thegoodfellas/blogset-br huggingface dataset:
Tower bridge as a backdrop. It is almost certainly right. This means that the park is not a "public space", as Gensler calls it, but a private space into which the public are allowed to come, subject to certain limitations.In this it is the latest example of a widespread type of the 21st century, the pseudo-public space, in which the City of London and its satellites are world leaders. The Broadgate development of the 1980s was a pioneer, followed by Canary Wharf, Paternoster Square next to St Paul's, and the More London development where City Hall, the headquarters of the Mayor of London, stands. In each the shapes and attributes of town squares are imitated an oblong or round shape, outdoor art, cafe tables, fountains and sometimes real public assets are created, but ultimate control is in the hands of private landowners. As Anna Minton pointed out in her book Ground Control, they control security, access, and rules of entry. Activities and people deemed undesirable, such as photography with a tripod, public displays of affection, picnics, or chaining up a bicycle, are banned. Or public protest, and you don't have to wish to protest yourself to sense the oppressive feeling that things are prohibited. The most extreme example is the "public park" promised for the top of the forthcoming "Walkie Talkie" tower in the City. By no stretch of the imagination is a roofed-over room in a private office tower, reached via security-controlled lifts and lobbies, "public".These places had their bluff called by the Occupy movement. Anxious to keep out the tented rebels, Broadgate and Canary Wharf reached for the injunctions that asserted their rights as private landowners. Paternoster Square put up barriers, manned by both police and private security, that jarred with its architectural look of traditional civic values: arcades, monuments, streets, stone and brick, a classical style.It also put up a sign that said: "Paternoster Square is private land. Any licence to the public to enter or cross this land is revoked forthwith. There is no implied or express permission to enter the premises or any part. Any such entry will constitute a trespass." Which is strange, as almost every architectural statement, planning application, and press release, in the protracted redevelopment of Paternoster Square, described this "private land" as "public space".These spaces (what shall we call them privlic, publate let's say publoid) don't always have to be bad things. Cities are made of places with degrees of publicness, including museums, restaurants, theatres, shops, malls and transport systems. Canary Wharf and Broadgate were both built on sites that formerly had limited public access docks in one case, a railway station and its tracks in the other and offer more to the public than they did before. The sky garden of the Walkie Talkie might turn out to be a fun place to go. (And, if they try to pressure you into buying expensive drinks at its bars, you will be able to whip out the planning consent that says it is a public space.)But one issue is the honest use of
language. If a space is private, it should not be called public, and planners should send back any application that makes this false claim. This matters because, if we are kidded into thinking that there is a civic realm that is not actually there, we will suddenly find that there is less space than we had thought for such essential public actions as protest. This is what the Occupy movement found when it looked for a location to make its point in the City of London. It turned out that the Square Mile is cunningly designed so as to have almost nowhere for such groups to gather, so the protesters ended up by the skirts of St Paul's. Oddly, the Occupy movement looks like the sort of colourful cultural event that local authorities and even businesses pay good money to subsidise, so as to jolly up their town centres: it is only when they are trying to say something that they officially become a problem.The bigger issue comes when publoid places occupy areas that were formerly genuinely public. Then they are not conditional gifts, as at Broadgate, but appropriation. The banks of the Thames are largely public you can walk there unrestricted, and advertising is kept from the waterfront. The view of the water is public property, and one of the great free pleasures of London.It may, conceivably, be possible to cut deals with the private sector if they are genuinely beneficial, but only when it is completely clear that the public qualities of a place are not being compromised. This is very far from the case with Gensler's designs for the London River Park, in which budget and architectural ambition are lavished on the silvery pods which will house the money-making stuff, while the offer to the public is ordinary-looking, standard-issue publoid design: some trees and benches of reasonably good quality, a stainless steel balustrade, a nondescript deck surface, the promise of some information panels explaining the history of the surroundings.An obvious comparison, made by Gensler, is with the High Line in New York, the phenomenally successful park made out of an old railway viaduct, which like the River Park is long and thin. But a big part of the High Line's success is its planting and landscaping, which is intelligent, imaginative and well considered, in the way it converts industrial relics into a place of urban pleasure. There is no sign of this level of thought in the Gensler design, even though they have submitted a detailed planning application to the Corporation of London. Nor is there the playfulness of Paris Plage, the annual conversion of the banks of the Seine into a beach, or the floating swimming pool that was installed in Copenhagen. Gensler is a global practice, with more than 3,000 staff, but there is limited evidence in its portfolio that it has the touch and finesse to pull off a project like this.Instead the park offers a marginal upgrade on the existing riverside walkway. It would be wider, and with a more intimate relationship to the water.
