Disobedient Buildings
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Sch of Anthropology & Museum Ethnography
Abstract
Against the backdrop of the rise in health and safety incidents in decaying and retrofitted high-rise buildings worldwide, this project explores how the inhabitants of aging tower blocks are striving to create safe and comfortable homes. The project examines how ordinary citizens, conceptualise and confront macro-level concepts such as welfare, health and wellbeing on the ground within the context of widening inequalities and insecurities that seem to characterise contemporary urban life. Our main outcomes will be a participatory exhibition held at a major museum in London, an edited book/exhibition catalogue, three academic articles, a visual methods toolkit, three documentary films to be screened in festivals worldwide, a website, and an advisory document for local governments.
We will conduct a comparative, visual ethnography of creative practices of care and maintenance inside one block of flats in three European countries: the UK, Romania and Sweden. Each fieldwork location represents a different type of European welfare state epitomised by the degree of implementation of neo-liberal reforms over the past three decades. By comparing everyday lived experiences inside housing infrastructure, we will explore the impact of the weakening of the welfare state on ordinary citizens' health and wellbeing. Our focus on cultural specific material practices of maintenance and care will also question popular understandings of architecture and infrastructure as large-scale, technology-led projects that are single-usage across cultural contexts.
Theoretically this research will synthesize recent social science literature about infrastructure that stresses the intertwining of technological and environmental issues with political aspirations and symbolism with the latest anthropological thinking about the house and home. Methodologically we will combine social science approaches based on participant observation and interviews, with arts and humanities methods such as film, photography and archival research. However, what makes our inquiry ground-breaking is the holistic research design centred around the production of a participatory exhibition, that invites research participants and museum visitors, whether lay people or professionals linked with the housing industry, to become active contributors to the study.
By making an exhibition central to our research process we will record, assess, test, and share a huge variety of concrete practices and responses of ordinary citizens to ongoing economic austerity and precarity. The project will challenge the assumption that exhibitions are primarily final products to disseminate research findings with. It will test the hypothesis that exhibitions are unique forms of knowledge production by examining the potential of these dynamic spaces to generate new thinking beyond the initial research context. We will focus on the exhibition from the start of the project in order to recruit research participants and collect and analyse data and objects, but also to enable multiple creative collaborations and cross-fertilisations with research participants, academics, museum professionals, art practitioners, urban planners and the general public that continue long after a show has finished.
We will conduct a comparative, visual ethnography of creative practices of care and maintenance inside one block of flats in three European countries: the UK, Romania and Sweden. Each fieldwork location represents a different type of European welfare state epitomised by the degree of implementation of neo-liberal reforms over the past three decades. By comparing everyday lived experiences inside housing infrastructure, we will explore the impact of the weakening of the welfare state on ordinary citizens' health and wellbeing. Our focus on cultural specific material practices of maintenance and care will also question popular understandings of architecture and infrastructure as large-scale, technology-led projects that are single-usage across cultural contexts.
Theoretically this research will synthesize recent social science literature about infrastructure that stresses the intertwining of technological and environmental issues with political aspirations and symbolism with the latest anthropological thinking about the house and home. Methodologically we will combine social science approaches based on participant observation and interviews, with arts and humanities methods such as film, photography and archival research. However, what makes our inquiry ground-breaking is the holistic research design centred around the production of a participatory exhibition, that invites research participants and museum visitors, whether lay people or professionals linked with the housing industry, to become active contributors to the study.
By making an exhibition central to our research process we will record, assess, test, and share a huge variety of concrete practices and responses of ordinary citizens to ongoing economic austerity and precarity. The project will challenge the assumption that exhibitions are primarily final products to disseminate research findings with. It will test the hypothesis that exhibitions are unique forms of knowledge production by examining the potential of these dynamic spaces to generate new thinking beyond the initial research context. We will focus on the exhibition from the start of the project in order to recruit research participants and collect and analyse data and objects, but also to enable multiple creative collaborations and cross-fertilisations with research participants, academics, museum professionals, art practitioners, urban planners and the general public that continue long after a show has finished.
Planned Impact
Our key non-academic stakeholders who will benefit from this research include:
1. Museum audiences - We will create a participatory environment that visitors are encouraged to actively engage with through physical immersion and embodied vision as well as through contributing their own stories. The success of this approach has been tested by an ethnography of visitors conducted by the PI (Daniels in press). More than 12,000 people attended her previous exhibition about Japanese homes, and because this exhibition deals with a far greater variety of issues of current importance, we estimate that it will attract a least 25,000 visitors.
2. Museum practitioners - We are currently discussing the potential hosting of our exhibition with the following museums in London; The Barbican Arts Centre, The Museum of London, and The Geffrye Museum. We have also liaised with staff at The Museum of the Romanian Peasant, the top anthropological museum in Romania, and they have expressed a firm interest in hosting the show (see letter of interest in appendix). We plan to share our original findings about successful exhibition design, based on Daniels' previous experimentation with visual techniques (Daniels 2014), with curators at these institutions. We will also interact with other museums practitioners in a workshop about participatory techniques.
3. Website users - The website aims to create international communities of people interested in housing issues. In accordance with the widespread use of visuals with short texts on popular online platforms such as Instagram or WhatsApp, we will make visual communication central to the overall design of the website. Throughout the project users will be able to contribute by uploading photographs and video clips related to the issues that our research raise.
4. Film audiences - One film will be produced and directed by each of the three researchers with the help of a visual editor. They will be screened at film festivals, and in universities and community organisations. We will also liaise with the Royal Anthropological Institute to list the three films in their catalogues and make them available through their distribution networks.
5. Building inhabitants - Our collaborative ethnography will involve photography and film workshops with the inhabitants of the buildings we study. We will invite participants to contribute not only to data and object collection but also to the conceptualization of the exhibition. We will thereby make our research processes accessible and allow for any concerns to be more easily voiced.
6. Civil society - We will partner with local arts and community engagement organisations in each site. We aim to share our data and develop and implement new approaches to community engagement through participatory exhibitions, photography and film.
7. Architects, developers and urbanist planners -Through our exhibition, a workshop and a conference we will create opportunities for knowledge exchange with other parties linked with the housing industry in order to design a range of new guiding principles for improving health, safety and wellbeing in urban block of flats based of the lived experiences of our research participants.
8. Housing policy makers- We aim for impact at the highest level by engaging with the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and its equivalent in Sweden and Romania. Our evidence base will show the value of anthropological, participatory projects in contributing to the achievement of key housing targets such as the improvement of dwelling conditions and safety.
1. Museum audiences - We will create a participatory environment that visitors are encouraged to actively engage with through physical immersion and embodied vision as well as through contributing their own stories. The success of this approach has been tested by an ethnography of visitors conducted by the PI (Daniels in press). More than 12,000 people attended her previous exhibition about Japanese homes, and because this exhibition deals with a far greater variety of issues of current importance, we estimate that it will attract a least 25,000 visitors.
2. Museum practitioners - We are currently discussing the potential hosting of our exhibition with the following museums in London; The Barbican Arts Centre, The Museum of London, and The Geffrye Museum. We have also liaised with staff at The Museum of the Romanian Peasant, the top anthropological museum in Romania, and they have expressed a firm interest in hosting the show (see letter of interest in appendix). We plan to share our original findings about successful exhibition design, based on Daniels' previous experimentation with visual techniques (Daniels 2014), with curators at these institutions. We will also interact with other museums practitioners in a workshop about participatory techniques.
3. Website users - The website aims to create international communities of people interested in housing issues. In accordance with the widespread use of visuals with short texts on popular online platforms such as Instagram or WhatsApp, we will make visual communication central to the overall design of the website. Throughout the project users will be able to contribute by uploading photographs and video clips related to the issues that our research raise.
4. Film audiences - One film will be produced and directed by each of the three researchers with the help of a visual editor. They will be screened at film festivals, and in universities and community organisations. We will also liaise with the Royal Anthropological Institute to list the three films in their catalogues and make them available through their distribution networks.
5. Building inhabitants - Our collaborative ethnography will involve photography and film workshops with the inhabitants of the buildings we study. We will invite participants to contribute not only to data and object collection but also to the conceptualization of the exhibition. We will thereby make our research processes accessible and allow for any concerns to be more easily voiced.
6. Civil society - We will partner with local arts and community engagement organisations in each site. We aim to share our data and develop and implement new approaches to community engagement through participatory exhibitions, photography and film.
7. Architects, developers and urbanist planners -Through our exhibition, a workshop and a conference we will create opportunities for knowledge exchange with other parties linked with the housing industry in order to design a range of new guiding principles for improving health, safety and wellbeing in urban block of flats based of the lived experiences of our research participants.
8. Housing policy makers- We aim for impact at the highest level by engaging with the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and its equivalent in Sweden and Romania. Our evidence base will show the value of anthropological, participatory projects in contributing to the achievement of key housing targets such as the improvement of dwelling conditions and safety.
Organisations
- University of Oxford (Lead Research Organisation)
- British Council (Collaboration)
- Museum of London (Collaboration)
- Da De Ce Association, Romania (Collaboration)
- Soho Society London (Collaboration)
- Wellcome Trust (Collaboration)
- Romanian Cultural Institute (Collaboration)
- Van Etten Gallery (Collaboration)
- National School of Political Science and Public Administration (Collaboration)
- Nazarcea Grup (Collaboration)
- Norwegian Rheumatism Association (Collaboration)
- University of Bucharest (Collaboration)
- Museum of Bucharest (Collaboration)
Publications
Andersen A
(2023)
Experiencing resonance: everyday life in modernist blocks of flats in Oslo, Norway
in The Journal of Architecture
Deakin R
(2022)
Socialist fragments East and West: Towards a comparative anthropology of global (post-)socialism
in Critique of Anthropology
| Title | "Ulydige Bygg" [Disobedient Buildings] |
| Description | An exhibition at Van Etten Gallery, Oslo, 12 - 28 November 2021. Here, the research tema exhibited material gathered in fieldwork, which was displayed alongside the commissioned art work by Jiska Huizing. Huizing had gained access to the research material and produced an original artwork: five sound walks in the immediate area. The display in the exhibition aimed to show some of the material we as researchers had gathered during fieldwork, but also highlight how researchers, artists and others can create different narratives from fragmented materials. We displayed photographs taken by participants in the three countries: green spaces around their block, something in the flat that makes a sound they like and dislike, and also small bags of spices they use in cooking, and maps they had drawn of their neighbourhoods. metallic pins were placed on some of the materials, and white sowing treat made connections between items. These connections could be based on place, activity, colour, or feeling, showing some of the ways we connect material, ideas and experience, and create stories. Three stories from participants were published on our website where people could read about sound in the everyday life of people living in blocks of flats. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Impact | The exhibition reached a new audience, who were eager to learn more about the process. Many people who came by talked to the researcher present, and shared more stories on sound which led to a deeper understanding of the role sound play in the everyday life in people's homes. The exhibition made people think about sound in their homes. Participants in the study thought it was fun to see their images and material on displayed and told us that they felt proud to be part of the exhibition. Many brought their families and friends. The exhibition was a good way for us to test ideas for future exhibitions in Bucharest and London. |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/exhibitions |
| Title | Disobedient Waste |
| Description | The Disobedient Waste exhibition was hosted by the Bucharest Municipality Museum between 11 May - 2 June 2022. The exhibition was placed in the attic of the Cesianu-Filipescu Building on Calea Victoriei, a very central location in Bucharest, visited by hundreds of Romanian and foreign visitors, especially during weekends. |
| Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | Over 200 people have visited this exhibition. Other 5o participants took place in the workshops organised as part of this exhibition. For some of the visitors and for the workshop participants this exhibition made them re-think how they envision their relation to waste, to Romanian institutions and their own block associations. |
| URL | https://muzeulbucurestiului.ro/au-inceput-inscrierile-pentru-scoala-de-vara-2022-la-muzeul-municipiu... |
| Title | Relining, a Disobedient Buildings Film directed by Anna Ulrike Andersen |
| Description | The film has been submitted to a range of film festivals and it will be made available to watch for free (open access) via the Disobedient Buildings website at the end of the project. It will also be uploaded to the website Kanopy, an on-demand streaming video platform for public and academic libraries that offers films, TV shows and documentaries. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | The film has been submitted to several film festivals and it will also be made abailable for open access via the Disobedient Buildings website at the end of 2023. |
| Title | She Waves at Me, a Disobedient Buildings Film directed by Inge Daniels |
| Description | This ethnographic short film, based in Inge Daniels' 18 months of fieldwork in Central London, explores what it feels like to be an aging body in an aging building in a housing estate in the UK. The film juxtaposes the intricate care that goes into maintaining the buildings and their surroundings with elderly inhabitants' struggles and strategies to create a safe and comfortable homes for themselvs and their loved ones. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | The film has been submitted to a range of film festivals and it will be made available to watch for free (open access) via the Disobedient Buildings website at the end of the project. It will also be uploaded to the website Kanopy, an on-demand streaming video platform for public and academic libraries that offers films, TV shows and documentaries. |
| Title | Ulydige Bygg [Disobedient Buildings] |
| Description | With the support of the Norwegian arts council and the municipality of Oslo, we commissioned the sound artist Jiska Huizing to make a series of sound walks in the area where we conduct research in Oslo. The sound walks respond directly on the research findings of the disobedient buildings team. The result was five sound walks that the audience could access through a website, as well as a booklet with maps and information. The walks takes the visitor on a tour of the area, where the sound takes us into the buildings, under ground and into materials, questioning the gap that exist between residents and 'outsiders' of the block complex. The walks were accompanied by an exhibition at Van Etten Gallery Oslo where we displayed our findings. Huizing gave a guided tour, was present at the opening, partook in a roundtable debate, and held a performance. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Impact | The art work is still online, and people can access it with their own devices. The booklet is part of the library at the Norwegian national museum of architecture, where visitors can seek it out. We sendt booklets to all Norwegian participants of the research. The artwork brings our research findings to a new audience, such as artists, students and people from the contemporary art scene in Oslo. We got a pre-mention of the exhibition in the online journal Subjekt. We also reached a group of immigrants learning Norwegian with our guided tour. We shared updates from the work on social media: twitter, instagram and Facebook. The way that we as researchers collaborated with the artist, and how she tackled the themes brought forward by our fieldwork in an original artwork, could be the topic of an article. |
