Superbold
Research, Workshop
This hands-on, participatory placemaking design workshop merges the dynamic realms of graphic design, urban design, and speculative design to transform overlooked spaces in Chicago. Ever passed by a building or lot and felt there’s more to its story or civic potential yet to be realized? Superbold responds to this, offering a suite of design tools that facilitate bold collective dreaming, reclamation, and advocacy for the hidden possibilities within urban spaces. It enables participants to explore Supergraphics, demonstrating how large, striking designs can highlight the unnoticed and unite communities around underutilized areas. Participants are encouraged to make bold design statements about the 'shapes of absence' in our city's vernacular neighborhoods, envisioning what they might become.
In the fall of 2023, the first Superbold workshop spotlighted the South Chicago Velodrome at its center stage. This landmark, long neglected
since Chicago's unsuccessful bid for the 2016 Olympics, once overflowed with aspirations. By integrating its rich history with unique community insights and the dynamic visual tools of Supergraphics Landscapes, the workshop, in collaboration with local community org SkyART, engaged South Chicago's youth. They were introduced to key concepts like 'Storytelling,' 'Staging,' and 'Futuring,' along with AI technology, to reimagine the Velodrome site.
Envisioned neighborhood transformations included a new farmers market to tackle local food desert issues, a multifunctional public venue to foster community gatherings, and additional play and green spaces, as well as cafes, to address the shortage of recreational options in the area.
A recap of the Superbold x SkyART workshop.
