Not Sheep: New Urban Enclosures and Commons
Not Sheep: New Urban Enclosures and Commons gathers a varied set of examples and speculations on new urban enclosures and commons from 50 international artists, writers, architects and theorists. The title of the project takes its name from the wooly emblem of the historical enclosure of common land that began in 16th century England as peasants were driven from arable farming land to make room for sheep-walks. But rather than being a mythical moment in capitalism, the enclosing of commons is a process that is in full force today, and visible in the changing shape of cities globally.
Not Sheep has been organized and curated by Urban Subjects, with brief opening remarks from Nicholas Blomley, author of Unsettling the City: Urban Land and the Politics of Property.
ARTSPEAK gallery, Vancouver, Canada; May 13th to May 20th, 2006