Café ODYSSEY - 敘事咖啡店, Ronnie Chou

Café ODYSSEY and local collaborators at Peckham, south-east London

Café ODYSSEY — 從仕紳化出發，打造不一樣的敘事咖啡店

The coffee shop to evade the caffeine - curse of gentrification

Café ODYSSEY是由英國倫敦藝術⼤學中央聖⾺丁藝術與設計學院 — MA Narrative Environments 敍事性環境碩士畢業⽣ 曹朗妍 Ronnie Chou 與其多領域設計團隊合作的項⽬目。

Ronnie Chou的這個畢業項目主要是為了促進社區凝聚力和傳遞在地文化故事，團隊們設計了一系列活動， 包括pop-up咖啡店、獨立⼩店導賞、藝術展覽及社區研討會等，以咖啡、故事Narrative、遊歷路線向公眾展示南倫敦產業轉型與城區仕紳化現象，以及⼈口結構多元化而產生的⽂化⾝份矛盾關係。

首次活動於2018年年三⽉的⼀個周未舉辦，選址在南倫敦的 Peckham 一個正在進⾏都市更新，城區更⽣⽽在地⽂文化卻逐漸流失的地區。項目隨後獲選入London Festival of Architecture 2018 倫敦建築嘉年華，並於六月份獲邀於Tate Modern倫敦泰特現代美術館參展Tate Exchange。

Café ODYSSEY is a critical intervention led by Central Saint Martins MA Narrative Environments graduate Ronnie Chou and a team of multi-disciplinary collaborators. It utilises coffee, storytelling and wayfinding to encourage social cohesion by highlighting existing cultural narratives within an urban gentrifying context. Influenced by the argument that coffee shops have become a barometer of gentrification, Café ODYSSEY takes the form of a pop-up café aiming to highlight localness and celebrate diversity in Peckham during its current period of transition. 

The intervention first took place in Peckham, south-east London on a weekend in March 2018. Its second iteration happened in June 2018, as a part of the London Festival of Architecture 2018. It is also invited by local initiative, Pempeople, to participate in an exhibition at Tate Exchange, Tate Modern in late June 2018.

Participants at Café ODYSSEY’s exhibition in Tate Exchange, Tate Modern

咖啡店作為「第三空間 Third Space」，早已成為都市裡的社區交流場所，倫敦的情況當然也不例外。⽽被發展 商及旅遊指南譽為 “The heart of the up and coming hipster-zone” 的Peckham，當地居⺠民紛紛反應:咖啡廳一旦於某一區出現，當地隨即聚集來「朝聖」的人群。⽽當地逐漸開張的酒吧、畫廊、 設計工作室、週末⼿作市集更是吸引年輕一代到訪、落落户Peckham的主要因素。結果卻是發展商看 中當地的升值潛力，卻換來租金狂飈，逼遷⼩小店。最後引發的社會問題，最嚴重的莫過於當地新舊人群之間的⽭盾關係，以及代表當地多元文化的建築、小店被後起之秀一一取代。

團隊相信社會文化多樣性是現代城市⽣活質素重要⼀環，⽽城區更⽣的階段也有很大潛力推動⼈⺠交流和文化多樣性。Café ODYSSEY因此主張打造一個促進多元融合社區環境及保存獨特在地⽂化的平台。

Coffee bars are seen as the Third Space - “the neutral public space for a community to connect and establish bonds aside from home and workspace” - are often claimed to be the symbol of gentrification; and the change of the places, according to Peckham’s local residents, is because of the clientele. Due to the newly established hipster bars, galleries, studios and craft markets, Peckham nowadays is moving away from the past negative reputation and is widely mentioned by real estate companies and travel guides to be “the heart of the up and coming hipster-zone”. 

Research also reveals that there is a strong tension between the existing local communities and the new coming communities, who are claimed to be ‘hipsters’. With the strong belief that sociocultural diversity is one of the great amenities of modern city living; gentrification is seen to be a possible way to create opportunities for social interaction and cultural diversity. Café ODYSSEY, thus, marks its importance on providing platforms to both new and settled populationsin south London during periods of gentrification, to encounter and integrate; also, is an attempt to ease tensions between both groups.

團隊最後更於當地一個廢置空間，策劃一場關於城區仕紳化和鼓勵多元文化的藝術展覽及研討會—(Brain)Storm in A Coffee Cup，展出當地少數族裔藝術家的作品，透過藝術推廣社區多元融合。亦歡迎公眾參與由當地團體、藝廊、藝術家和市⺠民組成的研討會，與多領域人⼠士交換意見;同時促成更多關於社區與教學機構，在⽂化藝術範疇的未來來合作機會。

(Brain)Storm in A Coffee Cup, an art exhibition and open discussion, is part of the socially engaged and collaborative design project Café ODYSSEY, and the two programmes come together to promote social cohesion and place attachment to counteract the alienating effects of gentrification. Participants are welcomed to join the conversations, exchange ideas and build connections with the local communities, social enterprises, galleries, artists and residents in the event.

首次活動結束後，Café ODYSSEY團隊便獲邀參加當地⼤型活動JAM ON RYE，與一眾⽂化創意團 體共同分享創作理念。及後更獲得當地⽂創產業空間 Peckham Levels 邀請，於其開幕活動中舉辦另一場分享會，探討更更多透過文化藝術活動，帶領大眾關注社會議題的不同⽅式。

Café ODYSSEY is also invited to participate in a local festival Jam On Rye, to share its design concept and practices, together with the inspiring local initiatives. The team is also invited to host another panel discussion at the opening event of a local creative platform, Peckham Levels. This multi-disciplinary collaboration and grassroots experience is invaluable in terms of a learning curve about the complex process of gentrification and hoping to aid in resisting the more pernicious aspects of the phenomenon.

Café ODYSSEY team was invited to share with the public about the insights of the project at Peckham Levels Open Studio

關於

創作者 曹朗妍Ronnie Chou 畢業於英國倫敦藝術大學中央聖⾺丁藝術與設計學院，主要研究以敍事性設計 MA Narrative Environments 營造空間，融入戲劇性的情節邏輯於環境設計策略中。透過故事形式的空間佈局促進人與人之間的互動關係、 空間體驗氛圍，以傳遞設計意圖。留學期間以項⽬管理背景曾與國內、外多重領域團隊合作，為城區、公共環境、文創產業和商業空間提供設計策略與方案。

About author:

Graduated at MA Narrative Environments in Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, Ronnie Chou strives to develop human-centered narrative design strategies and deliver engaging

experience design proposals by connecting stories, people and spaces. With the background in events management, Ronnie also works closely with multi-disciplinary teams to manage public engagement projects and interventions in commercial environments and urban spaces.


Contact | ronnie.chou.rc@gmail.com
聯繫 | ronnie.chou.rc@gmail.com


London Festival of Architecture 2018 倫敦建築嘉年華活動網站：
https://www.londonfestivalofarchitecture.org/event/cafe-odyssey/

Café ODYSSEY

Website | cafeodyssey.wixsite.com/odyssey 

Twitter | @CafeOdyssey2018

Instagram | @Cafe.Odyssey

Facebook | @Cafeodyssey.art

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