Episode 5 - Sensory City

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BACKGROUND:
There is an emerging movement of female architects focusing on advocacy and activism within an expanded field of practice, in alignment with feminist theorists such as Jane Rendell and Jill Matthewson. A related context of current architectural practice is the renewed interest in architectural exhibitions as powerful tools to engage the public, exemplified by the work of Jeremy Till and other architects interested in an expanded understanding of architecture.

CONTRIBUTION:
Episode 5 was an invited performance piece produced by Christine Phillips and Tania Davidge as OoPla collective, in partnership with Vision Australia. It comprised a sensory city tour and performative spoken piece, putting forth person-centred perspectives on how cities are navigated from the perspective of blind and low visioned people. As such it presents alternate ways of engaging with the spaces around us from a sensory and tactile perspective. As architects, Phillips and Davidge explore the potential of urban environments hold in engaging people in conversations about their communities and surroundings. Working around existing conventions and systems, the work demonstrates expanded architectural practice, specifically through the lens of gender represented by an emerging field of female practitioners.

SIGNIFICANCE:
Episode 5 was an invited contribution to the ‘Work-Around: Women, Design, Action’ exhibition at the RMIT Design Hub Gallery in 2018. The work was exhibited alongside other notable female and trans-gendered architects such as Simona Castricum, Pia Ednie Brown, XYX Lab and Helen Norrie. The exhibition was widely attended and broadcast live online. It received wide media attention, including from the ABC and Architecture Australia.