Staging Ground residency _ Effiom and Waco

I. PRESENTATION

a) Residency Programme

Each year, the Staging Ground residency program invites LINA fellows and other participants to conduct on-site research and develop creative projects related to major urban transformations occurring in the Greater Paris metropolitan area. The first cycle of residency Acts of Crossing (2023) focused on the question of urban mobility in the context of the Boulevard Périphérique, the ring road encircling Paris. The resulting projects from the residents took the form of workshops, a video essay, and a performance, highlighting how performative thinking can help imagine transitions in cultures of urban movement.

b) Cross-Residency

For the second cycle of residency, Theatrum Mundi and Architektūros fondas (Lithuania) partnered to create an exchange between critical spatial practitioners in Paris and Vilnius from 20 to 24 May 2024, including walks, workshops, and site visits. The aim of the programme was to explore shared challenges between the two cities, the transitions taking place within them, and how creative and experimental research could offer new ways to approach these issues. The exchange took place as part of the Lithuanian Season in France 2024.

Two LINA fellows joined the week simultaneously as Staging Ground residents and as mentors of the exchange with Architektūros fondas: Margarida Waco, a Cabindian-Danish architect working at the intersection of research, writing and curation and Ewa Effiom, a Belgian-Nigerian architect, writer, and producer based in London.

III. ACTIVITIES

a) Second Residency Cycle

Ewa Effiom and Margarida Waco

For the second part of the Staging Ground residency (20 to 24 May 2024), Theatrum Mundi invited LINA fellows Margarida Waco and Ewa Effiom to develop a joint research project in Paris.

Prior to their arrival, the Theatrum Mundi team organized preparatory meetings with Ewa and Margarida to determine their project and share different resources (newspaper articles, visual references, academic papers, etc.). Following these online discussions, the two Staging Ground residents decided to use their week-long residency in Paris to explore the impact of the Olympic Games and Grand Paris Express transportation system on the territory. Their project set to untangle the different racial and socio-economics dynamics at play in these urban transformations. Their research specifically focused on issues related to the direct and indirect displacement of inhabitants of the Seine-Saint-Denis department due to new infrastructures being built.

To accompany both Staging Ground residents with their research, Theatrum Mundi developed a programme, which included meetings, site visits and exchanges with different actors. These included:

• Cécile Gintrac (Geographer and Spokesperson of Comité Vigilance JOP 2024)
• Jade Lindgaard (Journalist for Mediapart and Author of Paris 2024 – une ville face à la violence Olympique)
• Amel (Resident of the Aubervilliers neighborhood and President of the association Alliance Citoyenne)

Through these meeting, the Staging Ground residents were able to gather multiple perspectives on their research subject, from people involved in local activism to Seine-Saint-Denis residents and urban experts. Each of these meetings was recorded by the two Staging Ground residents to gather audio material for their final project. They also undertook independent walks across different construction sites (Olympic Aquatics Centre, Saint-Denis Pleyel Station) during the week to gather audio material. The planned final output will take the form of a cartography and soundscape bringing together the interviews and field recordings.

In addition to developing their project, Waco and Effiom acted as mentors of the exchange with Architektūros fondas during the residency week. The beneficiaries of this mentorship were part of Architektūros fondas's programme Experiments' Platform: Simona Gaigalaitė (Architect and Founder of the architecture studio "Inout"), Edgar Vladimirenko (Architect and Student in Urban Planning for Transition at IUAV University of Venice) and Marta Dorotėja Lekavičiūtė (Architect and Student at Vilnius Academy of Arts).

The collaboration Architektūros fondas led to a cross-residency programme open to both Staging Ground residents and participants of Experiments' Platform, which started with a walk in the Seine-Saint-Denis department across different sites changing by the Grand Paris Express project. The contributors to this cross-residency programme included:

• Magda Maaoui (Researcher, Atelier Parisien d'Urbanisme (APUR)/Harvard University) who gave an online talk on the history and politics of space surrounding the Boulevard Péripherique.
• Dimitri Szuter (Architect & Performer) who led a workshop at the Chapelle Charbon Park in North Paris based on a movement score methodology.
• Umarell Collective (Transdisciplinary collective on urbanism) who led site visits at the Parc de la Villette and other locations in North Paris.
• Marion Waller (Director of the Pavillon de l'Arsenal) who provided an overview of the work done by Pavillon de l'Arsenal and the importance of approaching urban regulations from a European perspective.

Furthermore, the participants of Experiments' Platform and Staging Ground residents visited the construction site of the new Le Bourget metro station with a tour guide who explained the historical context and current scope of the Grand Paris Express project.

Caption: Staging Ground Residents visit the Maladrerie district with local resident Amel. Photo: Daniel Mebarek.

Caption: Experiments' Platform participant Edgar Vladimirenko presents his research project. Photo: Daniel Mebarek.

Caption: Marion Waller, Director of the Pavillon de l'Arsenal, meets with Staging Ground residents and Experiments' Platform participants. Photo: Daniel Mebarek.

Caption: Visit to the construction site of the new Le Bourget metro station, which is part of the Grand Paris Express transport system. Photo: Daniel Mebarek.

IV. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE PLANS

During its second edition, the Staging Ground residency programme adapted to the research projects of the residents. Rather than establishing a specific theme this year, as in the case of the 2023 edition "Acts of Crossing", Theatrum Mundi developed a programme in tandem with the joint research project of Ewa Effiom and Margarida Waco. Their project focused on the impact of new infrastructure development linked to the Olympic Games and the Grand Paris Express on the inhabitants of Seine-Saint-Denis. Another important difference this year was the collaboration with Architektūros fondas as part of the Lithuanian Season in France 2024. This programme consisted of talks, site visits and workshops open to both Experiments' Platform participants and Staging Ground residents.

One of the main characteristics of Theatrum Mundi's work has been foregrounding the contribution of choreographic thinking and movement score methods in urbanism. This perspective was continued this year, notably through the workshop led by Melissa Harisson. The participants of the workshop were students of the Master ArTeC (a transdisciplinary post-graduate program led jointly by several universities), which also reinforced the local dimension of the residency programme.

Caption: Screenshots of dedicated website for the Staging Ground residency programme.

There are currently several activities planned. The main activity will be the public presentation of the Staging Ground and Experiments' Platform projects, which will take place in November 2024 at the Académie du Climat in Paris in partnership with the Pavillon de l'Arsenal. The event will feature a roundtable discussion with practitioners from Lithuania and France as well as the projection of a documentary film developed by video artist Laurynas Skeisgiela, which will focus on the projects of the Experiments' Platform across the cities of Paris and Vilnius. Furthermore, Theatrum Mundi will accompany Ewa Effiom and Margarida Waco with the finalization of their joint residency output, which will take the form of a cartography and soundscape. This project will also be published on Staging Ground's dedicated website. Finally, Margarida Waco will also participate in Theatrum Mundi London's cohort program PolyVocalCity.