On the other hand you would lose the sense of unrestricted wandering and gathering that is currently there. You would be all too aware of the selling going on in the pavilions. You would know you were in a managed and controlled space, with uniformed wardens. This, says John Naylor, would be like Disney World, to the extent that "you know you're protected; you know that you won't be attacked or bothered by vagrants and sellers" (except, of course, for the approved corporate sellers in the pavilions). Is the City of London such a crime zone, financial misdemeanours apart, that people need such protection?Essentially the London River Park is a gigantic hospitality suite with a fairly nice walkway threaded through it. Meanwhile the design of its silver pods is offensively indifferent to the dignified buildings, such as Old Billingsgate Market, on which they intrude, and actually do not seem well suited to the events that might go on inside them. The only purpose of their look seems to be self-promotion. It is, for good measure, likely that the piles that hold the park in place will, at low tide, be unpleasantly conspicuous.As it happens, the park idea is not meeting with unanimous approval, despite the support of the mayor. Cabe, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, said that "we are not convinced by the description of the project as a 'park'" or that it is "appropriate to the character of the river". They find the design of the pavilions "unimaginative". English Heritage noted that "temporary" constructions like this have a way of becoming permanent. They were "not convinced that the design was worthy of such a sensitive site", and thought that the view towards the dome of St Paul's "would be distracted by the blades of silver", which are "flashy and corporate". The City of London School for boys, which is on this stretch of embankment, is none to happy that these large objects will block its view of the river.When I meet Gensler and Venus, they assure me that discussions are going well with the Port of London Authority, which manages the river and is notoriously picky about intrusions on it. They also say that the planners of the Diamond Jubilee are very interested in their ideas. The next day, however, it is announced that the PLA has "serious concerns regarding the application scheme's impact on navigational safety", and the Corporation of London is delaying making a decision about the planning application. I also see a letter from the Diamond Jubilee organisers, saying that the park would "have a significant negative impact on the river pageant". It would for example make the tide run faster, with the result that rowed boats would be unable to take part, which would reduce the planned 1,000 boats by a third. Gensler and Venus have now given up on trying to be ready for the Jubilee in June, even though their extraordinarily ambitious timetable to have everything ready for the Olympics is still in place.Buried deep within the London River Park is a
good idea. If it were truly an aquatic High Line, it could be wonderful. It might work better if it were funded differently, let's say by a levy on all City businesses, such that it were no longer a promotional and profit opportunity for just one. If there were a longer timescale than the current insane rush to summer 2012, its design and detail could get the attention it deserves. It would also help if Gensler graciously stepped back from the detailed design, having been thanked and rewarded for having the idea, and pushing it thus far with energy and chutzpah, in favour of practices with the ability to think and work like those of the High Line.If all these ifs were sorted out, the lovely floating park might just happen, subject to the satisfaction of the PLA. But there are an awful lot of ifs, and not much sign of the will to address them. If they are not addressed, the London River Park is simply an Occupy London event carried out by big business, rather than harmless folk in woolly hats and funny masks. The corporation's planners, when they finally get to consider it, should just say no.This land is my land or is it? Six 'publoid' spacesThe 1980s Broadgate development pioneered the idea that commercial developments could create "public" spaces that remained in the control of the landowners. It formed piazzas on the site of the former Broad Street railway station, offered an ice-rink and art by Richard Serra, as well as the usual shops and cafes. Compared with office developments of the 70s, it was a huge step.Canary Wharf followed suit, with a formal landscape of squares and arcades, an underground shopping mall and a Waitrose that have become powerful attractions for nearby areas. Access and behaviour are controlled by private security. Like Broadgate it stands on land that previously had limited access in this case docks and warehouses.City Hall the riverside HQ of London's elected government stands in a privately owned and managed development called More London. Should anyone wish to protest here against the actions of the mayor, they would not be allowed to do so.With the Liverpool One development a large part of the city effectively became a shopping mall without a roof. Formerly public streets are now privately managed, and a popular indoor market was closed. Liverpool One is not gated but its architectural style and treatment create what has been called an "invisible wall" around it.Twenty Fenchurch Street, the 160m-high "Walkie Talkie" tower now under construction in the City, will include a "sky garden", which is also described as London's "highest public park". Unlike other parks this will require access through security barriers, lobbies and lifts.The redevelopment of Paternoster Square, next to St Paul's Cathedral, has in its middle a piazza repeatedly described as a "public space". When its owners feared that Occupy London protesters would move into it, however, a sign went up saying that it is "private land".
