Where to build the walls that protect us is an opportunity for us all to imagine a future city. Our city of Exeter. We’ll try not to get too distracted by Utopian visions or logistics. But, with one eye on the persistent fiscal crisis and the challenges of climate change, and the other on Hope, let’s look again at the fundamental fabric of our city and envisage it afresh.

Each day, we’ll pop up unexpectedly in a central Exeter location. Each day, one physical model of a possible future Exeter will evolve through seriously playful interactions between invited experts and Exeter’s citizens. Each day, we’ll document what we’ve done, then wipe the slate clean.

So, spend an hour with us, join the discussions, contribute your blueprints for the future, and help us to build the day’s model. Or just drop by and watch the model emerge. 60-minute sessions will begin at 11.30, 1.00, 2.30 and 4.00 daily. Book tickets (pay what you can) and access further information on the project website.

The work is conceived and realised by Stephen Hodge (working with multiple collaborators), commissioned by Kaleider, and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Exeter City Council.

Where to build the walls that protect us is an opportunity for us all to imagine a future city.

DAY #1: TUESDAY
Climate & terrain
‘Leaking,’ the architect Cedric Price said, ‘is best observed in a floating boat.’ What are we going to do about these rising water levels? Should we build more walls? Retreat to the hills? Conceive new liquid architectures? Can we each contribute to turning off the tap? Is there even a tap? Are there solutions? Or just a tsunami of questions? It’s not too late to feel hopeful, surely?

DAY #2: WEDNESDAY
Buildings & the life between them
We all made and played with model worlds as children. What should we do with that creative enthusiasm now that we’re all grown up? Where will we build? And where not? What’s to be learned from all those unrealised plans for the city (like Thomas Sharp’s ‘Exeter Phoenix’)? It is often said that ‘form follows function’ – so, what is the form where play is the function? Is there such a thing as public space? Where is the mystery and melancholy of a street?

DAY #3: THURSDAY
Industry & commerce
What will we do to earn a crust? How and where will we spend our time and money? And what dreams will fuel our investment plans? Can we sustain Exeter’s momentum in its move from Clone Town to Home Town? Or balance the macro and the micro? What economic models will hold water? Should we adopt the fluidic logic of the Financephalograph? Move back to the land in Physiocratic style? Or look to SimCity for our inspiration?

DAY #4: FRIDAY
Mobility & communications
We’ve got a river and canal, lots of roads and cycle lanes, pedestrian rights of way, and even some flight paths. So, what’s the best way to get ourselves, our effects and our data from A to B? How can we hardwire our desire paths into the fabric of the city? What happens if we think radically like the former mayor of Bogata Enrique Peñalosa and ban cars during rush hour? We have a house that moved in Exeter – what about a city that walks for itself as the architect Ron Herron proposed?

DAY #5: SATURDAY
On this final day, we’ll interrogate all of the themes and questions that have arisen previously.

8pm, Exeter Brewery tap-room bar
Where to build the walls that protect us

Join us to hear invited experts and citizens present their playful visions of possible future Exeters. Visit the project website for details of how to contribute your own vision.

Exeter Brewery is located on Cowley Bridge Road, just to the north of the Station Road level crossing. Free parking is available in the Brewery car park or on the main road after 6pm.