| URL | http://www.torntracks.com/stop_maps |
| Title | Waste, a Disobedient Buildings' film directed by Gabriela Nicolescu |
| Description | This short ethnographic film was directed by Gabriela Nicolescu (post-doctoral researcher). It follows a resident of an aging block of flats in Bucharest on her recycling journey. We see her making every day decisions while shopping, cooking and disposing of things to minimise her waste. She also asks presiing questions about the efficiency of the blocks and the city's waste management. Ultimately where does her waste actually go? |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | The film has been submitted to a range of film festivals and it will be made available to watch for free (open access) via the Disobedient Buildings website at the end of the project. It will also be uploaded to the website Kanopy, an on-demand streaming video platform for public and academic libraries that offers films, TV shows and documentaries. |
| Description | Contribution to successful objection to the redevelopment/demolition of communal spaces of a housing estate. |
| Geographic Reach | Europe |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | I successfully employed my empirical research working with residents of a tower block in Central London to protect their communal spaces against development/regeneration plans put forward by local authorities. My ethnographic research played a key roles in proving that the space that was set to be demolished is an important example of social infrastructure that plays a curcial role in the wellbeing and welfare of the local community. |
| Description | Gave evidence to President of Liga Habitat about the role of block administrators in securing blocks' infrastructure |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or Improved professional practice |
| Description | Research Participants workshop to provide guidance and knowledge transfer in order to be able to object to the controversial redevelopment of a council estate |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | The objections submitted by residents who attended the workshop resulted eventuall in the planned development being shelved. |
| Description | Cultural Heritage - The Norwegian Arts Council |
| Amount | kr 40,000 (NOK) |
| Funding ID | 402967 |
| Organisation | Arts Council Norway |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Norway |
| Start | 06/2021 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Description | Interdisciplinary projects - The Norwegian Arts Council |
| Amount | kr 90,000 (NOK) |
| Funding ID | 402972 |
| Organisation | Arts Council Norway |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Norway |
| Start | 06/2021 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Description | Kulturetaten Arts Fund |
| Amount | kr 30,000 (NOK) |
| Funding ID | KUL-D157-MDLZ |
| Organisation | Oslo Kommune |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Norway |
| Start | 06/2021 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Description | Wolfson College Academic fund |
| Amount | £712 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2022 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Title | Research Packs (online version) |
| Description | Because of the restrictions linked with the pandemic we have designed a new research methodology consisting of packs with tools that allow participants to study their own homes at their own pace. To date, more then 100 physical packs have been circulated through the post (see physical packs method entry), but in order to recruit more participants living in blocks in the three sites and to enable anyone interested (also those who don't live in blocks of flat) to participate in the project we have also create an online pack. Since September 2021 we have been able to give participants access to two tools, online postcards and photographs, that they can use to share their experiences. More tool will be added as the project progresses. On the site research participants contributions are also shared with the general public through photo and postcards galleries. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | So far, we had 34 people sign up to take part in our online participant research packs. Interest has come from the UK, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Italy, Finland, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria and USA. 22 people have so far submitted photographs or online postcards (the 2 tools that are currently available) that we continue to receive and add to our growing gallery of submitted images. |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/participate |
| Title | Research Packs (physical version) |
| Description | Because of the ongoing restrictions linked with the pandemic, the Disobedient Buildings team has designed an innovative methodology that combines empirical research at a distance with producing a participatory exhibition. We designed research packs, based on so-called 'cultural probes' (Gaver et.al. 1999), to study people's everyday lived experiences inside block of flats during lock down. Each pack consists of a set of tools; these are familiar, paper-based devices such as postcards, maps, and notebooks as well as low-tech technologies such as disposable cameras and sound recorders, that we have creatively adapted to motivate participants to respond to a series of open-ended questions and playful tasks. Packs were send to participants through the post to encourage them to become active collaborators in studying their own homes, because, similar to other ethnographic methods, the main objective is to find out what matters to the people studied. By engaging in long-term repeated exchanges of physical packs but also cards and letters through the post, while also drawing on the packs during periods when restrictions are loosened and meetings are possible, we developed a relationship of trust with participants, much like the reciprocal bonds that develops between researcher and those studied during long term fieldwork. This is especially important when studying safety inside the home which impacts on intimate aspects of people's lives, especially core relationships and feelings such as anxiety, care, and love. The tools in the packs are not only employed to gather text, sound and visuals from residents, but we also collect a range of objects and ephemera (from shopping receipts to laundry detergent). All the materials collected will form the base for designing a multi-sensory exhibition, that invites visitors (lay people and professional stakeholders) to actively engage with the displays, while using another set of tools - similar to those in the packs - to contribute stories, comments and objects. Through these creative exchanges we aim to stimulate innovative thinking about current housing issues that may result in interventions that can have a real impact on residents' future well being |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | To date, we have used the postal services to circulate 100 packs (80 x pack 1/20 x pack 2) in London (50%), Oslo (25%) and Bucharest (25%). The initial findings have been extremely positive. A range of people, many of whom might feel disconnected or disengaged, appreciated the fact that the packs gave them agency in studying their own domestic environment. Participants of all ages and backgrounds, across the three field sites, reported that, unlike digital methods but also large-scale surveys, the packs enticed them to participate because they could explore their own homes in a creative way at their own pace and in their own time. Many told us that they particularly liked the low-tech nature and the tactility of the tools which is in tune with the widely reported, current appetite for slower activities and the pursuit of home-based crafts. Others picked up on the fact that the tools are exploratory in nature, which they felt was empowering and inspiring, as it made it easier to highlight issues that they were most concerned about such as health and safety, but that many felt were not high on the political agenda. As a result some of the initial findings have been unexpected and provocative, and innovative ways of thinking about and responding to the housing crisis, and, by extension, with the current unusual situation are already emerging. |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/concept |
| Description | British Council in Romania |
| Organisation | British Council |
| Department | British Council, Romania |
| Country | Romania |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Nicolescu has been in discussions about the project with Sonia Constantin, the Digital Marketing Manager and with Monica Grigore, Arts Projects Manager. Contribution: Access to comparative data about the situation of urban built environments in other European contexts (London and Oslo). |
| Collaborator Contribution | They have advertised our online platform among their staff and students. |
| Impact | -dissemination of project findings -multi-disciplinary: Arts, Architecture, Anthropology. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Da De Ce Association, Bucharest |
| Organisation | Da De Ce Association, Romania |
| Country | Romania |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Da De Ce organises educational projects and events in museums, for school children and their families as well as for people who are interested in supplementary education in the field of museums and cultural heritage. Access to the practicalities of working with the research packs, as designed by our research team. Intellectual input on how creative workshops for children and families could be developed starting from the materials gathered via research packs Access to comparative data about the situation of urban built environments in other European contexts (London and Oslo). |
| Collaborator Contribution | One of the people working there registered as an online participant with our project. Their expertise and intellectual input on how to write funding applications for AFCN Their expertise and intellectual input on how to organise workshops for families in the Romanian context |
