The Continuous Picnic: In exhibition at the CCA

The Continuous Picnic was an urban design research event and installation sited in central London developed by Viljoen and Bohn as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2008. It was set up as an arts-based event/installation to test, simulate and disseminate the qualitative and quantifiable aspects of the urban design concept for "Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes" and furthermore initiate top-down (municipal) and bottom-up (citizen) dialogue and collaboration in the generation of long-term strategic urban development plans. It was subsequently selected for inclusion in an international travelling exhibition conceived as an architecture and urbanism research project by the renowned Canadian Centre for Architecture. The exhibition, titled Actions: What you can do with the city included artefacts from The Continuous Picnic (Action 82). A commissioned article for the Canadian Centre for Architecture's accompanying publication introduces Continuous Productive Urban Landscape (CPUL) theory followed by CPUL Practice and designing for CPUL, developing the following themes: Space (productive), Urban Assets (land and farmers) and Scale (politics). The article concludes by describing the role of urban installations and events as research tools to facilitate the understanding and dissemination of the CPUL concept. It refers to Bohn&Viljoen Architects contribution to the 2007 Middlesbrough Urban Farming Project and their "Continuous Picnic" installation / public action which formed part of London Festival of Architecture 2008. Urban Design Research Evidenced by outputs from 2008-2010. Event: The Continuous Picnic, Montague Place and Russell Square, London 5th July 2008, as part of the London Festival of Architecture 2008. Exhibition: Action 82 exhibited within "Action 82" The Continuous Picnic, Montague Place and Russell Square, London 5th July 2008, an action based community research installation, exhibited in, Actions: What you can do with the City curated by the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Chicago.