The book Fight Specific Isola coming to South Africa

I will be heading back to South Africa soon, and I can bring with me some copies of the books Fight Specific Isola. It is a great book for those interested in the role of art in urban transformation, urban theory and social movements. It has various contributors: Bert Theis (Isola Art Center), Charles Esche (director,Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven), Gerald Raunig (philospher, Vienna), Christoph Schafer (Park Fiction, Hamburg) Atelier d'Architecture Autogeree (Paris), Tiziana Villani (philosopher, Milan) and so on. A very particular case study worth reading. The book costs 20 euro, so about R 280. If anyone is interested in a copy, send me an email: ednagee@gmail.com 

"The publication traces the long history of the Isola area of Milan and the organic, spontaneous progress of the Isola Art Center over the past 10 years and more. 

Featuring texts and many images, the book tells the story of an artistic and urban transformation, led by artists, who often had to invent tools and concepts along the way. Fight-Specific Isola serves as an example of how to act on the ground in today’s urban condition. 

Different narratives of history, artistic intervention and action allow the reader to trace the complex idea of collectivity, solidarity and “fight-specificity”. 

Testing new terms such as “dirty cube” and “dispersed center” this book shows a possible way to respond to the constant pressure of neoliberal development and gentrification".

To see more information:http://www.isolartcenter.org/index_eng.php

The contents:

Books

An update and some reads.

Mainly I am just reading and searching and reading and searching and reading for my thesis at the moment which feels like a disaster and like I never know enough, but I am hoping that it is just the normal process of the thing, and that, that is in fact how you learn a lot. The problem is mainly that I end up getting lost and reading to wide or I get of topic. Focus!!!!

Then on other news, my three quilts "Progress and development" from Isola project is on auction at Galleria Bianconi, (also along some of my friends such as Edith Poirier and Cherimus) to raise funding for the book of Isola Art Centre.

Then some reading:

Some great books I got (some on ebook, some actual ones - but considering that I will have to move these back to SA soon, I am trying to supress my need for actuall paper pages):

South African Art NOW by Sue Williamson

Art and the end of Apartheid by John Peffer (reading it right now, very easy to read, not stiff and elitist academic - I think a must  for anyone interested in South African art history).

Impressions from South Africa: 1965 to now

Documenta 13/ The Book of Books (damn expensive but was lucky to get a discount). So far I've only looked at the pictures, read the introduction and  the one On the  Destruction of art, and then had to remind myself that in fact  I should focus on reading for my thesis.

Also if you are interested in urban theory and cities from a non Western perspective please go check out the  African Cities Reader which is an online journal with contributions covering a wider range of topics covering African cities and its diversity.