| Impact | -online participation with our project -knowledge exchange about the use of research packs and creative workshops -joint-application for funding from the AFCN (The Administration of the Cultural National Fund in Romania) multi-disciplinary: anthropology, architecture, museums, heritage, education |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Museum of Bucharest/ Bucharest Municipality Museum |
| Organisation | Museum of Bucharest |
| Country | Romania |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Access to the practicalities of working with materials obtained from the research packs, as designed by our research team. Access to comparative data about the situation of urban built environments in other European contexts (London and Oslo). |
| Collaborator Contribution | Access to the museum facilities for free - to organise a possible future installation/ workshop/ exhibition Access to use archival materials for free (film and photography) for our future displays |
| Impact | Knowledge exchange about housing in three countries. Multi-disciplinary; Anthropology, Architecture, Museum studies, History. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Museum of London |
| Organisation | Museum of London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Daniels is in ongoing discussions with the museum of London to host a participatory exhibition at the end of the project. Contributions made to date are: -share expertise about curation of participatory exhibition and visitor studies -access to expertise about research pack method -access to comparative data about housing in London and two other European capitals |
| Collaborator Contribution | -knowledge exchange about related research about housing in London -access to curatorial and technical input about participatory exhibition |
| Impact | -knowledge exchange - mulit-disciplinary: museums, history, anthropology, architecture |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Nazarcea Grup, Social Enterprise working with people with disabilities in Bucharest |
| Organisation | Nazarcea Grup |
| Country | Romania |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Access to comparative data about social housing and benefits for disabled people in other research sites (London and Oslo). In October 2020 Nicolescu talked to the director and since then, she have been in contact with the psychologist of the enterprise who specifically asked for comparative data about the welfare system in other European contexts. I have also put one of the participants in contact with a social enterprise working in the field of agriculture and discussed various topics about the wellbeing of the participants. Access to the practicalities of working with the research packs, as designed by our research team. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Access to data about social housing in Bucharest. Three of the people employed by them accepted to be collaborators of our project. Two of them, who live in council flats, have received physical packs and contribute already with images and info. With the third one I have conducted interviews about the difficulty of obtaining a social house/ council flat in Bucharest, even if she is a lonely mother, disabled, taking care of a disabled child |
| Impact | Our project has received materials on and from the very limited number of social housing in Bucharest. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Romanian Cultural Institute in London |
| Organisation | Romanian Cultural Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Romanian Cultural Institute in London |
| Collaborator Contribution | Romania's participation at the London Festival of Architecture with the interdisciplinary project "Ageing Buildings | Ageing Bodies" involved the organisation of three events by Gabriela Nicolescu (Oxford) and Maria ?alatu (UCL): a film screening, a participative curatorial practice and an online interdisciplinary workshop. |
| Impact | First, the screening of The Block/Blocul, a documentary directed by anthropologist Maria ?alaru (UCL). Second, a participative curatorial practice to invite residents from London and Bucharest to contribute with materials that relate to ageing in their buildings. Last, an online roundtable discussion with anthropologists, architects and filmmakers from Romania and the UK to discuss the resilience of ageing buildings both in events of risk such as earthquakes or fires, and in the slow process of architectural decay. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | School of Political Sciences and Administration Bucharest |
| Organisation | National School of Political Science and Public Administration |
| Country | Romania |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | As part of this collaboration Gabriela Nicolescu gave a lecture to 11 postgraduate students in Anthropology. The students were invited to visit the Disobedient Waste exhibition in Bucharest. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The students were invited to visit the Disobedient Waste exhibition in Bucharest. |
| Impact | The students were interested to find out more how research in social sciences departments is conducted in the UK. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | The Norwegian Rheumatism Association |
| Organisation | Norwegian Rheumatism Association |
| Country | Norway |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Anna Andersen volunteered for their Østfold-group. She also participated in their network and initiatives. |
| Collaborator Contribution | They have shared information about our project with their members through their social media channels. |
| Impact | - disseminate information about the project amongst people living with disabilities - recruit participants - access to expertise multi-disciplinary: architecture, anthropology, health |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | The Soho Society, London |
| Organisation | Soho Society London |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Daniels had several discussions about the project with key people in the Soho Society, a local charity. Contributions: - exchange information/expertise about the research pack method - shared findings about pressing issues that matter to people she has been working with in the community. |
| Collaborator Contribution | - dissemination of information about the project in the community; invitation Daniels to speak on the Soho Society Radio Hour. - assist in recruitment of 1 local person with a disability and one couple in their 80s to the project and several discussions with other potential participants are in the pipeline. - access to their extensive historical archive about the area |
| Impact | -knowledge exchange with grass roots organization -access to research methods Multi-disciplinary: anthropology, architecture, history |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | University of Bucharest |
| Organisation | University of Bucharest |
| Country | Romania |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | In 2020 I gave a lecture to over 20 undergraduate students of Communication and European Studies. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The students entered the project's website and started to follow our outcomes online. |
| Impact | After the lecture, the students asked questions about our project of research and more generally, about the role and approach of visual anthropology. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Van Etten Gallery, Oslo |
| Organisation | Van Etten Gallery |
| Country | Norway |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | This is a collaboration between the project and a local art gallery. Andersen has been in ongoing discussions about the project with the Gallery owner. Contributions: - share comparative findings from pack research in three locations - writing of joint-application for funding to support an exhibition/event in the Gallery in November 2021. |
| Collaborator Contribution | - share expertise and venue for dissemination findings of the project - writing of joint-funding applications to support an exhibition/event in the Gallery in November 2021. |
| Impact | - submission of joint-funding applications -multi-disciplinary: architecture, arts, anthropology |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Wellcome Trust |
| Organisation | Wellcome Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Daniels has been in ongoing conversations about the project with Ken Arnold, Head of Research at the Wellcome. -access to expertise about the use of pack research method and health issues -share comparative findings in three urban sites about mental health in blocks during lockdown |
| Collaborator Contribution | -knowledge about mental health in other urban environments - access to potential museum partners for future exhibition |
| Impact | - exchange of knowledge / expertise - multidisciplinary: museums, anthropology, mental health |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | "Remote Research During a Pandemic" Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | On May 5, 2020, Anna Andersen was a panellist in the workshop "Remote Research During a Pandemic" organised by Alen Agaronov, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | "Ulydige Bygg: Disobedient Buildings Disobedient Sounds |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Inge Daniels, Anna Ulrikke Andersen and Gabriela Nicolescu in discussion online through Zoom, sharing research findings related to sound. The event shared how the researchers on the Disobedient Buildings project, based at the University of Oxford, are uncovering how sounds affects the wellbeing and welfare of inhabitants of aging blocks of flats in the UK, Romania and Norway. Monitored by Charlotte Linton. The conversation was recorded and available online. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuCgPVGXqc8&t=1784s |
