ΦουσκόPolis was a series of temporary architecture installations in the form of giant inflatables in public spaces all over Cyprus. Starting from workshops in Autumn 2014 to design and build the inflatables, to stepping out into underutilised public spaces and engaging the wider public in Spring 2015, ΦουσκόPolis was a grassroots initiative that was aimed at activating underutilised public spaces and challenging our perceptions and uses of public space. ΦουσκόPolis hosted a diverse programme of local and international artists and activities inside and outside the specially designed inflatables; these activites were selected after an Open Call for the community to present their own work and ideas.
Urban Gorillas worked in partnership with the Architecture Research Centre (ARC) of the University of Nicosia, Dendros Ltd. and Plastique Fantastique (Berlin) to realise this islandwide initiative. Open and free to the public ΦουσκόPolis invited the participation of the public and passers-by to get involved and experience their city from a new perspective. By experimenting with temporary inflatable architectural structures the Gorillas and their collaborators played with inside and outside spaces and our perceptions and use of public spaces in our cities. ΦουσκόPolis took place within the framework of the Green Urban Lab project and was made possible with funding from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants / Norway Grants.
The installations took place in the island’s four main cities. Check out the links below to see what happened at each event:
