Background

On 14th and 15th of February 2011, there was a Future City Game in Petrozavodsk as part of a one-week lab event called ‘Working with local community and international cultural projects’.

The Game was collaboratively managed by four partners: British Council Russia, Creative Industries agency, Cultural Initiatives Development Centre and “Kizhi'” museum.
Before the game, there was a creative economy forum on 12th February devoted to the creative economy for the local community.

You can also watch the fantastic photos taken by the Future City Game expert Cees Donkers.

Objectives

The overall aim of the game was to stimulate the development of creative initiatives and encourage positive collaboration between and within different communities (public and private sector, NGO’s, knowledge and cultural institutions, local and international professionals).

Teams had to come up with the best possible holistic vision of the quarter to address the long-term challenges facing city and the area in question. The game was also a lot about players developing a greater critical understanding of sustainable urban development, practicing soft skills and behaviour in team work, communication, working across disciplines and practicing hard skills in design, research, analysis and presentation.

The game took place in the old quarter (architecture of late 19th and early 20th century), which is fortunate in many ways. It sits on the gorgeous bank of a huge lake and in the heart of the city at the same time. The environmental potential of the area is unlimited, although not developed so far. The plan of the ‘old city’ district
 

Winning idea

Virtual Quarter

The idea aims to create an off- and on-line visualisation zone with the help of the media technologies of the future. The project integrates the historical background of the quarter into a modern perspective, making it an interactive platform for light installations, shadow theatre, 3D modelling, computer-based games (such as e.g. adaptations of Sims). The project encourages the active involvement of local creative and hi-tech industries, and makes it possible to attract young people, tourists and business (ads, selling goods at festivals and in stylised shops, services etc).
 

Winning ideas from the other teams

Four Elements

The project explores the idea of the four elements (earth, water, fire, and air) and the great potential of the area to be a rich green historical space. The team presented their vision as a place to get in touch with the elements of nature and to live with them in harmony. It is a place with great air, water, land and the fire of blacksmiths (traditional arts and crafts).                             

Time Machine

The idea behind the Time Machine is to create a theme park with opportunities to dive into five historical modules: the Stone Age, Traditional Village, Old Town, the USSR and the Future. All sections are interactive museum platforms that encourage active participation and for all age groups. This project also creates a brand, a so-called Mythical Motherland. This team had a creative idea for their presentation: they used the talking heads of other participants (photos) to communicate key features of the concept.

Creative Labs

This team visualised the quarter as an energy centre for creative industries with a wide range of cultural activities, laboratories and opportunities for creative entrepreneurship.        

Kaleidoscope

The idea is to make a year-round schedule of many small and large scale cultural events, creating a rich overall pattern