“Building a ‘Gap’ on Woodward Avenue is not progress.”
Using an example that everyonecan relate to, dream hampton’s assessment of Detroit’s latest development sums up the tone of this year’s IdeasCity conference, hosted by Detroit for the first time. The daylong public conference followed a week of project design and discussion by 40 chosen “fellows” and included presentations of their ideas, as well as bigger-name speakers on the city’s future: focusing on the role of the architect in policy, the potential of the interdisciplinary, and how to allow for dynamism in a city without erasing its history.
The conference was held in the Jam Handy, formerly used for filming car commercials and now used as an event and community space. The building itself is an example of the evolution of different spaces in Detroit, and its high ceilings and location just off the historic Virginia Park neighborhood made it a fitting base. The week of work done by the Ideas City fellows took place in the Herman Kiefer Hospital, a similarly repurposed site (the building was a public hospital until 2013).
Detroit’s Herman Kiefer Hospital, the site of IdeasCity’s fellowship lab; courtesy IdeasCity.
Multidisciplinary artist and activist Theaster Gates set the stage as the first keynote for the event, speaking to how the interdisciplinary nature of his Chicago projects (like the Dorchester Houses, for example) could be of value in Detroit’s context. When artist Amanda Williams took the stage after him, however, her introduction included a welcome skepticism of the event.
Williams’ first reaction to another “ideas” conference coming to the city was “not another one” but turned more positive once the event’s specifics became clear. This skepticism seemed warranted, as she addressed a room filled with — yes, many Detroiters — but also countless New Yorkers who would leave the following day.
One of Theaster Gates’ Dorchester Houses in Chicago; Sara Pooley/Theaster Gates Studio
That having been said, Williams and the speakers who would follow emphasized that this event should be a catalyst in revealing questions more than offering answers: a real conference of ideas rather than prescriptions, and a discussion with an unwavering focus on race and the political issues of space that are visible in Detroit perhaps more than anywhere else.
Examples from other cities, however — Chicago in particular — provided some of the most inspiring instances of conversation throughout the day. Williams introduced her “Color(ed) Theory” project by speaking about the importance of “understanding that space has a formal typology but also has an urban, sociopolitical typology.” For these installations, Williams created a color lexicon — as you would see in a more traditional visual-arts context — but based on the colors she felt represented real life. The palette she came up with includes Crown Royal Purple, Red Hot Cheetos and more emotive shades that she then used to paint various houses slated for demolition.
Crown Purple by Amanda Williams, Chicago; courtesy of Amanda Williams
How an idea like this could apply to the Detroit context goes without saying, and making it easier for citizens to take on statement-making projects like this was a frequent point of discussion. In fact, out of the seven fellow projects presented, one specifically described a “special projects permit, for neighborhood-based initiatives” that would cut through the red tape that currently surrounds community-level projects.
This group of fellows looked at international examples of positive decriminalization to make their point — squatting in Amsterdam and graffiti in Bogotá being two of them — which also served to illustrate the benefits of a group of people from all over the world coming together to discuss these issues.
Artist and activist Theaster Gates joins the discussion onstage; courtesy of Justin J. Milhouse
The fellows described the week as “intense,” and project ideas ranged from making healthy food more accessible to memorializing the Black Bottom neighborhood that existed on the site of Lafayette Park before its construction. The latter group included a resident of the Mies van der Rohe project itself, giving the group further legitimacy. Even more than this, the resident’s perspective vividly illustrated the complexity of Detroit’s development. She was happy with the complex now, but — especially as an African-American woman — felt this was not enough, that it was crucial there be some evidence or preservation of what came before it, as well.
This recognition of Detroit’s history was emphasized as essential by each speaker. Hampton in particular made clear that those moving to the city cannot be ignorant of its past or of their assigned value as newcomers — an important consideration that is rarely said outright. But with this, hampton also raised an important point of conversation regarding the politics built into Detroit’s organization as a city.
Hampton emphasized that having a conversation about white flight and other urban phenomena that have shaped the city is an absolute must; otherwise, we leave this generation to set the same cycle in motion. Moreover, she put this approach in contrast with the “revitalization of Detroit” narrative that is so prevalent. Much of the IdeasCity conversation focused refreshingly on how the city can move forward while keeping its lifetime residents and its history in mind, rather than the discussion of rebirth and tabula rasa that is often seen as an easier narrative to engage with.
Artist Amanda Williams speaking to the crowd at the Jam Handy; courtesy of Justin J. Milhouse
Specific examples of ways to involve Detroit communities in development emerged throughout the conference: Community organizer Jenny Lee discussed the proposed Community Benefit Agreement ordinance that would require developers to engage with communities, while designer Bryan Boyer proposed a website that would create feedback loops between city and citizen.
Gates spoke about ethics in development — like the city has seen with projects like Create Northeast Detroit, which builds master plans with residents as independent land-use projects — and nearly every speaker and participant advocated for the City to create a Department of Cultural Affairs to allow these arts initiatives a real seat at the table. Michelle T. Boone (who holds this title in Chicago) emphasized the potential for these kinds of changes to occur during an election year, making clear just how political these developments will continue to be.
The Jam Handy, decorated for IdeasCity’s public conference; courtesy of @ekeneijeoma
Architect Claire Weisz closed the final panel of the day by asking what role the architect should play in policy and what the future of Detroit will look like. Weisz pointed out that most Parisians hated the Eiffel Tower when it was initially built, and that the question of how to effect change will always present a challenge.
In response, professor Ellie Abrons argued that the “production of the image is one of the most powerful things an architect can do,” and it’s true: If the architects, planners and artists of Detroit value its history and take Walter Hood’s charge to find their “prophetic aesthetic,” its reputation of progress and innovation should maintain. Moreover, with more creativity than a new ‘Gap’ on Woodward.
Making it clear that these questions are not only facing Detroit, the next Ideas City conference will be held in Athens, Greece. Hampton described Detroit as a “post-capitalist, post-industrial landscape,” and while the issue of race is far different in the Greek setting, this setting without question brings up similar challenges and opportunities, as will Detroit’s focus in the American pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale.
