Urban Gorillas Bring ΦουσκόPolis to a Public Space Near You

Larnaca Castle 24 March – 12:00-21:00
25 March – 10:00-21:00
Limassol Castle 27 March – 12:00-21:00
28 March – 10:00-21:00
Paphos Castle 31 March – 12:00-21:00
 1 April  – 10:00-21:00
Nicosia | Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation  4 April – 10:00-00:00

Urban Gorillas in partnership with the Architecture Research Centre (ARC) of the University of Nicosia, Dendros Ltd. and Plastique Fantastique Berlin (www.plastique-fantastique.de) announce their upcoming festival ΦουσκόPolis, a series of temporary architecture installations in the form of giant inflatables in public spaces all over Cyprus. ΦουσκόPolis will host a diverse programme of local and international artists and activities inside and outsidethe specially designed inflatables after an Open Call for the community to present their own work and ideas. With the aim of activating public spaces, ΦουσκόPolis invites the participation of the public and passers-by to get involved and experience their city from a new perspective. ΦουσκόPolis is a grassroots initiative by the multidisciplinary Urban Gorillas team and their collaborators, and benefits from a grant from Iceland, Liechstenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants / Norway Grants. ΦουσκόPolis is open and free to the public.

“Together with our collaborator and Berlin-based architect Marco Canevacci, we are experimenting with temporary inflatable architectural structures in order to play with inside and outside spaces and our perceptions and use of public spaces in our cities,” said Veronika Antoniou, Urban Gorillas Creative Director. “Through our successful Open Call we have built a colourful programme of artistic and community activities within and around the inflatables in each location, and look forward to the public’s interaction and responses to the work.”

The programme of activities includes a diverse range of actions from dance performances and installations to interactive games, drumming, storytelling, a skateboarding event, yoga and even musical workshops for the under-fives and infants. There will be photography on show, projections, screenings and a series of urban furniture installations as well as workshops, roundtable discussions, and a chance to experience the food and culture of a host of minority groups living in Cyprus from all over the Middle East, Far East and Africa. Through their Open Call, Urban Gorillas welcomed proposals from creative groups, collectives, artists, community organisations, other NGOs, designers and performers for activities to take place within the ΦουσκόPolis programme.

“We are excited to be working with so many creative people from all over Cyprus,” said Veronika Antoniou. “This has been a truly grassroots effort all the way, starting from workshops last autumn to design and build the inflatables, to now stepping out into underutilised public spaces and engaging the wider public, which is at the heart of what this project is all about. With the installations and actions being temporary and ephemeral, we hope to reach as many people as possible in each location, and leave positive energy  behind after departing from each site. The sites play an important role in this project, and we thank the Antiquities Department for supporting us with our choice to use important monuments such as the castles in the three main cities for public use and revitalisation.”

Urban Gorillas is an NGO based in Nicosia, Cyprus that is run by a multi-disciplinary team of urban enthusiasts who envision healthy and socially inclusive cities. The team came together in 2013 to create projects and actions that bring new energy and inspire change in  particular in urban public spaces. ΦουσκόPolis is our most ambitious project to date and is taking place all over Cyprus.

Media Sponsor: Politis

For more information and details about the programme:

www.facebook.com/Urban.Gorillas.ngo

www.urbangorillas.org

Tel: 22511550

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