Statement of Interest

In our current world climate, capitalism and globalization are shaping contemporary cities where the prevailing social, political and economic structures have profit-maximization as a core value. In an increasingly uniform and standardized world, the increasing numbers of contemporary travelers are bombarded with signs and images which are constantly repeated across cities. Individual cultures seem to be at a threat of becoming extinct as ways of living, eating and communicating become universal, making it increasingly difficult to preserve cultural diversity.

At the fourth Tate Triennial at the Tate Britain curator Nicholas Bourriaud introduces the idea that was that post-modernism (in terms of explorations into origins and identities) is dead, and that we are entering a phase of 'altermodernism'; a reaction against the standardization and commercialism that is linked to globalization. This reaction is formed out of discussions between different cultures which exist in a globalized state. Instead of being initiated by a single culture, these conversations and could be interpreted as the translations of cultural values and the formation of cultural hybrids in the contemporary city.

I wish to explore and expand upon the idea of cultural hybrids, using charged, contemporary cities as a place of research. I would be looking to create narratives, landmarks and monuments in urban environments which may currently be overlooked in the city, but which I feel deserve a place in the history as locations of diversity and cultural richness. These interventions would hopefully establish a dialogue between cultures, as well as give a 'power of place' to neglected areas which deserve to be identified and remembered.

I will be looking at Beirut as an extreme example of a culturally charged city, particularly Martyr’s Square, the main public square in the centre of the city. I will also be examining Toronto’s Kensington Market as a cross-road between many ethnicities existing in the city’s cultural make-up. These places offer a facility to focus my research; however, the nature of the topic and the ideas generated is defined by a global scale.