The Roadshow: Architectural Landscapes of Canada

Taking place September 23 to October 2, 2009, The Roadshow: Architectural Landscapes of Canada is a series of linked, broad-based national events that focus architectural discourse in Canada at the level of the public, the profession, and the schools of architecture. Born in part from a persistent inability to define, The Roadshow is a rethinking of the traditional conception of a singular notion of “Canadian Architecture.” Rather than creating an almost instantly outdated definition, The Roadshow is conceived as an open and interactive process that seeks to explore a moment in Canadian architecture. By attempting to collapse the vast distances between place, people and practice, The Roadshow creates the potential for a significant, if temporary, point of shared consciousness. Ultimately, the goal of The Roadshow is to promote and facilitate an emergent and evolving discussion regarding contemporary architecture and design in Canada. Beginning in Vancouver, The Roadshow brings together nine critical architects and designers from across Canada. This group will travel and lecture together, delivering rapid fire public presentations of their work at eight Canadian schools of architecture. The Roadshow is conceived of as one tour/one event, with each venue building momentum for the next. At every stop, each of the participating architects and designers will have ten minutes to present one project and articulate this project’s engagement within a consistent framework around which intentionality and meaning have emerged. The goal is to allow for a broadening of understanding of the points of confluence and difference between various forms of architectural practice in Canada. All events are free and open to the public. Participanting architects and designers include: Battersby Howat, The Marc Boutin Architectural Collaborative, DIN Projects, PLANT architect inc., Philip Beesley Architect, Atelier In Situ, Atelier Big City, Atelier TAG, and Roger Mullin. All nine architects and designers will travel on a bus across Canada, from Vancouver to Halifax. The bus will also transport The Roadshow’s Pneumatic Amplifier, a massive inflatable projection device that will act as an architectural propaganda machine. The Pneumatic Amplifier has audio and visual capacity “built-in” so that each event can be facilitated in the most public and provocative manner possible. During the travel time between venues, the nine architects and designers will investigate, discuss and critique thediscipline of contemporary architecture in Canada. These informal discussions along with the changing Canadian landscape and the public events will be recorded by a professional videographer. For additional information about The Roadshow, as well as updates and posts during the tour, visit the-roadshow.tumblr.com or contact [email protected].