Festival of Transitional Architecture presents ‘The Future Will Be Live’ this Labour Weekend in Christchurch.

A glowing city made of jelly, a virtual performance in an ambient architectural space, water calligraphy workshops and a live, large-scale elevated city with a digital dimension are just some of diverse range of ‘live’ future scenarios open to people of all ages at this year’s Festival of Transitional Architecture (FESTA).

The free, urban-scale festival invites the public to return to the central city and celebrate collective and creative city-making with their exciting 2014 programme for this Labour Weekend (24-27 October), ‘The Future Will Be Live’. FESTA 2014 explores alternative futures through a myriad of activities and events that take place throughout the central city and return life to Christchurch’s heart.

There are over 30 events to participate in, which range from transitional vacant space projects, to immersive futuristic installations, sustainable projects and hands-on workshops. Children can create a colourful, wobbly city made out of jelly at the hands-on Jelloucity family activity. For those who prefer lively discussions, Speakers’ Corner should not be missed. A range of national and international participants from the International Congress on Adaptive Urbanism (held in the lead up to FESTA) talk about city-making and invite questions from the public.

Art lovers and the curious can experience a virtual performance in an ambient architectural space at Dematerialization (brought to the festival by three Melbourne architecture graduates) or the Plant Gang’s immersive installation The Present State– a verdant space filled with the recordings of foraging adventures throughout the city. Poetica’s Emerge project involves a line of poetry floating in the Avon, and artist-led water calligraphy sessions accompany the installation. In terms of sustainability, the public can explore the central city with Signs of Things to Come, where wayfaring signs compare the current and future potential of transport in Christchurch in a joint project by Generation Zero and design practice Diadem.

On 25 October, people in Christchurch can be part of the city of the future – both physical and virtual – imagined and created by the next generation of architects. CityUps, this year’s headline event, is live for one night only. Led by Studio Christchurch, over 250 architecture students transform two blocks of Christchurch’s central city with towering physical installations and a futuristic digital city. Beneath their outrageous designs are buzzing city spaces, where a night market, dance hall, street games, community bike workshop and much more operate.

A wide range of organisations, performers, artists, architects, citizens and local businesses has collectively created this year’s programme. Make sure you come into the city for FESTA 2014: The Future Will Be Live and help to give Christchurch a dense, exciting street life.

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Please see our website (festa.org.nz) for more details.

For images, interview and publicity queries, please contact emma@festa.org.nz

FESTA Director Jessica Halliday can be contacted on jessica@festa.org.nz