e conhecimentos, para inspirar compreensao, tolerancia e sociedades inclusivas.Como em todos os anos, nesta mesma data, a UNESCO concede a uma cidade o titulo de Capital Mundial do Livro, que demonstra a sua importancia no cenario da literatura. Em 2017, a cidade escolhida e Conacri, na Guine, em reconhecimento ao seu programa para promover a leitura entre os jovens e as camadas mais desfavorecidas da populacao.Eventos LiterariosMilhares de leitores e escritores de mais de cem paises se reunem neste dia para comemorar a data com iniciativas para promover a leitura, feiras do livro, lancamentos literarios, contacoes de historias, noites de autografos, bate-papos com autores e a tradicional troca de livros por rosas, entre muitas outras atracoes. No Brasil, por exemplo, a data e comemorada com inumeros eventos, a comecar pela 12a edicao da Bienal Internacional do Livro do Ceara, que contara com apresentacoes artisticas, oficinas, contacoes de historias e encontros com renomados autores da literatura brasileira.Ja em Sao Paulo, a Amazon leva ao Parque Villa-Lobos uma biblioteca ao ar livre com o objetivo de incentivar a troca de livros. Sendo que, apos todos realizarem as trocas, os livros restantes serao doados a instituicoes sem fins lucrativos que promovem a leitura. No evento, que acontece das 9h as 16h, os leitores poderao doar e trocar livros, alem de participar de inumeras atividades relacionadas a leitura, para todas as idades.Tambem comemorando o Dia Mundial do Livro, a editora Saraiva destinara a UNESCO no Brasil um real de cada livro vendido na data, tanto em suas lojas fisicas quanto na loja online. A iniciativa, que faz parte do #LerFazBem, plataforma de incentivo a leitura, ainda ira lancar o Happy Book Day, selo da Saraiva para acoes sociais relacionadas a promocao da literatura.World Book NightNa Europa e na America tem ainda a World Book Night, uma celebracao anual com o objetivo de promover o amor pelos livros e pela leitura, alem de criar novos leitores por meio da doacao de exemplares para o publico, entregues por voluntarios.Em sua setima edicao, o evento desde ano, organizado pela The Reading Agency, teve 26 livros selecionados por um grupo independente de bibliotecarios e livreiros. Sendo que, os autores dos livros renunciaram aos seus direitos e os editores concordaram em pagar os custos de producao das edicoes impressas. Entre as obras estao o bestseller infanto-juvenil Extraordinario de R. J. Palacio, o romance Bridget Jones: Louca pelo Garoto de Helen Fielding, o classico Ratos e Homens de John Steinbeck, o misterio False Nine de Phillip Kerr, a comedia romantica Sofia Kahn is not Obliget de Ayisha Malik, a graphic novel Persepolis de Marjane Satrapi, e muito mais.Assim, neste domingo, milhares de pessoas saem as ruas, no Reino Unido, na Alemanha, nos Estados Unidos e na Irlanda, distribuindo mais de 250 mil livros aos membros de suas comunidades, compartilhando a paixao pelos livros e pela leitura, de pessoa a pessoa.Saiba mais sobre o Dia Mundial do Livro e do Direito do Autor neste post.Feliz Dia Mundial do Livro!
