The Strait of Gibraltar, a stretch of water that lies between Spain and Morocco may only be a mere 14 km, but geopolitically speaking it is more akin to a deep abyss, separating as it does two major continents.
Fuelled by the idea of creating an imaginary infrastructure spanning the Strait and thus a deeper connection between Europe and Africa, 'Project Heracles' is the culmulative of a call to arms where participants were asked to respond with suggestions on a postcard.
From Bjarke Ingels's proposal of the 'Afro-Euro / Euro-Afro' currency, and
Asif Khan and Pernilla Ohrstedt’s tongue-in-cheek extension of London Underground's Northern Line, to a series of huge luminous buoys and an array of futuristic bridge constructions, hundreds of suggestions came in from around the world. Each and every one has been subsequently printed and displayed in the gallery space in editions of 100. Plus, in a move away from the normal exhibition template, each of the 25,000 postcards, currently on display at The Gopher Hole, is free for visitors to take away.
In addition to Lieven De Cauter and Dieter Lesage - the Belgian philosophers who started Project Heracles with their email conversation about a possible Eurafrican connection published in Domus magazine, a stellar group of thinkers, writers and curators associated with the cause were also invited to examine the postcards and each present a selection of six of the most provocative and creative proposals.
Fuelled by the idea of creating a connection between Europe and Africa across the strait, participants were asked to respond with their suggestions on a postcard...
... all of which are currently on display in editions of 100 in the gallery space
A cork-board ’Inbox’, accompanied by thumb tacks, invites visitors to pin up any new postcard entries here
The Gopher Hole’s curated selection of postcards
’The Euro Isles: A Eurafrican Shift, 2021’ by Mat Barnes, selected by The Gopher Hole
’Bridge to Nowhere’ by Gabriele Garavaglia, selected by The Gopher Hole
’The Duty Free Souk of Gibraltar’ by Oliver Wainwright, selected by Geoff Manaugh
’Cable bridge’ by Marco Peroni Ingegneria, selected by Geoff Manaugh
An overview of the postcards selected by Brussels-based philosophers and writers Lieven De Cauter and Dieter Lesange, who began the Project Heracles call for ideas with their coversation about a Eurafrican connection, published in Domus magazine
’who’s Behind Bars?’ by Des Eseintes, selected by Lieven De Cauter and Dieter Lesange
’Pool’ by Abdel Harraga, selected by Lieven De Cauter and Dieter Lesange
’Cable Car’ by Fabrizio Tozzoli & Eliana Salazar selected by Lieven De Cauter and Dieter Lesange
’Offshore Bridge & Mediterrean City’ by Andrea Costa & Debora Sanguieneti selected by Lieven De Cauter and Dieter Lesange
Curator Eyel Weizman’s selection. The architect, writer and curator’s work focuses on the architecture of political territories
United Ships by Andrea Dragonni, selected by Eyal Weizman
’A Rainbow is Made of Water & Sunlight’ by Nikos Smyrlis, selected by Eyal Weizman
The six postcards chosen by Carson Chan, director of Berlin’s Program gallery and co-curator of the 2012 Marrakech biennale
’Lanterna Di Mare’ by Alessandro Lochiavo with Francesco Nava, selected by Carson Chan
’Lanterna Di Mare’ by Alessandro Lochiavo with Francesco Nava, selected by Carson Chan
’Euroafrica connection’ by Giorgio Cattano, selected by Carson Chan
’Euroafrica connection’ by Giorgio Cattano, selected by Carson Chan
’Afro-Euro’ by Bjarke Ingels Group, selected by Carson Chan
’Afro-Euro’ by Bjarke Ingels Group, selected by Carson Chan
’Euro-Afro’ by Bjarke Ingels Group, selected by Cameron Sinclair
’Euro-Afro’ by Bjarke Ingels Group, selected by Cameron Sinclair
’Bab Park, the fun park between Europe and Africa’, by Valerio Di Mauro, selected by Bruce Sterling
’Airship + Cable Car’ by Zhiguo Pan, selected by Bruce Sterling
’Airship + Cable Car’ by Zhiguo Pan, selected by Bruce Sterling
’Circummediterranea 2020, Heracles Bridge’ by Allegra Morpurgo and Matteo Soldati selected by Bruce Sterling
’Northern Line extension sticker #fnideqbranch’ by Asif Khan and Pernilla Ohrstedt
’Northern Line extension sticker #fnideqbranch’ by Asif Khan and Pernilla Ohrstedt
L. Alessandro Aldegheri’s temporary floating island
A proposed ’chain of islands’ by Dr.-Ing Marketa Haist
’Fragile Infrastructure 2, The Flying Buoys’ by Sarah Angelini and Paride Piccinni
Alberto Bottero postcard proposed a dream-like sequence of thousand balloons floating over a bridge joining the two continents
’A Living Bridge’ by Desitecture
Dijan Malla’s ’Eur-Ika in a linear Waterway’
ADDRESS
The Gopher Hole
350 Old Street
London
EC1V 9NQ
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