10 gennaio – 13 febbraio 2010, Marseille, France
The xurban_collective project at La Friche la Belle de Mai, Marseille constitutes a branch of ongoing research about seas as defined by various manifestations of the global trade and economy, and by the flow of bodies as a possibility for retributive justice. We believe that any statements made within the new global order should adequately represent the “negligibly small” actors in the creation of wealth, including the earth, the sea and all living things. When we look to the contemporary condition of various port cities around Mediterranean basin, we may recognize an urban pattern characterized by large-scale commercial and residential developments currently under construction. Old and new commercial ports, city centers, shopping areas and old buildings are being rebuilt and packaged to cope with the transformation of the global economy. On the one hand, these cities — all situated next to the sea — try to establish their unique and important position within the global marketplace, and on the other, their governing bodies together with investors/developers tend to ignore the livelihood of their residents by specifically excluding the poor, immigrants and everyone else who cannot afford to be the part of the new panorama. Corporate managers, lawyers, city officials, architects, designers and the police collaborate in meticulous gentrification projects and announce these plans with architectural renderings. We took the title La Ville Blanc from graffiti tagged on such an architectural rendering of a development project to be realized within the city center of Marseille. […] On all the charted and monitored waters of the world, these boats are the most invisible. Info: www.lafriche.org - www.xurban.net