Nocturnal Landscapes: Urban Flows of Global Metropolises

The exhibition Nocturnal Landscapes: Urban Flows of Global Metropolises, organized by the Instituto Cervantes of Chicago and MAS Context, explores new political, economic, environmental, and social challenges that affect global cities at night. Currently, in the context of urban growth, there is a need to observe and analyze cities at night from an interdisciplinary perspective. This exhibit presents a research methodology focused on the comparison of relevant case studies based on cartographic depictions of the rhythms and recognizable sites of seven global cities using Knowledge Discovery in Databases (KDD) data and tools. The exhibition also includes a collection of photographs of cities around the world providing a snapshot of their activities at night. Chicago, Barcelona, and Vancouver will be the focus of a more detailed exploration. The exhibition is curated and designed by architect Iker Gil (MAS Studio, Chicago) and features work by architects Mar Santamaria and Pablo Martinez (300.000 Km/s, Barcelona) and sociologist/photographer David Schalliol (Minneapolis). This exhibition is partially supported by Simon. Iker Gil (curator and exhibition design) is the director and founder of MAS Studio, an architecture and urban planning firm based in Chicago. He is also the executive director of the SOM Foundation, the editor in chief of the design journal MAS Context, and the editor of the book Shanghai Transforming (ACTAR, 2008). He was the Associate Curator of the U.S. Pavilion at the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale that took place in 2018. He has curated several exhibitions, including BOLD: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago as part of the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial and Synchronizing Geometry held at S.R. Crown Hall (IIT). In addition, he teaches architecture studios at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects (AIADO). mas-studio.com | mascontext.com Mar Santamaria and Pablo Martinez (participants) operate 300.00Km/s, a professional firm based in Barcelona that provides data analysis and consulting on cities. They apply technology to architecture, cities and land, searching for new ways to transform the environment. They work in the field of urban analysis, cartography, urban planning, digital tool development, and digital humanities. Their knowledge stems from architecture, urbanism, geographic data analysis, urban history, restoration, museology, industrial design, project management and software development. They provide data analysis services and data products to help cities make better decisions based on data. They have collaborated successfully with public entities, international companies, and cultural institutions. 300000kms.net David Schalliol (Participant) is an assistant sociology professor at St. Olaf College and director of Scrappers Film Group. Schalliol is interested in the relationship between community and space. His writing and photography have appeared in publications like Social Science Research, MAS Context, and The New York Times, as well as numerous exhibitions, including the Chicago Architecture Biennial in 2015 and 2017, the Belfast Photography Festival, and the Midwest Photographers Project of the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago. Schalliol is the author of Isolated Building Studies, and regularly contributes to documentaries, including Almost There and Highrise: Out My Window, an interactive documentary that won the 2011 International Digital Emmy award for non-fiction. He made his directorial debut with The Area, which screened in the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in April 2018. davidschalliol.com