co+labo radović  a series of conferences featuring co+labo continues - Barcelona, Tokyo ... 

After Amsterdam and Belgrade, a demanding and exciting conferences and symposia at which Darko presents fragments of co+labo ways and some of our ideas and projects continues. On 22 November, Darko and Davisi have, via Skype,

joined 22 academics, artists, designers, architects from Australia, Germany, Spain, Italy, Norway and Japan invited to  participate in the 22@Barcelona Sympolab: 100 Questions Symposium Mapping the Unmappable. Darko's contribution focused on the findings of co+labo's original (2011-14) and ongoing Mn'M- Measuring the non-Measurable project, and its rebellious evolution towards -

"not measuring the measurable". Davisi presented her Mn'M works, recent efforts and reached back, to the very origins of her original and innovative sketch and script research method - years ago, in Barcelona. 

On 23 November, it was Culture, Society, Culture Symposium at Meiji University, which was chaired by Professors Masami Kobayashi and Davisi Boontharm. Besides Meiji University's Kobayashi, Boontharm, Manuel Tardits and Hiroyuki Sasaki, invited presenters were professors Shunya Yoshimi (University of Tokyo), Mark Mulligan (visiting at Hosei University), and architect Teddy Koffman.

A snapshot of Davisi's and Darko's shorter and fastest ever visit to Barcelona (photo Christina Liadeli).

co+labo radović    a beautiful reflective table designed by co+labo's Suzuki and Kobayashi  

As announced at this blog in August, the award winning piece of urban furniture designed by co+labo's Graduate Akitaka Suzuki and our final year Masters student Daisuke Kobayashi, was built in Minato Mirai, at the prestigious location in front of the Kenzo Tange's Yokohama Museum. 
Before the opening, their PhD sempai, Vedrana Ikalovic has captured the puzzling beauty of urban table (left) which both reflects, and invites reflections of the passes by. The visits of other co+labo members and more photos of a truly photogenic and excitingly interactive installation started coming in.
Aki-san and Daisuke-san has summarised their experience: "After the competition, due to the (both expected and unexpected) limitation of tools, materials and budget, we had to modify our scheme several times.

Of course, there were inevitable compromises, but we learnt that those challenges were

good opportunities to rethink the essence of what we were trying to achieve and refine the final scheme in a more effective way. 

Seeing the table in use after the completion, we were happy to see that, as proposed, the people enjoy different perspectives and reflections of Yokohama and, at the same time we were surprised at how people (especially kids), with a single unusual table, discover THEIR own, various ways to interact with space.

Going through the full process, we can conclude that this project gave us a real experience and notions on a theme: thinking, making and living public space, which we, as co+labo, have pursued for years." 

Well done, Aki-san, Daisuke-san!

co+labo radović co+labo way presented@70th anniversary of the Urban Planning Institute 

The key-note lectures by Darko Radović, Davisi Boontharm (Meiji IAUD and co+labo) and Brigitte Jilka (City of Vienna Director of Planning, Development and Construction) opened the International Conference which marked the venerable 70th anniversary of the Urban Planning Institute of Belgrade. The celebratory character of the occasion has no diminished the importance and an activist edge embedded in the theme - The Future of Institutional Planning. 

The opening talks, which were introduced by Ms Vesna Tahov (Director of the Institute) and Dr Zaklina Gligorijević (an Expert Advisor of the Institute, and spiritus movens of the Conference), were followed by three high-powered panels, and a rich discussion with an remarkably knowledgeable and experienced audience. It was not insignificant that the Conference was held in one of the  buildings of (recently) celebrated Yugoslav brutalist architecture (currently@MoMa). The space where discussions of now marginalised experts with proven track record in thinking and making that city provided a meaningful contrast with the outdoor spaces of Belgrade, where the global neoliberal development paradigm rules.