| Description | "Ulydige Bygg: performance by Jiska Huizing" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Performance by Jiska Huzing of her sound walks Torn Tracks 21-24: Disobedient Buildings. Introduced by Anna Ulrikke Andersen. Live performance. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gigVBY5m77Q |
| Description | "Ulydige bygg" Sound and Place |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In the event "Ulydige Bygg: Sound and Place" artist Jiska Huizing was in conversation with professor Trond Lossius (The Norwegian Film School / Grieg Academy), chaired by Anna Ulrikke Andersen. We discussed Huizing's work at Van Etter Gallery, and how she had engaged with place and people in her sound walks. The conversation was filmed and the recording can reach a larger audience online. The audience asked questions, which sparked discussions regarding use of equipment, and how researchers and artists worked together to engage with the site. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltUjTZAUnXs&t=232s |
| Description | "Ulydige bygg" collections and the everyday life (roundtable) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A roundtable debate with Anna Ulrikke Andersen and Audun Kjus (the Norwegian folk museum) discussing how researchers and museums create collections out of material from our everyday life. Andersen talked about the Disobedient Buildings methods using research packs and ethnographic field work, where Kjus talked about his work with Minner.no: a collection of memories from the everyday life in Norway run by the Norwegian folk museum. The audience asked questions and the even was filmed and put up YouTube where it continues to reach new people. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULJRnb6k8Zc&t=79s |
| Description | Ageing Buildings, Ageing Bodies, Online Workshop at the London Festival of Architecture, June 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Together with Maria ?alaru, Lecturer in Anthropology at University College London, we have put together a an online workshop for the London Festival of Architecture, at the invitation of the Romanian Cultural Institute in London and with the participation of the Municipality Museum of Bucharest. Together with our invited speakers (Daniela Calciu, lecturer at the University of Architecture in Bucharest with expertise in architecture and contemporary arts, Iulia Statica, an architect and a filmmaker at the Bartlett School of Architecture at UCL and Hannah Knox, an anthropologist at UCL) we have reflected on the relationship between built environments and people's ageing bodies, and the various practices of CARE FOR and CARE ABOUT both people and buildings in former socialist buildings. The workshop was recorded and was presented on the website of London Festival of Architecture, Romanian Cultural Institute in London and the Bucharest Municipality Museum. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://muzeulbucurestiului.ro/ageing-buildings-ageing-bodies/ |
| Description | Arctic Moving Image and Film Festival, Harstad, Norway |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Anna Ulrikke Andersen, one of the Disobedient Buildings Postdoctoral Researchers was one of five panelists in the round table debate "The Space Between Us" that took place at Galleri Nordnorge in Harstad as part of the Arctic Moving Image and Film Festival. The event was open to the general public but aimed at an audience of postgraduate students and artists. Anna discussed how film making could be a useful tool to explore in-between spaces in the blocks of flats we study. This led to questions and discussions from the audience afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://www.amiff.no/program-2020/2020/10/17/the-window-in-architecture-and-film-christian-norberg-sc... |
| Description | Block Life online event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On November 17, 2020, Inge Daniels was one of three invited speakers on Block Life, an online public event, that was attended by 30 people. The event was part of the Being Human Festival held from November 11 until 22.This is the UK's only national festival of the humanities it celebrates humanities research through public engagement, it is led by the School of Advanced Study at the University of London in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. I gave an overview of the aims and objectives of the project as well as explained the new methodology the team has developed to be able to conduct ethnographic research the pandemic. There was a lively discussion comparing housing issues in the UK and Japan with the 2 other speakers (an academic based at Sheffield University and a visual practitioner from the University of Toronto) as well as with the non-specialist audience. Participants were also invited to share photos of what it meant for them to feel at home, that were discussed by the panel, while direct links were made between the Disobedient Buildings project and their everyday lives. At least 5 people subsequently started to participate in the project using our online research packs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://beinghumanfestival.org/event/being-human-cafe-block-life/ |
| Description | CCSC Co-designing Our Cities Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This was primarily a networking event where participants split up in small groups to discuss aspects of their research in relation to the main theme of the conference. This resulted in other participants inquiring for further information about our project and discussions about potential collaborations in the future. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.spacesandcities.com/news/practical-information-for-ccsc-conference/ |
| Description | Counting Impact in Social Research. Online Lecture, the International Week, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Approximatively 90 postgraduate students attended my presentation on the Disobedient Buildings Project. No questions have been asked at the end of the presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://snspa.ro/en/online-international-week-at-snspa-2021/ |
| Description | Disobedient Buildings Website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In June 2020 disobedientbuildings.com went live. Because of the restrictions linked with the pandemic, we made substantial changes to our methodology in order to be able to conduct research from afar. As a result the website (and our social media channels) have become much more central to the project. The site disseminates information about the project's aims and objectives and the team's ongoing research, but it also functions an interactive platform where members of the general public can actively contribute to the research (through online packs), and where their contributions are shared in an online gallery. Both of these latter functions will be expanded further as the project progresses. To date, we have had over 1700 unique visits to the site, with over 5000 individual page views. The majority of these visitors have been based in the UK, Romania, Norway and Sweden where our research is being carried but we have also reached people in other European states - France, Portugal, Poland and so forth - but also globally with visitors from such diverse origins as the United States, Canada, Brazil, India, Japan, Russia, Kenya, Jordan and Colombia. Participation of the general public via our website; so far, we have had 34 people sign up to take part in our online participant research packs. Interest has come from the UK, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Italy, Finland, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria and USA. 22 people have so far submitted photographs or online postcards that we continue to receive and add to our growing gallery of submitted images |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com |
| Description | |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We currently have 240 followers on Facebook but our reach is much larger. Between January 10 and February 10 we have, for example, reached 1,161 people through this channel. 165 of these engaged with our post. Our Facebook post are part of our social media publication strategy. We post at least once a week with provocative questions about the project. Post deal with a range of issues related to the aims and objectives of the project such as team members' ongoing research, issues arising fieldwork with participants, methods used, surprising findings. We also share information about our outreach activities. This exchange has resulted in questions and discussions with a variety of audiences, as well as requests for more information about how to participate in the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/disobedientbuildings/ |
| Description | Filmscreening and Discussion of Disobedient Buildings Film, She Waves at Me as part of the Visual Anthropology Lab in Osaka, Japan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I introduced and screened my film in the Visual Anthro Lab based at the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka. Afterwards I had a discussion with local film makers and members of the general public about social housing, aging and wellbeing in the UK and in Japan. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Flatpack Democracy 2021 Summit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Inge Daniels participated in this online event on January 30, 2021. She was given the opportunity to discuss issues related to organizing participatory activities in local communities in the larger conference but also in smaller outbreak groups. Drawing on initial findings from the project, she made an impact on the debate by highlighting the difficulty in reaching those people who might be isolated or less privileged, who are often missing from discussions about local democracy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lets-rebuild-democracy-together-flatpack-2021-summit-tickets-13360145... |
