square feet. In 2003 a further floor added 3
additional live/work apartments. Over 80% of the project was made from recycled material. The Container
City portfolio has since expanded to include projects such as a classroom addition for Tower Hamlets
College, London.

OSA London (Office of Subversive Architecture)
Bernd Truempler and Karsten Huneck, of OSA London (the Office of Subversive Architecture, with sister
branches in Berlin, Darmstadt, Frankfurt, Köln & Vienna) will present their London Roof and Intact projects.
The Intact project, located in east London and the web (www.i-n-t-a-c-t.org), opened discussion on the type
of housing proposed in the “Gateways”, to look into the deeply guarded ideology of dream homes/
communities that drives many social policies. Intact is a redundant inner city railway signal box converted to
look like a typical freestanding suburban family home. The way the structure has been refurbished refers
directly to the mind set of the “dream home.” The project is located in the one of Europe's most significant
areas of transition, historically one of the UK's poorest and most neglected boroughs, currently subject to a
scramble over property and space, debates and proclaimed visions. The installation is temporary and its
journey is reliant on the general future of the site. Until Intact is demolished, it is in the public domain and will
undertake a range of online and site based events. For London Roof, OSA issued about 250 people with an
umbrella and a suit each, in order to make a giant roof over Trafalgar Square. This umbrella offensive
produced an installation that refers to the timeless and ephemeral qualities of architecture.

Despina Stokou
The Greek-born painter Despina Stokou has lived and worked in Berlin since 2002. She is a current
recipient of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst study scholarship and has contributed to group
exhibitions and works in Gent, Girona and Berlin, including the Shelter Buildings workshop in the context of
the third Berlin biennale. Most recently, Despina was chosen for the London-Berlin Exchange at APT
Studios in Deptford, London, a residency that produced The Haddo Estate, the piece she will exhibit at
Hurwundeki during DIY Urbanism. This piece chronicles passers-by’s wide-ranging reactions to Despina’s
day-by-day painting of a South London housing estate as it underwent demolition.
Denna Jones
Denna Jones is director of creative agency Paracity (www.paracity.co.uk) and was formerly curator of
contemporary initiatives at the Wellcome Trust for seven years. Denna has been described as “a driving
force behind creating a cultural platform for science and art in the UK”. She will bring a multiplicity of
interests and talents to her role of chair for DIY Urbanism.
The event will take place on Thursday, 25 November from 19.00 to 21.30 at the Hurwundeki gallery,
98 Commercial St, London E1 6LZ.
The event is free and open to the public. However space is limited. Registration and more
information is available at www.sideshow.org.uk.
For further press information, please email sarah@urbaneo.org.