do Livro, que tera a participacao de renomados especialistas, como a autora brasileira de literatura infanto-juvenil Marina Colasanti, a escritora espanhola vencedora do Premio Herralde, Marta Sanz, o poeta chileno Elicura Chihuailaf, ganhador do Premio Nacional de Poesia Jorge Teillier, e varios outros.A feira contara ainda com inumeros outros espacos, como a Zona Infantil, totalmente projetada e desenvolvida para os visitantes mais jovens, a Zona Futuro, que reflete sobre o futuro da literatura atraves de workshops, exposicoes interativas e conferencias, o Espacio Digital, territorio tecnologico onde os visitantes podem conhecer um pouco mais sobre o universo dos e-books, e a Zona Explora, na qual os academicos poderao compreender e apreciar a forma como o conhecimento da ciencia e da tecnologia estao presentes em nossas vidas.Para aqueles que nao poderem comparecer a Feira do Livro e possivel acompanhar a cobertura do evento pelo YouTube, Twitter e Facebook.Confira a programacao completa da Feira do Livro no seu site oficial.
Ja comecou um dos eventos literarios mais importantes da Colombia, a Feira Internacional do Livro de Bogota (FILBO), que este ano tera a Franca como pais homenageado.Com o tema Ler e Voar, o evento, que acontece ate o dia 8 de maio, nos 51 mil metros quadrados do Centro de Convencoes Corferias, comemora este ano a sua 30a edicao, com uma programacao cultural variada e dinamica, composta de 1.500 eventos que prometem agradar a todos os publicos.ProgramacaoCom o objetivo de promover a literatura e a industria editorial, a FILBO e um evento criado, especialmente, para os profissionais do mercado editorial, no qual o publico tambem e bem-vindo. Assim, durante 14 dias, o evento ira reunir inumeros profissionais de diversas partes do mundo, para discutir os mais diversos assuntos, como a literatura, a poesia, a musica, a gastronomia, o jornalismo, os direitos autorais, a arte, a historia, a politica, a ciencia, os booktubers, e muito mais.Tudo isso em espacos como o recem-inaugurado Salao Internacional de Negocios, um lugar dinamico inteiramente dedicado aos agentes do mundo profissional dos livros, que reune, entre os dias 2 a 4 de maio, o melhor da roda de negocios, alem de contar com o Salao de Direitos, um espaco de encontros e intercambios comerciais para a compra e venda de direitos na America Latina, cuja primeira edicao, em 2016, foi um grande sucesso.Assim como o espaco Libros para Comer, dedicado aos amantes dos livros e da cozinha, que em sua 2a edicao levara a feira alguns dos mais famosos Chefs e autores para apresentarem suas obras com demonstracoes culinarias no formato de uma masterclass. Sem falar no Que Viva La Musica!, um espaco que promove diversos concertos seguidos por bate-papos com famosas personalidades do mundo da musica e das letras, como o cantor e compositor americano Bob Dylan, vencedor do Nobel de Literatura 2016.O evento contara ainda com os foruns Conversaciones que le cambiaran la vida e Palabras para la reconciliacion, nos quais autores de todo o mundo como o americano Richard Ford, vencedor do Premio Princesa Asturias de las Letras 2016, e o britanico Sir. V. S. Naipaul, Nobel de Literatura de 2001, se reunem para discutir temas como o amor pela literatura, a construcao de uma cultura para a paz, a tolerancia e a aceitacao, o triste e o belo da infancia, os 50 anos da obra Cem Anos de Solidao de Gabriel Garcia Marquez, e muito mais.Tem tambem o 13o Congresso Nacional de Leitura, no qual professores, bibliotecarios, promotores de leitura, gestores culturais e demais interessados participam de conferencias, paineis e mesas redondas com o tema Igual mas Diferente, nas quais exploram as varias relacoes entre a leitura e as experiencias de reconciliacao e convivencia em meio ao conflito.Ja nos dias 27 a 29 de abril, a FILBO sediara a 9a edicao do Encuentro Internacional de Periodismo, no qual renomados jornalistas e fotografos de varios paises irao discutir o tema Periodismo y posverdad: De la perplejidad al escepticismo, alem de debater os dilemas e conflitos do jornalismo em tempos de meias verdades, refletir sobre o