| Description | From Secret Archives to Intimate Flats, Research for Impact |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | More than 200 participants attended to this closing conference/ workshop of Hidden Galleries Project, funded by ERC. My contribution to this panel was to explain the usefulness of exhibitions as part of research projects. I exemplified with visual and material culture from the Hidden Galleries Project, as well as from the Disobedient Buildings project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Guided architecture tour (Oslo) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Anna Ulrikke Andersen conducted a guided tour for a group of immigrants learning Norwegian language, coordinated by a local library in Oslo. The tour focused on block architecture, and shared findings from our fieldwork. The week before, Andersen gave a lecture where she explained the aim and objectives of the project, and the group discussed terminology related to architecture, dwelling, and the home in Norwegian. Photographs from the tour was shared on social media through the library, and reached over 1100 people. At the end if the two days, Andersen made plans for another event later in the year that would focus on our planned exhibition in Norway. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Guided tour of sound art (Oslo) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In November 2021, Anna Ulrikke Andersen offered a guided tour of our exhibition "Ulydige Bygg" in Oslo, for a group of immigrants learning Norwegian language. The tour was organised by a local library, and built upon a similar tour earlier in the year. The sound artist who made the commissioned work, Jiska Huizing, was present and answered questions. The event introduced a new audience to our exhibition, and the International group of visitors shared their own views and experiences of housing from native countries. The artist reported that the event was fruitful in the way that the visitors asked different kinds of questions to what the normal contemporary art visitor would do. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/exhibitions |
| Description | |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We currently have 186 followers on Instagram. Our Instagram posts are part of our social media publication strategy; we post at least once a week to raise a provocative question related to the project. Post deal with a range of issues related to the aims and objectives of the project such as team members' ongoing research, issues arising fieldwork with participants, methods used, surprising findings. We also share information about our outreach activities. This exchange has resulted in questions and discussions with a variety of audiences, as well as requests for more information about how to participate in the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://instagram.com/disobedientbuildings |
| Description | Interview for local radio |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Inge Daniels (PI) was interviewed on the Soho Society Hour on Soho Radio on January 28, 2021. Soho is one of my field sites in central London and through appearing on this programme, I was able to explain the aims and objectives of Disobedient Buildings this led to further discussions about local housing issues with both interviewers. The show also enabled me to more local people living in blocks of flats to come forward to participate in the project. The other speaker was a local business leader and by reaching out to him I was introduced to a number of people operating businesses in the community too. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://sohoradiolondon.com/show/the-soho-society-hour-28-01-2021 |
| Description | Invited Speaker Webinair, Anthropology and Development Studies Seminar Series, University of Melbourne. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | On October 21, 2021, 60 people attended Prof Daniels' presentation entitled 'Disobedient Buildings: An Ethnography of Housing, Welfare and Wellbeing in the UK'. This event was a webinair organized by the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies at the University of Melbourne. It resulted in a lively discussion about the impact of COVID-19 and block living in the UK and Australia. And afterwards Prof Daniels was contacted by several audience members who have an interest in related subject areas. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Lecture for MA students in Anthropology, Disobedient Buildings - Disobedient Waste |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 11 postgraduate students attended a lecture on Disobedient Buildings - Disobedient Waste. The lecture sparked conversations and discussions afterwords and the students reported increased interest in the methodology used for the research, and exhibitions as tools of research and presentation/ visualisation of research materials. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Online Presentation at Anthropology Seminar Series University of Stockholm |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk about our Pack Methodology at the Anthropology Seminar at the University of Stockholm. Several memmbers of the audience (academics and post0graduate students) contacted me afterwards because they would like to use the packs in their own research projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Online workshop Disobedient Builings - Disobedient Waste |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This online workshop, presented comparatively research material related to solid waste management from three sites: London, Bucharest and Oslo. The three main speakers, Prof Inge Daniels, Dr Gabriela Nicolescu and Dr Anna Ulrikke Andersen have discussed how the topic of waste is perceived by research participants, what is the relation between design of high-rise buildings, of individual flats or common spaces and waste management in different cities. The online talk was recorded and can be screened at a later date. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Podcast Series - Season One - Episode 1 /What is a disobedient building? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In the first episode Inge Daniels, the principal investigator, leads a discussion with the other two team members, Gabriela Nicolescu and Anna Ulrikke Andersen. They first unpack 'disobedience' as a concept and explore its usefulness during their empirical research in the three countries studied. This is followed by a comparative exploration of the pack methodology that they designed to conduct in-depth fieldwork during the pandemic. Can buildings be disobedient? How were the packs received by research participants? Our podcast series season one was launched in March 2022. It will be one of our major outcome that replaces the exhibition catalogue/lookbook that we promised pre-pandemic. Podcasts are a relatively new format to disseminate academic knowledge with, but it has a huge potential to reach wider audiences. Initial responses have been extremely positive; the podcast has already increased interest in the themes we study from research participants, academics (staff and students), professionals (urban planners, architects), and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/podcast/dob-e1 |
| Description | Podcast Series - Season One - Episode 10 / How has COVID-19 influenced domestic life? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In the final episode of the series, Inge Daniels talks with Gabriela Nicolescu and Anna Ulrikke Andersen about how COVID-19 has influenced domestic life in London, Bucharest and Oslo. During the pandemic's lockdowns residents valued the sense of security that was established in their community but also experienced frictions with neighbours both within and beyond block boundaries. Key to these experiences was sound, which brought both positive and negative implications. How did noise directly affect the health and wellbeing of participants? Our podcast series season one was launched in March 2022. It will be one of our major outcomes that replaces the exhibition catalogue/look-book that we promised pre-pandemic. Podcasts are a relatively new format to disseminate academic knowledge with, but it has a huge potential to reach wider audiences. Initial responses have been extremely positive; the podcast has already increased interest in the themes we study from research participants, academics (staff and students), professionals (urban planners, architects), and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/podcast/dob-e10 |
| Description | Podcast Series - Season One - Episode 2 / Is London Europe's mosy unequal European city? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In this episode Inge Daniels talks to Danny Dorling, Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford. He has written numerous books and articles about social and economic inequality in the UK and beyond, including Finntopia (2020) and 32 Stops (2013) mentioned in the recording. Professor Dorling uses statistical analysis about populations to gauge the state of welfare and wellbeing in Europe. He shares some of the idiosyncrasies and ironies of London that have emerged from his research. Is London the most unequal city in Europe? Why is life expectancy falling? Is cladding mainly done for other people's views? What might happen if citizens start to challenge misleading narratives of prosperity and individual responsibility propagated by those in charge? Our podcast series season one was launched in March 2022. It will be one of our major outcome that replaces the exhibition catalogue/lookbook that we promised pre-pandemic. Podcasts are a relatively new format to disseminate academic knowledge with, but it has a huge potential to reach wider audiences. Initial responses have been extremely positive; the podcast has already increased interest in the themes we study from research participants, academics (staff and students), professionals (urban planners, architects), and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/podcast/dob-e2 |
