The last photo is a boat on stilts … with a generator and  tarp: an improvised living space.

from the Kathimerini

Hello from New York City!

 

We are working with the collectives Urban Void, Network of Nomadic Architecture, and Damon Rich & Jae Shin, on making an open source guide to the Kifissos River. This guide is part of a larger project called “Watergirls, Waterboys” and will be launched at the Athens Biennial on June 13th at Floisvos in Faliron Bay.

 

 

 

Here is a general description of the larger project: http://faliron-bay-athens.blogspot.com/

 

 

We would like to invite you to participate on this open source guide, which will begin with a quirky and fresh exploration of the river’s mouth as it opens to the sea.

 

 

Our Plan:

 

Assemble an interesting and diverse crew (YOU!) to help write this open source guide, and then test the guide on an expedition to the river’s mouth and surrounding area on June 13th and 14th.

 

 

The Guide:

 

Will be printed and available at the Athens Biennial, and will also be downloadable as a PDF online.  We would like it to include maps, historical or cartographic notes, sociological and anthropological data, poems, biological or chemical test results, drawings, recommendations for interesting places to eat, landmarks, directions to places for secret urban campouts, notes on dumpsters good for dumpster diving, photographs, and anything interesting you can help us find!

 

Here is an in-progress link: http://kifissosguide.wordpress.com/

 

 

The Adventure:

 

The crew (us, you!), along with curious members of the public, will test our guide on a day-long exploratory expedition.  We will travel by foot on land, boat on water, or any other form of transport.

 

The trip will take place on June 13th.  On the 14th, we’ll present a video and photo slideshow at the Boathouse at  Faliron Bay, along with the guide, which will be available for visitors to take home and use at their leisure.

 

 

 

 Our Goal:

 

In creating the guide we hope to provide Athenians and visitors to Athens a fun and compelling way of familiarizing themselves with this river, its problems and its potentials.  Through this project, we would like to explore the social and cultural possibilities of re-examining urban space.

 

We are happy to invite you specifically based on your background. You bring a necessary and unique ingredient to the guide and trip. We hope that we can engage you in this project and we would like to ask  you to contribute a page (or many!) to the open source guide.

 

 

 

 

With thanks,

 

Douglas & Chen of Flux Factory

in collaboration with Urban Void, Network of Nomadic Architecture, and Damon Rich & Jae Shin

kifissos in the news, 2007 

about the kifissos pollution