Cycle Tracks Will Abound In Utopia

August 06, 2004 - September 26, 2004

From the early 16th century when Thomas Moore invented his perfect world Utopia, derived from two Greek words: Eutopia (meaning 'good place') and Outopia (meaning 'no place'), society has sought to conjure up the vision of an ideal society. And yet the word UTOPIA stands in common usage for the ultimate in human folly or human hope - vain dreams of perfection in a Never-Never Land or rational efforts to remake man's environment and his institutions and even his own erring nature, so as to enrich the possibilities of the common life. Utopias have often been plans of societies functioning mechanically, dead structures conceived by economists, politicians and moralists; but they have also been the living dream of poets.

Drawing its title from A Modern Utopia by HG Wells, CYCLE TRACKS WILL ABOUND IN UTOPIA explores concepts from architectural, social planning, migration, industrial relations, politics, economics , environmental activism and science fiction to prod this perpetual place of hope and folly within societal imagining.

Artists include: Ingrid Book and Carina Hedn, Louisa Bufardeci, Christian Capurro, Emily Floyd, Alban Hajdinaj, Nora Martirosyan, Chad McCail, Martin McInerney, Callum Morton, Raquel Ormella, Pia Rnicke, Katya Sander, Tony Schwensen, Dmitry Vilensky, Danielle van Vree, Guan Wei, Kan Xuan and Carey Young

ACCA PUBLIC PROGRAMS

In Conversation: Interrogating Utopian Architecture and Structures
Juliana Engberg, Karen Burns & Louisa Bufardeci
Date: Thursday 12 August
Time: 6.00-7.30pm
Venue: ACCA 111 Sturt Street Southbank
Free event (limited seating)
Bookings & enquiries: T (03) 9697 9999

Juliana Engberg, ACCA Artistic Director and Karen Burns, Lecturer at the Centre for Ideas, Victorian College of the Arts will discuss utopian architecture and structures with exhibiting artist Louisa Bufardeci and guest panelists.