Some Ideas on Living

The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), in collaboration with Bluesponge, created a bilingual microsite as an online component of its major exhibition Some Ideas on Living in London and Tokyo by Stephen Taylor and Ryue Nishizawa. On view at the CCA in Montréal from 14 May until 26 October 2008, the exhibition featured recent architectural projects by Stephen Taylor in London and Ryue Nishizawa in Tokyo that propose new approaches to living in dense urban environments.

Conceived as a platform for the exchange of ideas, the microsite (someideasonliving.org and perspectivesdevie.org) presents CCA research and material from the exhibition and catalogue while soliciting independent content. The microsite takes the form of a blog with multiple authors. Online visitors are invited to contribute their own ideas, expressed in text, images and video, related to the work of Stephen Taylor and Ryue Nishizawa and to the broader theme of living in London and Tokyo.

For the first time, CCA staff participated in the creation of online content over the course of the exhibition. They posted information about preparing the exhibition, from the arrival and conservation of architectural models to the occasionally acrobatic feats of installation. The site was used to disseminate supplementary content, including photos and video interviews with the architects, and podcasts of lectures relating to the exhibition. The microsite provided a platform for educational staff to announce programs, and to document and share its activities with the public. An editorial selection of outside events relating to living in London, Tokyo and Montréal was also featured on the site.

Not only did the microsite expand the scope of the exhibition, it also extended its lifespan. Some Ideas on Living in London and Tokyo by Stephen Taylor and Ryue Nishizawa has come to a close, but the microsite continues to attract visitors.