Saturday, November 16, 2013

An impossible collaboration: SARCHA and the UTT_ETH Re-activate Athens

…it would be in the best interest of SARCHA and its associates to remain committed to its constitutional aim: to research the impact of the political on architecture and city conditions and experiment with research topics that seek to imaging the possibility of self-government and the in common reassembling of the cities (the city of Athens in particular). This is far removed from the ‘third way’ (Karl Marx with Milton Friedman) approach [Alfredo Brillembourg UTT, ETH] presented in [his] opening talk [22/10/2013] as the overall vision for the ‘Re-activating - 101 ideas for Athens’.” 
This is an excerpt from the letter sent to the ETH Chair of Architecture and Urban Design and Urban Think Tank (UTT) director prof.  A. Brillemburg, following discussions for a possible collaboration of SARCHA in the Re-activating Athens UTT_ETH project. (full text further below).

IMPORTANT: Listen to the panel discussion at the DEMOS London Event and see the Submitted Ideas at www.demos.sarcha.gr   We have expected to bring DEMOS to a next stage through the Re-activate Athens; this was a reason for entering into discussions with the UTT_ETH. However, DEMOS could not fit into the logic of the ‘101 ideas for the city’. SARCHA is looking for other ways and collaborations to take DEMOS at its next stage and we shall keep you informed.

From: SARCHA [mailto:info@sarcha.gr]
Sent: Friday, November 01, 2013 4:37 PM
To: 'ALFREDO BRILLEMBOURG'
Subject: SARCHA and the AUTT_ETH programme
Dear Alfredo,

Following our last week’s conversation on the phone and in an attempt to find a way to collaborate, a SARCHA team attended the UTT_ETH presentation in Athens, and our representative participated at brainstorming meetings in the following day.

From our representative’s report we understood that SARCHA’s input in the re-activating Athens programme strictly concerns a collaborative drafting / implementing / processing of questionnaires for all areas of the project and a kind of secretarial/event organizer role within the HSAP building.

We very much understand the value of questionnaires, which require highly specialized knowledge and painstaking work. However, SARCHA does not have any special interest in drafting questionnaires in general -unless related to targeted and intensively studied city areas.  On the other hand, it would have been highly problematic to undertake a role of ‘service provider’ as event organizer within the HSAP building; SARCHA takes up this role only for events closely related to its research programme. 

SARCHA members of committees discussed in length and with much consideration the information provided by our representative. They concluded that it would be in the best interest of SARCHA and its associates to remain committed to its constitutional aim: to research the impact of the political on architecture and city conditions and experiment with research topics that seek to imaging the possibility of self-government and the in common reassembling of the cities (the city of Athens in particular). This is far removed from the ‘third way’ (Karl Marx with Milton Friedman) approach you presented in your opening talk [22/10/2013] as the overall vision for the “Re-activating - 101 ideas for Athens”. It is rather ‘unchartered waters’ that SARCHA is opting for and this seems to sit uncomfortably with already existing models to be transplanted / re-applied to Athens.  

Following so many months of discussions and exchange and now that the brief of AUTT_ETH starts to take shape, it seems clear that SARCHA’s position and vision is of another type.  As clearly formulated in our draft contact, our input can be included in your project only as a case apart, as independent work. We understand that this cannot be accepted and thus unfortunately no collaboration can ensue.

We hope we have the chance to discuss in length this divergence of ideas which SARCHA considers it could enrich the UTT_ETH project.

All the best
On behalf of SARCHA
Dr Maria Theodorou
The names of members of SARCHA’s committees can be found at http://sarcha.gr/About.aspx