Tran-si-tion International Conference
24th October 2014
'Tran-si-tion' is a one-day international conference organised by WERK as part of this years Longbridge Festival of Light. It will take place at Bournville College Conference Centre, Birmingham on the 24th of October 2014 and will highlight best practice within regeneration schemes, urban design, strategic planning, technology innovation, placemaking and art within a social urban context.
The event has been developed in response to the transitional complexity that Longbridge has experienced and is currently facing as it regenerates. For nearly a century the area was dominated physically, socially, economically and visually by one of the largest car factories in the world until its devastating collapse in 2005. The Longbridge story is echoed across the world, with numerous cities and communities facing challenging economic and sector shifts, redevelopments, regeneration and master planning. Tran-si-tion will provide an exciting showcase of innovative keynote speakers sharing their vision, approach and experience within an array of diverse urban projects through strategic planning, urban design, architecture, policy, technology innovation, large scale artistic interventions, placemaking, lighting and regeneration.
Keynote Speakers
Daan Roosegaarde Creative Director | Studio Roosegaarde | Rotterdam In a world shifting between the analog and the digital, Studio Roosegaarde is the social design lab of artist Daan Roosegaarde with his team of designers and engineers. The studio creates interactive designs between people technology and space.
Jean Francois Zurawik
Director | Fête des Lumières | Lyon Fête des Lumières, established as one of the most successful Lighting Festivals in Europe, attracting over 4 million visitors a year. As a result of the festival and numerous benchmark artistic public lighting schemes Lyon is known as the ‘City of Light’.
Sophia Littkopf and Michael Arzt
Director & Programme Curator | Halle 14 | Leipzig Halle 14 is an independent not for profit arts centre based within Spinnerei; Europe’s former and largest cotton mill. The arts organisation were instrumental in supporting Spinnerei’s redevelopment and transformation into a thriving cultural hub through the ‘Second Chance’ EU project involving five European partner cities.
Glenn Howells Director | Glenn Howells Architect | Birmingham | London Established a national reputation over the last 25 years for designing innovative buildings and shaping areas of UK cities through masterplanning projects. Noteable projects include the Savill Building in Windsor Great Park shortlisted for the 2007 Stirling Prize, and the RIBA 2013 award winning Brammal Building, University of Birmingham.
Helen Marriage Director | Artichoke Awarded a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard Graduate School of Design in 2013, and Producer of urban spectacle, celebration and “disruption”. Artichoke has produced some of the best large-scale interventions into public space to date, including The Sultan’s Elephant (2006), La Machine Liverpool EU Capital of Culture (2008) and Lumiere Durham.
Mike Murray Senior Development Surveyor | St. Modwen A revolution in regeneration, Longbridge is being transformed from the home of motoring innovation into a vibrant £1 billion new community by St. Modwen. The enormous site steeped in rich, complex history spans 468 acres. Longbridge is a unique suburban major project aspiring to create 10,000 jobs, 2,000 new homes, a new town centre and parks.
Nigel Edmondson Former City Design Manager | Birmingham City Council The first Urban Design Professional within Birmingham City Council and celebrated Arts Ambassador. Involved in the City’s dramatic rebirth radically improving the built environment and public realm. On behalf of the City, Nigel produced Lighting Places (2007) informed through Lighting Urban Community International knowlegde exchange networks.
For more information or details of the full programme click here.
