EU05&05+ GAMES

Social Practices of Architecture and their Political Dimension

2011-2012

Tutor: Socrates Stratis

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EU05 NICOSIA & EU05+ THESSALONIKI

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E.U. 05: It is a game about interfering with pedestrian flows in cities. Slowing down, diverting, etc.

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Project team

Project leader: S. Stratis, E.U. Game Lab Director, Department of Architecture, University of Cyprus

Assistants for nicosia: S. Anastasiou, D. Anayiotou, M. Christophi, Ch. Christou, E. Constanti, R. Holl, E. Patera, Ch. Psathiti, M. Prodromou, V. Theodorou

Assistants for thessaloniki: E. Patera, Ch. Psathiti, E. Constanti, D. Anayiotou, S. Palate

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Aim

To intervene into the existing rhythms of the city through a playful spatial practice. To introduce delays, decelerations and bypasses. To allow to the players which are mostly students of high schools but also of elementary schools, to adopt spatial practices which are uncommon to their everydayness. To test the behavior of pedestrians, when they are confronted accidentally, by the game players’ groups.

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Kit-of-parts

It is a sort of an urban “ladders and snakes” game where the city becomes a giant game board.-Game Pieces: Three groups of minimum six volunteers for each group will become the three game pieces. Each group member wears a white T-shirt with the appropriate color sign of EU 05: green, red and blue. The Game pieces have a steady pace along the game path, even without any players participating. It is the engagement of players that accelerates their pace. The players are invited to jump into the game pieces, for just one stop, or for the whole game.- A map of the game environment: It depicts the city environment in which the game will take place. Usually, it takes place in pedestrian roads plus, along wide sidewalks of busy roads (in Thessaloniki).-Check points: they are made of cardboard with numbered signs supported on wooden sticks. They demarcate the beginning of each step that the game pieces will perform. They are located on even distances along the game path.- A4 size yellow cardboard boxes. They are held by volunteers at each checkpoint. Each box is divided in various compartments in which the game cards are inserted. The check points become the entry point of the players. The volunteers inform the passers by who wish to play and give them an acceleration card. It will be handed out to the chosen game piece to play with. -Game cards. They prescribe: a. the spatial organization of the members of the game piece (along a line, in circle, or in lines of two or three), b. the way to move forward (zic-zac, one behind the other, one next to each other etc). c. an action to follow during 60 seconds, as soon as the game piece arrives to the following check point. The game cards are randomly chosen by the players.- A “snake” made of 15 bicycles driven by volunteers. They circulate continuously along the game environment periphery. They quite often enter into the game environment and drive across it. They trap the game pieces met along the way, and guide them backward or forward, depending on their preset path direction. They operate as a sort of snake in reference to the ladders and snakes table game.

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Players

High school students, elementary school students and any passer-by who wants to join in the game pieces.

Modus operandi- Starting:

The volunteers of the three game pieces are grouped at the starting point. If there are already interested players they get in the groups providing acceleration bonus to the game pieces. They get to wear T shirts of the team colour. - Each game piece picks up a series of cards from the check point and moves on accordingly.-Short cuts and fall backs: It is the direction shown on the cards that will move them forward or backward as well as the “snake” of bicycles circulating across the game environment.-End of the game: when all teams arrive to the f inishing point. -Winner: the first team that arrives to the f inishing point.

(Text by S. Stratis)