This Big City is partnering with London-based charity 3Space on their fantastic new event ‘Re:THINK‘, which is kicking off today in Blackfriars, London, and running through to May 3rd. I got the chance to put a few questions to the event’s organisers, Megan Bellamy and Alice Vaughan, about their vision for the project.
This Big City: Tell us a little bit about Re:THINK:
Megan Bellamy: With the environmental sustainability movement taking London by storm over the past few years, and working with these innovative organisations on a daily basis, the 3Space team thought it was about time to celebrate new ideas for how we interact with our environment and explore just how simple and fun it is to be re:sourceful, re:use and re:duce waste.
So, from May 1st to 3rd the new temporary 3Space Blackfriars hub, a space that would otherwise go unused, is being transformed into an interactive playground for Re:THINKing the creative ways we use our cities and resources – there will be exhibitions, interactive displays, workshops, talks and discussions, panels and parties from urban growers, artists, architects, community organisations, meanwhile use and pop up initiatives, urban designers and planners, and many more. Be sure to check out the programme and register for FREE tickets.
TBC: Why are events like Re:THINK important for cities?
MB: Bringing together a bunch of people and organisations who actively work on finding solutions to the some of the most pressing issues facing our cities, all under one roof, is a brilliant opportunity to introduce and engage others in the conversation, get them thinking and inspired to come up with new ideas themselves, and hopefully transforming their enthusiasm into action.
TBC: What’s been the hardest part of organising the event?
MB: Trying to the squeeze as many events as possible into three days, and unfortunately having to turn away some fantastic initiatives!
TBC: The venue for Re:THINK is quite unusual. Which sessions are making the most imaginative use of the building’s unique style?
Alice Vaughan: Completely – while it doesn’t fit the style and capacity of a regular conference venue, the nature of the space has actually really helped to shape the programme. It’s a fantastic building with courtrooms on each floor which lend themselves perfectly to the panel discussions and debates such Movement for Liveable London’s ’20mph Masterclass’ or our ‘Creative Pop Ups & Meanwhile Use Masterclass’, featuring Secret Cinema, Platform 65, 21 Artists among others. Scratchadelia are also running a very interesting exhibition – they use braille and relief to create artwork for people with visual impairments, making use of forgotten space within the building which you would never think could be used for an art exhibition.
TBC: What kind of response has the event had from nearby residents and businesses?
AV: Well we’re based in the heart of the City of London, which provides a great opportunity for us and the other 50 organisations involved in the festival to engage with a very new audience! What’s quite interesting is that there’s alot of empty properties in the neighbourhood, and so we’re hoping that it’ll be a good chance for us to demonstrate the opportunities that meanwhile use can hold. People in the area have been really positive so far – I think they’re looking forward to having something a bit different going on!
TBC: Which sessions are you looking forwards to the most?
AV: There are so many things to choose from! Grow Up’s talk on Aquaponic Urban Farming looks really interesting, and I think the Re:USE Extravaganza on Wednesday night will be fun – featuring a Swap Shop, mealshare, the Living Furniture Project, The Remakery and the Restart Project – where people are encouraged to bring unwanted or broken items, to have them either swapped or fixed! With 50 organisations involved in over 40 events, It’s going to be hard to choose which ones to go to!
