Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art is proud to present the Urban Field Speakers Series.

Ou Ning

with Adrian Blackwell

Thursday, April 8, 7:30 PM

Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art

401 Richmond St. West, Suite 124

Toronto

Ou Ning, the renowned mutlidisiplinary cultural practitioner based in Beijing, discusses his role as Chief Curator of the 2009 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-city Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.

For Ou, the design of the contemporary city is not only about the functional planning of streets and the arrangement of buildings; rather, it is about the organization and coordination of the people living in and the events occurring inside the city, as well as the elaborate distribution of citizens’ interests. Emphasizing the fact that urban designers and architects are seldom attentive to social structures, community interests and political realities, the biennale mobilized designers and architects to reconsider their social identities and professional roles, while also mobilizing artists, authors, musicians, filmmakers, thinkers, social activists, politicians and citizens to offer their intellectual support and creative engagement.

The event is moderated by artist, designer and scholar Adrian Blackwell and presented by Prefix in association with the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal.

About Ou Ning

Ou Ning’s cultural practice encompasses multiple disciplines. As an editor and graphic designer, he is perhaps best known for his influential book New Sound of Beijing. As a curator, he initiated the Get It Louder exhibition, which tours the major cities of China every two years, and contributed the sound art component to China Power Station, an exhibition presented by the Serpentine Gallery at London’s legendary Battersea Power Station which subsequently travelled to Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art (Oslo) and MUDAM (Luxembourg). As an artist, Ou is known for his urban research projects such as San Yuan Li, commissioned by the 50th Biennale di Venezia, and Da Zha Lan, sponsored by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (Berlin). He is a frequent contributor to various books, magazines, and catalogues, and has lectured around the world. In the late 1990s, he founded U–thèque, an independent film and video society. Later, he laun! ched Alternative Archive, his personal studio as well as a platform for alternative cultural activities. In 2009, Ou was appointed the Chief Curator of the 2009 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism and Architecture. He is currently based in Beijing, where he serves as the Director of the Shao Foundation.

About Adrian Blackwell

Adrian Blackwell is a visual artist and an architectural and urban designer whose work has been exhibited at museums and artist-run centres across Canada. He is a member of the Toronto School of Creativity and Inquiry and of the editorial collective for the journal Scapegoat: Architecture, Landscape and Political Economy. In 2009, he collaborated with Jane Hutton to design and build Dymaxion Sleep for the International Garden Festival in Grand-Métis, Québec. Blackwell is an assistant professor in the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto.

About the Urban Field Speakers Series

Programmed by Janine Marchessault and Scott McLeod and presented by Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art

The Urban Field Speakers Series centres on the role of art in transforming the experience of the city. Through lectures, audio-visual presentations and discussions, it explores how creative practices can help improve the quality of urban life and planning in Toronto and around the world. This series of monthly events brings together an array of international and local participants, including artists, architects, curators, designers and scholars, who are working at the intersections of technology, communications and aesthetics. Reflecting a broad range of perspectives and practices, the events build upon each other to inspire dialogue on the role of the city in art, and art in the city. Upcoming speakers include Saskia Sassen. For more information, please visit www.prefix.ca.

About the Canadian Centre for Architecture

The Canadian Centre for Architecture is an international research centre and museum founded on the conviction that architecture is a public concern. Based on its extensive collections, the CCA is a leading voice in advancing knowledge, promoting public understanding, and widening thought and debate on the art of architecture, its history, theory, practice, and role in society today.

For more information please visit our website at: www.cca.qc.ca

Ticket Sales

Series passes are available in advance or at the door. Tickets to single events are available only at the door, with ticket sales beginning thirty minutes in advance of the event. Seating is limited and guaranteed to sell out, so be sure to arrive early.

Series Passes

$20 Prefix Photo subscribers, students & seniors

$30 Regular

Single Events

$7 Prefix Photo subscribers, students & seniors

$10 Regular

For purchases, press inquiries or to schedule an interview with the speakers, please contact Tamara Toledo, Public Programs Manager, at:

Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art

401 Richmond Street West, Suite 124

Toronto, Ontario

Canada M5V 3A8

T 416.591.0357

F 416.591.0358

E info@prefix.ca

www.prefix.ca