EXPLORE AT THE PARKER FACTORY

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EXPERTS AND RESIDENTS BROUGHT TOGETHER IN AN UNPRECEDENTED WAY

With the ecological transition at the central issue, the City of Tomorrow Festival organised at the Parker Factory in 2019 brought together urban planners, architects, philosophers, musicians, writers and artists to collectively reflect on our way of making the city, transforming it and making it our own.

5 DAYS
15 ROUND TABLES
2’500 PARTICIPANTS
3 CONCERTS
18 PARTNERS

Full program

A MULTI-FACETED FORMAT ATTRACTIVE TO THE PUBLIC AND THE SPEAKERS

On the opening night, the Swiss architect Philippe Rahm and the director of the BCCC praised the importance of EXPLORE. The participants were also able to enjoy the presence of personalities such as Nicolas Hulot and Audrey Pulvar, Iva Cukic (Serbian urban planner) and the Mexican Alain Pescador. A dialogue on the Anthropocene, a sometimes complex concept, highlighted the extent to which cities are at the heart of the issues.

These are just a few examples of the event’s richness. You can find the full program here.

CONCERTS AND MUSICIANS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Like any festival, artists and concerts were also part of the program.

Thus, in partnership with Antigel, the EXPLORE audience had the chance to listen to Cyril Cyril, and to discover a preview of musician Chassol’s brand new project: Ludi. Combining music and urban documentaries, Chassol proposes a musical film composed of images of Paris and Tokyo. Cyril Cyril’s politically committed lyrics reflect the image of the young generation: “Young people are taking to the streets again, for the women’s strike, for Black Lives Matter, for the climate”..

CITIZENS OF TOMORROW, WHAT CITY DO YOU DREAM OF?

The young public was not left out. Thanks to two interactive and fun workshops, children were able to participate and have fun imagining their city during an entire afternoon dedicated to them. The issue is not insignificant: they are the future inhabitants of the cities we are building today! The initiatives are multiplying to make the youngest aware of the principles of urban planning, but also to value their ideas and thus strengthen their attachment to the city.

Parents and children, these sites are made for you: Chantier ouvert and Maison de la créativité.

A LESSON IN LIVE DEMOCRACY

Renowned architect and winner of the Grand Prix de l’urbanisme 2019, Patrick Bouchain did not fail to live up to his iconoclastic reputation by shaking up the codes during the dialogue on the theme of democratic urbanism to which he was invited alongside architect and urban planner Itziar Gonzales Viros. After a preparatory workshop organised by the 3dd between Mr Bouchain and numerous local actors on 13 the issues of successful participation, it was at the Parker Factory that the town planner innovated. Offering a different experience, Patrick Bouchain and his Spanish colleague found themselves in the middle of the public, in an improvised discussion space without a microphone, where everyone was able to participate freely… and democratically. The two speakers exchanged their respective experiences and proposals, ranging from the setting up of a citizen’s parliament in Barcelona by Ms Gonzalez, to the multiplication of representative structures of civil society desired by Mr Bouchain. Interactive and open to the participation of all, this moment embodied the theme of

GREATER GENEVA AREA: A CRITICAL EXERCISE IN LISTENING TO THE “PERIPHERY”

Under the aegis of the Barcelona architect and urban planner Itziar Gonzalez Viros, some fifteen people from various geographical areas of the Greater Geneva area set about analysing, criticising and deconstructing the image of the cross-border region as promoted by the public authorities, in order to propose a complementary vision. This workshop took the form of practical work based on three communication media (flyer, official map and promotional clip) distributed by public authorities. The workshop was divided into two parts: an analysis of the existing material and the proposal of an alternative as seen and experienced by the participants. This work enabled different visions of the Greater Geneva area to emerge, depending on the actor, the user and the inhabitant who expressed themselves. This will provide food for thought for the people of the Greater Geneva area.

IMAGINING THE MOBILITY OF TOMORROW

As part of the consultation on the extension of the Tram des Nations, the workshop “Local, regional, global: mobility in the world-city” explored the future of transportation in Geneva.

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THE PARKER FACTORY: A SYMBOLIC PLACE IN THE IMAGE OF THE EVENT

The Parker Factory is the result of many changes and a capacity to reinvent itself over time, and perfectly embodies the spirit of the EXPLORE Festival. The old factory is part of Geneva’s industrial history. Built in 1912 to manufacture bicycle dynamos, the building passed through several hands before being acquired in 1997 by the American giant Parker Hannifin.

After it ceased to operate permanently in 2017, the space was bought by a private real estate company and the premises were temporarily rented to several organisations. A multitude of cultural, artistic and social projects were then launched: the Ressources Urbaines cooperative, a carpentry workshop for young women in rehabilitation and a second-hand shop. Not forgetting the Grosselin Forum, which made the Parker Factory its meeting place and a place for citizen participation to 14 reflect on the future of the sector. This is where the RECIT cooperative project received by EXPLORE in 2020 came from.

THE PARKER FACTORY: A SYMBOLIC PLACE IN THE IMAGE OF THE EVENT

The Parker Factory is the result of many changes and a capacity to reinvent itself over time, and perfectly embodies the spirit of the EXPLORE Festival. The old factory is part of Geneva’s industrial history. Built in 1912 to manufacture bicycle dynamos, the building passed through several hands before being acquired in 1997 by the American giant Parker Hannifin. After it ceased to operate permanently in 2017, the space was bought by a private real estate company and the premises were temporarily rented to several organisations.

A multitude of cultural, artistic and social projects were then launched: the Ressources Urbaines cooperative, a carpentry workshop for young women in rehabilitation and a second-hand shop. Not forgetting the Grosselin Forum, which made the Parker Factory its meeting place and a place for citizen participation to 14 reflect on the future of the sector. This is where the project of RECIT cooperative received by EXPLORE in 2020 came from.