Episode 15: Creative Urban Methods

In this episode, I talk with Sigrid Merx, Associate Professor in Theatre Studies at Utrecht University (the Netherlands) about creative urban methods. Sigrid is co-organizer of the research group Urban Interfaces at Utrecht University and she has used, written and taught about many different types of creative methods. She shares her insights about the benefits and challenges of using creative methods.

Sigrid’s recommended resources:

• Corner, J. (1999). The agency of mapping: speculation, critique and invention. In Denis Cosgrove (ed.), Mappings (pp. 213-252). Chicago University Press.

• de Certeau, M. (1984). Practices of Everyday Life. University of California Press.

• Lefebvre, H. (1991[1974]). The Production of Space. Blackwell.

• Massey, D. (2005). For Space. SAGE.

• Nibbelink, L. G. (2019). Nomadic Theatre: Mobilizing Theory and Practice on the European Stage. Bloomsbury Publishing.

• Pearson, M. & Shanks, M. (2001). Theatre/Archaeology. Routledge.

• Van der Tuin, I., & Verhoeff, N. (2022). Critical concepts for the creative humanities. Rowman & Littlefield.

Sigrid’s highlighted work:

• Merx, S., Kanters, C., de Lange, M., & Verhoeff, N. (eds.) (2023) Creative Urban Methods. Dossier for Mediapolis: A Journal of Cities and Cultures, 8(4).

• De Lange, M., Merx, S., & Verhoeff, N. (2019). Urban interfaces: Between object, concept, and cultural practice. Introduction to Urban Interfaces: Media, Art & Performance in Public Spaces (edited by N. Verhoeff, S. Merx, & M. de Lange) Leonardo Electronic Almanac, 22.

Thank you to Elmeri Tommiska for the music and to Jyri Väisänen for the post-production assistance.