| Description | Podcast Series - Season One - Episode 3 / Is 'ghettoisation happening in Bucharest? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In this episode, postdoctoral researcher Gabriela Nicolescu talks to ?tefan Ghenciulescu from the University of Architecture and Urbanism in Bucharest and editor of Zeppelin Magazine. Ghenciulescu is interested in the historical layers of Bucharest, from the 16th century Ottoman period when city walls were forbidden to the socialist period when wide boulevards and concrete blocks of flats were constructed to create an ideal vista. He explains how socialist flats were built for 'everybody' - the policeman, the doctor, the worker - but how in recent years privatisation together with an obsession with car ownership has led to stealth 'ghettoisation'. What has been the impact of the privatisation of public properties and services on the health and prospects of local communities? Our podcast series season one was launched in March 2022. It will be one of our major outcomes that replaces the exhibition catalogue/lookbook that we promised pre-pandemic. Podcasts are a relatively new format to disseminate academic knowledge with, but it has a huge potential to reach wider audiences. Initial responses have been extremely positive; the podcast has already increased interest in the themes we study from research participants, academics (staff and students), professionals (urban planners, architects), and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/podcast/dob-e3 |
| Description | Podcast Series - Season One - Episode 4 / Can participatory design reach 'forgotten people' in Oslo? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | n this fourth episode, postdoctoral researcher Anna Ulrikke Andersen interviews Jack Hughes and Else Abrahamsen from MakersHub Oslo. This Oslo-based architectural practice focuses on participatory processes, resulting in sustainable design projects that promote integration, skill sharing and pride over public space in the local community. They often work with marginalised groups, designing for what they consider to be "the forgotten people and the forgotten space". Many of their projects are based in the borough of Gamle Oslo, where Andersen's Disobedient Buildings fieldwork takes place. What are some of the challenges this borough faces? How can participatory-led methods of design counteract the utopian ideas of modernity? Our podcast series season one was launched in March 2022. It will be one of our major outcomes that replaces the exhibition catalogue/lookbook that we promised pre-pandemic. Podcasts are a relatively new format to disseminate academic knowledge with, but it has a huge potential to reach wider audiences. Initial responses have been extremely positive; the podcast has already increased interest in the themes we study from research participants, academics (staff and students), professionals (urban planners, architects), and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/podcast/dob-e4 |
| Description | Podcast Series - Season One - Episode 5 / Will the State look after you? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In this episode Inge Daniels talks to Jacky Peacock, director of London-based charity Advice for Renters. Based in the London borough of Brent the organisation provides private tenants in crisis legal advice, financial services and mentoring to help them improve their living conditions. London is a city of extremes. Its reputation as a tax haven has attracted investors buying luxury housing that remains empty for much of the year. Yet simultaneously, poverty is rampant and poor-quality housing and rough sleeping is increasing. How has COVID-19 impacted society's most vulnerable? What hopes are there for change in the future? Our podcast series season one was launched in March 2022. It will be one of our major outcomes that replaces the exhibition catalogue/look-book that we promised pre-pandemic. Podcasts are a relatively new format to disseminate academic knowledge with, but it has a huge potential to reach wider audiences. Initial responses have been extremely positive; the podcast has already increased interest in the themes we study from research participants, academics (staff and students), professionals (urban planners, architects), and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/podcast/dob-e5 |
| Description | Podcast Series - Season One - Episode 6 / Have people lost their sense of civic duty? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In the sixth episode, postdoctoral researcher Gabriela Nicolescu talks to Ilinca Paun-Constantinescu, lecturer at the University of Architecture and Urbanism in Bucharest. In her work on shrinking cities Paun-Constantinescu focuses on cultural, social and infrastructural phenomena that have occurred during the transformation of Bucharest from a socialist to a post-socialist city. She describes how contemporary residents have lost not only their sense of 'community' and civic duty but also vital public facilities, services and green spaces. How do dysfunctional buildings and the infrastructure of cities impact residents experience of urban life? Our podcast series season one was launched in March 2022. It will be one of our major outcomes that replaces the exhibition catalogue/look-book that we promised pre-pandemic. Podcasts are a relatively new format to disseminate academic knowledge with, but it has a huge potential to reach wider audiences. Initial responses have been extremely positive; the podcast has already increased interest in the themes we study from research participants, academics (staff and students), professionals (urban planners, architects), and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/podcast/dob-e6 |
| Description | Podcast Series - Season One - Episode 7 / Are local authorities meeting the needs of diverse communities? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In this seventh episode, postdoctoral researcher Anna Ulrikke Andersen talks to Tom Davies from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. His research into the preservation of post Second World War architecture, explores the different ways that the social aspects of space have influenced the design process and how local authorities aim to meet the needs of diverse and complex communities living in ageing buildings. Working within a British and Norwegian context, Davies has a unique insight into the complex relationship between post-war designs and welfare . What were the priorities when blocks of flat were built after the war, and what are the practical and material challenges that residents of these aging blocks of flats face today? Our podcast series season one was launched in March 2022. It will be one of our major outcomes that replaces the exhibition catalogue/look-book that we promised pre-pandemic. Podcasts are a relatively new format to disseminate academic knowledge with, but it has a huge potential to reach wider audiences. Initial responses have been extremely positive; the podcast has already increased interest in the themes we study from research participants, academics (staff and students), professionals (urban planners, architects), and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/podcast/dob-e7 |
| Description | Podcast Series - Season One - Episode 8 / What does welfare mean today? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In episode 8, Inge Daniels, the project's principal investigator, leads a discussion on welfare with Disobedient Buildings researchers Gabriela Nicolescu and Anna Ulrikke Andersen. In the post Second World War period many European countries established robust welfare systems to protect the health and wellbeing of their citizens. But with the rise of neoliberalism a weakening of trust between society and those who govern has occurred. The teams researchers examine the continuities and differences across the three field sites, who have all experienced major changes to their welfare systems in the last 30-40 years. We ask what does welfare mean in London, Bucharest and Oslo today? Our podcast series season one was launched in March 2022. It will be one of our major outcomes that replaces the exhibition catalogue/look-book that we promised pre-pandemic. Podcasts are a relatively new format to disseminate academic knowledge with, but it has a huge potential to reach wider audiences. Initial responses have been extremely positive; the podcast has already increased interest in the themes we study from research participants, academics (staff and students), professionals (urban planners, architects), and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/podcast/dob-e8 |
| Description | Podcast Series - Season One - Episode 9 / Does home ownership increase inequality? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In this episode Inge Daniels, Gabriela Nicolescu and Anna Ulrikke Andersen discuss the characteristics of house ownership in London, Bucharest and Oslo. With the neoliberal turn, from the 1970s onwards, residents in these cities have experienced a move towards privatization and the end of socialist values that aimed to provide every citizen with suitable housing. How have changes to social housing provisioning and the deregulation of the housing market increased social inequality across the three cities? And how do the different characteristics of ownership in blocks of flats put restrictions on the ways in which residents live? Our podcast series season one was launched in March 2022. It will be one of our major outcomes that replaces the exhibition catalogue/look-book that we promised pre-pandemic. Podcasts are a relatively new format to disseminate academic knowledge with, but it has a huge potential to reach wider audiences. Initial responses have been extremely positive; the podcast has already increased interest in the themes we study from research participants, academics (staff and students), professionals (urban planners, architects), and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.disobedientbuildings.com/podcast/dob-e9 |
