Urban Void

Actions in the City

1998 - 2004

List of Actions• Urban Void 1 Action in the space between the streets of Taki, Ag. Anargiron and Lepeniotou, Psyri. Athens, Sunday

12th of April 1998, 21:00 pm.

• Urban Void 2 “Reading of texts”. Action in an empty plot on Katsikogianni st, Psyri. Athens, Thursday 2 nd of July 1998, 21:00 pm.

• Urban Void 3 “Pacing”. Action in a temporary empty space by Koumoundourou sq. Athens, Sunday 14 th February 1999, 11:00 am.

• Urban Void 4 “Action at the river bend of Kifisos”. Athens, Thursday 11 th of March 1999, 21:00 pm.

• Urban Void 5 “Planets”. Perceive the city looking towards the sky. Action in Klathmonos sq. Route 49. Athens, Thursday 27th of May 1999, 12:00 am.

• Urban Void 6 “Walking on terraces”. Action on the top terrace at Sina st. Athens, 4 th of December 1999, 19:00 pm.

• Urban Void 7 Action at the refugee’s apartment blocks on Alexandras av.

• Urban Void 8 “Voyage – Immigration”. Action in the establishments of the Mills of Ag.Georgiou at the port of Patra. Patra, Thursday 15th of June 2000, 21:30 pm.

• Urban Void 9 “Farewell to the Free City”. Dinner in Akadimia Platonos. Action in the archaeological site of Akadimia Platonos. Athens, 27th of January 2002, 18:00 pm.

• Urban Void 10 “Political Action. What else can we do at the metro?”. Action at the Metro / HSAP. Athens, 14- 15 th of December 2002.

• Urban Void 11 Action at the refugee’s apartment blocks on Alexandras av. Athens, 15 th of December 2003, 16:00 pm.

Urban Void is a group of architects and artists that perform actions in the public metropolitan space.

Urban Void 1

Action in the space between the streets of Taki, Ag. Anargiron and Lepeniotou, Psyri. Athens, Sunday 12 th of April 1998, 21:00 pm.

A series of public installations, happenings and

events took place in situ.

Urban Void 2

Action in an empty plot on Katsikogianni st, Psyri. Athens, Thursday 2nd of July 1998, 21:00 pm.

Public installation – Action with the participation of the local community.

A series of microphones were installed, we read texts about life, architecture, poetry, cooking and provoked a public discussion with the community.

Urban Void 3

“Pacing”. Action in a temporary empty space by Koumoundourou st, Psyri. Athens, Thursday 2nd of July 1998, 21:00 pm.

Body-experience, culture of walking-thinking.

For 2 ½ hours walking around a newly excavated building site.

Urban Void 4

“Action at the river bed of Kifisos”. Athens, Thursday 11th of March 1999, 21:00 pm.

Walking along the river bed of Kifisos: The action was an event of walking and talking, carrying buckets as a symbolic gesture remindingthe absence of water. At that moment state’s urban strategy was to cover the river and transform it into a part of the national road.

Urban Void 5

(Meta - words: flaneurie, immigrants, body / gaze experience)

“Planets”. Perceive the city looking towards the sky. Action in Klathmonos sq. Route 49. Athens, Thursday 27 th of May 1999, 12:00 am.

Urban Void 6

Rew

Reversing the previous action, we remained at the terrace of a building, inviting people to come upstairs (through a live broadcast of theaction at the French Institute during the symposium “Athens – Emerging metropolis”).

“Walking on terraces”. Action on the top terrace at Sina st. Athens, 4 th of December 1999, 19:00 pm.

Urban Void 7, 11

•Action 7 at the refugees’ apartment blocks on Alexandras av. Athens, May 1998. In this first action we played ball and used the public space between the buildings.

Action 11 at the refugees’ apartment blocks on Alexandras av. Athens, 15 th of December 2003, 16:00 pm. We stood in a queue in front

of one of the buildings for 2 hours. People passing by joined us. The next days and until now we have occupied one of the apartments.

Refugee's apartment blocks on Alexandras av. is the first example of modernist urban design in Athens at the ’30s.The state’s policy is to buy the apartments in a cheap price and demolish the buildings to create underground parking / square. Urban Void in collaboration with other groups / architects has repeatedly questioned this decision.

Urban Void 8

Action in the establishments of the Mills of Ag.Georgiou at the port of Patra. Patra, Thursday 15 th of June 2000, 21:30 pm.

Patra is a harbor that has two main characteristics: Immigrant’s harbor and starting point for cruises. We occupied an abandoned space at the port of Patra, used by refugees as temporary stay. We read texts about the immigration flow in Greece, the legal rights of the refugees, as well as cruise leaflets. Also txt from the bible, literature.

Urban Void 9

Action in the archaeological site of Akadimia Platonos. Athens, 27 th of January 2002, 18:00 pm.

The archaeological site of Plato’s Academy is the only archaeological site in Athens that is enclosed as a park. It is used as a recreation space by the Greek , Kurdish, Gipsy population that inhabit this area near the national road.Referring also to the Platonic symposiums, we had a lunch inviting people passing by to participate.

Farewell to the Free City

Urban Void 10

Attiko Metro is a “public space” underprivate laws. We attempted to inhabit this space witha series of actions and public conversationsinside the coaches of the underground trainand at the entrances of the stations, during a workshop that lasted for two days.

“Political Action. What else can we do at the metro?”. Action at the Metro / HSAP. Athens, 14- 15 th of December 2002.