Our lives, social relationships and aspirations for how we inhabit the city are profoundly shaped by a set of economic and infrastructural dynamics arising from digitalisation. At the same time, these new economic configurations are governed by the logics of informality and improvisation, giving rise to new opportunities and spatial relationships. Through glimpses into everyday life and subsistence practices in Mumbai, Johannesburg, Stellenbosch and Cape Town, we will explore how these transformations are experienced and negotiated on a daily basis.

• Rupali Gupte and Prasad Shetty examine the digital disruption of food distribution and trade networks in Mumbai, as well as the tensions generated by property markets in different contexts.
• Thireshen Govender analyses new uses and socio-spatial practices in Johannesburg’s Ethiopian commercial district.
• Edgar Pieterse examines the dynamics of urban development around the University of Cape Town and reflects on the tensions created by the property market in so-called ‘innovation districts’.
• Ashley Walters explores strategies for adapting homes in Stellenbosch, South Africa, where households serve multiple purposes and personal skills are used as a form of exchange.

An Urban Interregnum. New vocabularies and formations of collective life from the Global South is an international research project bringing together artists, researchers and activists from India, South Africa and Brazil to explore emerging phenomena in urban contexts around the world.

Session with simultaneous interpretation.

Free admission. Limited capacity. Admission will be prioritised on a first-come, first-served basis.