City Talks: Sophie Jerram & Mark Amery

City Talks is an ongoing initiative of the New Zealand Institute of Architects Wellington branch and presented in partnership with City Gallery Wellington. The series aims to foster dialogue around contemporary architecture and urban issues.

The sixth event in the City Talks series will take place at City Gallery Wellington on Monday 14 September, 6pm. Presented by Sophie Jerram and Mark Amery, the curators of Wellington-based public art and events programme Letting Space, they will discuss the powerful role of temporary public art projects in expanding the ‘commons’ by working with temporary occupation to engender social change, urban revitalisation and community development.

Letting Space has commissioned and curated over a dozen projects nationally since 2010 as well as running the Urban Dream Brokerage, which enables other independent producers to create innovative projects in vacant retail spaces. Established as a mechanism to facilitate access to commercial sites in 2012 under a pilot by the Wellington City Council, Urban Dream Brokerage is now running in Wellington, Porirua City and soon to be in Dunedin.

Letting Space recently won the Supreme Award and the Arts and Culture Award at the 2015 Wellington Airport Community Awards, recognising the work they have supported and made happen and demonstrating what can be achieved through participation, innovation and enterprise.

Sophie Jerram’s work as a curator, artist and businesswoman has had a particular interest in issues surrounding sustainability and art’s examination of the relationship between business and the environment. As part of Now Future she has been running lecture series Dialogues with Tomorrow since 2010.

Mark Amery is well known as an arts writer, developer and commentator. He has a particular interest in expanding the public commons and community involvement, from both a professional media and contemporary art perspective. Mark has been part of the curatorial team at City Gallery, involved as a curator and editor on numerous projects, and formerly worked at New Zealand International Festival of the Arts and Artspace, Auckland.

For more information see the City Gallery Wellington website.

This is a free event.