apego do jornalismo a neutralidade, falar sobre as midias digitais, as audiencias ativas, a opiniao virtual, e muitos outros assuntos. Sendo que, nos dias 26 a 30 de abril tem a 7a edicao do Congreso Internacional de Ilustracion (Fig.07), que ira realizar inumeras exposicoes, conferencias, bate-papos e encontros com alguns dos mais talentosos ilustradores de varios paises, entre eles Cica Fittipaldi (Brasil), Brad Holland (EUA), Lorena Alvarez (Colombia), Yohann Schepacz (Franca), Victo Ngai (Hong Kong), Claude K. Dubois (Belgica), Menena Cottin (Venezuela), e outros.A feira do livro conta tambem com uma programacao especial dedicada ao publico infantil e juvenil, com direito a oficinas, apresentacoes teatrais, salas de leitura e encontro com musicos, educadores, autores e ilustradores da literatura infanto-juvenil, como o ilustrador frances Serge Bloch, o autor portugues David Machado, a ilustradora e autora chilena Paloma Valdivia, a escritora e poetisa espanhola Sofia Rhei, a autora argentina Anna K. Franco, entre muitos outros.ConvidadosO evento contara ainda com a participacao de cerca de 500 expositores de diversos paises, assim como 1.300 editorias, que irao exibir tres milhoes de titulos. Sem falar nos mais de 300 autores, editores, jornalistas, ilustradores, poetas, musicos, dramaturgos e personalidades nacionais e internacionais, com presenca confirmada na feira do livro.Entre eles a premiada poeta e autora francesa Nathalie Handal, o escritor britanico Ben Brooks, o autor e sociologo portugues Boaventura de Sousa Santos, o romancista e ensaista ingles Geoff Dyer, o autor americano John Katzenbach, o escritor sul-africano John Maxwell Coetzee, vencedor do Nobel de Literatura de 2003, e o jornalista, escritor e colunista colombiano Daniel Samper Pizano, membro da Academia Colombiana de la Lengua.Alem do premiado romancista frances Pierre Lemaitre, da escritora e jornalista italo-brasileira Marina Colasanti, da poetisa e autora holandesa Hagar Peeters, da historiadora e autora colombiana Diana Uribe, do poeta chileno Carlos Cocina, do fotografo argentino Daniel Mordzinski, e dos famosos ilustradores Benjamin Lacombe (Franca), Zeina Abirached (Libano) e Isabel Hojas (Chile).Assim como os autores Afonso Cruz (Portugal), Ana Paula Maia (Brasil), Anezka Charvatova (Republica Checa), Boris Pfeiffer (Alemanha), Magela Baudoin (Bolivia), Richard Blanco (EUA), Renato Cisneros (Peru), Ulrika Karnborg (Suecia), Sara Mesa (Espanha), Fernanda Trias (Uruguai), Luis Negron (Porto Rico), Valeria Luiselli (Mexico), e muitos outros.Confira a programacao completa da FILBO no seu site oficial.
Kombi Loren com as cervejas artesanais Gorillaz. Ha ainda o lancamento do livro Pocos e uma festa O olhar contemporaneo sobre a historia literaria da cidade, uma antologia com textos ineditos de varios autores que estiveram na 10a edicao do Flipocos, em 2015.O evento contara ainda com um concerto da Orquestra Stravaganzza, um Encontro de Hip-hop e Arte da Periferia, exposicoes de artes, saraus de poesia, a 7a edicao do Encontro de Educacao, voltado aos profissionais da area, um Encontro com Escritores de Lingua Lusofona, a Mostra de Cinema Flipocos, o workshop Entre Titulos e Capas: Elementos que enganam na hora de escolher um livro com Gusttavo Majory, e muito mais.Confira a programacao completa do Flipocos no seu site oficial.