| Description | Presentation Visual, Material and Museum Anthropology Seminar at the Pitt-RIvers Museum in Oxford |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Students in anthropology attended this talk and afterwards I was apporached by several of them who were interested to participate in the project. One of these students has since started to assist us with archiving the materials and 2 others have applied to work on PhDs related to Disobedient Buildings with me in the future. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation about Film as Research Tool at online OxCo Workshop, University of Oxford |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk about my experiences using film as a research tool as part of the Disobedient Buildings project to a group of 20 post-graduate students who are planning to use film in their own research. This sparked a lively discussion and follow-up questions with a specific focus on (1) ethncial issues working with elderly people and (2) the practicalities of using an iphone to produce a film. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation and Film Screening at Royal Anthropological Institute Film Festival Conference UNiversity of Oxford Partnership Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I introduced and screened my Disobedient Buildings film, She Waves At Me, as part of the RAI film festival conference and University of Oxford partnership event for an audience of documentary/ethnographic film makers. In the discussion with the audeince after the film screening I put forward the idea that all groups are equally authentic (ie working class people are not more authentic than middle class communities) and this sparked a lively discussion about the importance of studying and making films about white, middle class people which is still a taboo amongst anthropologists. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://raifilm.org.uk/online-conference-visual-anthropology-and-speculative-futures/ |
| Description | Presentation and Filmscreening at Visual Anthropology Workshop at Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk about and screened the Disobedient Buildings Film, She Waves at Me at Tokyo Metropolitan University for an audience of film makers and visual anthropology students. We had a stimulating discussion about ethics and technique to conduct participatory visual research. Several participants in the workshop were plannignto conduct similar research in the future. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation at Housing Histories as a Methodological Observatory Working Group, Milan, Italy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I participate in a International workshop for a raneg of professionals and academics interested in exploring new methods for studying housing. I was the only anthropoligist amongst architects and architectural historians and my contributions were crucial in making the group think more about the importance of public outreach activities such as exhibitions as a research tool. As a result the upcoimg publication on this topic has a whole section about this important theme. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Public Spaces - Private Homes, Research During a Pandemic. University of Bucharest Lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 69 year II students attended my presentation which sparked questions and discussions afterwords. 21 of them sent images with what they saw from their windows, as research materials. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Remote Research During a Pandemic, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 40 International people from the general public and undergraduate and postgraduate students at Harvard University (Critical media Practice or Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health) participated in a workshop/event with invited respondents. The various ways people do research remotely, illustrated by examples, sparks lively discussions amongst students who themselves were facing issues in their own fieldwork and left the workshop with new ideas that would be possible when working remotely. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://cmp.gsas.harvard.edu/events/remote-research-during-a-pandemic-a-live-webinar-with-alen-agaron... |
| Description | Romanian Television Broadcast |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Short description of the Disobedient Waste exhibition organised in Bucharest, as part of the Disobedient Buildings research project. The interview and small clip realised by this TV station encapsulates some of the findings of the research. I can use this clip as a way of shortly, visually presenting the role of exhibitions as tools of research and to briefly present the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.trinitas.tv/disobedient-waste-expozitie-casa-filipescu-cesianu/ |
| Description | Round table discussion: Retrofitting and Designing Built Environments |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Postdoctoral researcher Anna Ulrikke Andersen took part in the roundtable discussion on Retrofitting and designing for Healthy Built Environments at the Global Center on Healthcare and Urbanisation/Kellogg College, alongside Professor Rajat Gupta (Professor of Sustainable Architecture and Climate Change at Oxford Brookes University) Michael O'Connor (Oxfordshire County Councillor, BPhil Philosophy student and GCHU Intern) and Dr Sydney Ayers Mercer (Tutor in Architecture and Urbanism, The Prince's Foundation). The event was filmed. Here, Anna presented some of the findings from the Disobedient Buildings Project, focusing on the importance of understanding how the sonic environment might be experienced by people living in blocks, and how these experiences can be affected by retrofitting. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2022 |
| URL | https://www.gchu.org.uk |
| Description | |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We currently have 64 followers on Twitter. Our Twitter posts are part of our social media publication strategy; we post at least once a week with provocative questions about the project. Post deal with a range of issues related to the aims and objectives of the project such as team members' ongoing research, issues arising fieldwork with participants, methods used, surprising findings. We also share information about our outreach activities. This exchange has resulted in questions and discussions with a variety of audiences, as well as requests for more information about how to participate in the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/disobedientbuil |
| Description | Two Worlds Design Podcast |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Andersen was interviewed for episode 9 'Experimental Film in Architecture' for the the Podcast Two Worlds Design that explores the hidden potential of Architecture by talking to extraordinary professionals in the field of design and architecture. The Disobedient Buildings project was part of the discussions and this resulted both in disseminating ideas the project explores and in stimulating further interest amongst multidisciplinary audiences. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://audioboom.com/posts/7760073-09-experimental-film-in-architecture-w-anna-ulrikke-andersen |
| Description | Workshop for Art Students - Recycling Paper |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | As part of the Disobedient Waste exhibition organised at the Bucharest Municipality Museum, this workshop organised for year II and year III students from the Arts Faculty in Bucharest. They were familiarised with the research project, with the exhibition process and participated in the making of recycled paper. After the workshop, students asked questions about interdisciplinary projects of research and exhibition making and showed interest into applying for further funding to develop their projects of research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Workshop for Ethnology and Folklore Students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | As part of the Disobedient Waste exhibition organised at the Bucharest Municipality Museum in Bucharest, this workshop was organised for Ethnology and Folklore Students from the University of Bucharest. They were familiarised with the research project, with the outcomes, methodology of work as well as the making of the exhibition. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Workshop on Urban Composting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | As part of the Disobedient Waste exhibition, Torganised in Bucharest, this workshop was meant for the general public of the Bucharest Municipality Museum. 8 participants learned about the rules of urban composting and 2 of them decided to make their own composts. Other than that, the participants were familiarised with the project of research, and the exhibition as a tool of research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Writing the History of Post-war Housing Seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | On September 30, 2020, Inge Daniels (PI) gave a 45 min presentation about the project followed by 1 hour of questions as part of the seminar series entitled "Writing the History of Post-war Housing Complexes and Neighborhoods. A Take on Research Strategies and Methodologies". It is organized within a double framework: (1) the Politecnico di Torino PhD program in Architectural History and (2) the European COST action called "European Middle Class Mass Housing" (https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA18137). The audience was thus made up of both PhD students and academics from various European universities. During the talk I was able to convince participants of the importance of the ethnographic method (and our pack research during the pandemic) when studying housing as well as the huge benefits of the co-production of knowledge through participatory exhibitions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://polimi365-my.sharepoint.com/personal/10276420_polimi_it/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpers... |