British Council – Citytalk September

– Thurs 25 Sept 2008, 7pm –
at S9 Studio, Vietnam Television, 844 De La Thanh.

‘Lost And Forgotten Spaces’

This will be the century of the city – nowhere more so than in East Asia where hundreds of millions of people now live in high density urban communities and where the arts have always played a significant role in shaping the quality of life in our cities.

The British Council’s CityTalk this month will be held with the participation of visual artists Tran Luong, Tran Hau Yen The, architect Doan Ky Thanh, British urban planner Davide Greene and led by TV presenter My Linh; the debate will look at public spaces and the role of public arts in cities.

Most cities in the South East Asia region are characterized by rapid urban development, but that doesn’t mean that they’re a monolith. Different cities have different patterns of public space – which reflect their differing histories and culture. So what are public spaces in cities? What is the role of the arts in these spaces? Is it true that public spaces in cities are being forgotten? Should the public be involved in deciding the design of public spaces?

In Europe people have long traditions of using art and architecture to ‘dress’ these spaces – sculptures, fountains, statues and memorials are so ubiquitous we hardly even notice them. But in recent years public art’s function has moved from just dressing space to actually making the space public.

We believe this talk will be a good chance for us to share experience, answer some of these questions and learn from each other.

The debate will be in Vietnamese & English with simultaneous translation.

This September CityTalk is being held by the British Council Vietnam in collaboration with the Vietnam Television.

Invitations available at the British Council, 20 Thuy Khue from 18 September.

British Council 20 Thuy Khue Street Tay Ho District, Hanoi Tel: 84 (0)4 8436780 Fax: 84 (0)4 8434962 Email: [email protected]