aaplusu… for architecture, art and urbanism
AA&U for architecture, art, and urbanism is a critical urban practice and has established a unique way of socially and politically engaging design to support the urban commons. An entanglement of scales of design and the heterogeneity of modes of operation give a hybrid character to AA&U. The strategic value of urban design as well as the social and political dimensions of architecture and of visual arts informs its designed projects and interventions. AA&U emerged from the collaborations of Socrates Stratis with architects and visual artists. The main founding members are Socrates Stratis, architect, urbanist, and associate professor at the Department of Architecture, University of Cyprus and Maria Loizidou visual artist. AA&U’s work has been presented in international exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2016.
Most of AA&U’s projects have to do primarily with infrastructural design of public and cultural spaces and secondly, support structures that are activist-based interventions in the public domain. Part of AA&U’s work involves cross-communal collaborations with a grassroots character. By critically commenting on the actual status quo of the division of Cyprus plus, such work produces common urban imaginaries. AA&U has produced a number of such projects and it has participated as a main collaborator in others.
For more information:
Select projects:
– The “Call # 192” project (2005) with M. Loizidou and Ch. Pellapaisiotis, (part of Leaps of Faith international exhibition) http://www.aaplusu.com/en/projects/the-call-192-project-2005/19
-The Public Private Convoy Mobile Workshop, Pyla, (2007) with M. Loizidou, M. Ozgur Ozersay, F. Ozersay, ALA Planning, (part of Pyla Master Plan studies), http://www.aaplusu.com/en/projects/pyla-master-plan-2007/4, Videos at: https://vimeo.com/84287753
The Killing Free Time @ Cyprus Project, (2008)Venice Biennale of Architecturehttp://www.aaplusu.com/en/projects/the-killingfreetime-cyprus-project-venice-biennale-of-architecture-2008/27, Video at: https://vimeo.com/84108190
-The Hands-on Famagusta project (2014-2016) with Imaginary Famagusta and LUCY (Laboratory of Urbanism, University of Cyprus), www.handsonfamagusta.org
-The Found in Translation project (2015) with Imaginary Famagusta and LUCY (Laboratory of Urbanism, University of Cyprus) part of the Hands-on Famagusta project.
– Contested Fronts: commoning practices for conflict transformation, Cyprus Pavilion, Venice Biennale of Architecture, curated by S. Stratis (2016), with Imaginary Famagusta, LUCY. www.contestedfronts.org
– We need to talk about…our coasts (2017) with Imaginary Famagusta, LUCY. http://www.aaplusu.com/en/projects/we-need-to-talk-about-our-coasts-2017/54 videos at:
https://vimeo.com/223144293, https://vimeo.com/424716181
Let’s Reclaim it! (2019) http://www.aaplusu.com/en/projects/lets-reclaim-it-2018-2019/53
– Alice in Meridianland… or the Counter-militarization action (2019) part of the Buffer Fringe Festival, with LUCY http://www.aaplusu.com/en/projects/alice-in-meridianland-or-the-counter-militarization-action-2019/57 video at: https://vimeo.com/427347661, https://vimeo.com/427351513
