The Chicago Architecture Biennial officially begins on Saturday, September 16, kicking off more than three months of programming, tours, installations and exhibits. If you want to get a taste of the celebration, head to Bridgeport this weekend where a gigantic temporary structure called SPACEBUSTER will be parked in front of Maria’s Packaged Goods & Community Bar from September 14 to 16.
Designed by German urban design collective raumlaborBerlin, SPACEBUSTER is a huge inflatable bubble affixed to the back of a truck that will host live music, film screenings, community gatherings and a piano-playing robot called Automaten. Presented in collaboration Germany's Übermut Project, SPACEBUSTER is intended to bring the creative spirit of Berlin and Hamburg across the globe. Throughout the next three days, members of Chicago's avant-garde music scene will perform in the translucent space and invite community members to join in on a jam session. You can think of SPACEBUSTER as a super-sized version of City Winery's River Domes, but without all the rosé and merlot.
More details can be found via the SPACEBUSTER Facebook page, but you can check out a preliminary schedule and some photos of the installation below.
Thursday, September 14 + Friday, September 15
6–9pm: Experimental Music Pop-Up lab, featuring Automaten and surprise guests
9–11pm: Silent Video Loop Expo
Saturday, September 16
Noon–4pm: Experimental Music Pop-Up lab: Jam Session
12:40pm: SPACEBUSTER Streaming Live from the South Side @IdeasCity Festival in New York
4–6pm: Neighborhood Sound Forum (open to all musical collaborators)
6–9pm: Experimental Music Pop-Up lab, featuring Automaten and surprise guests
Photograph: Courtesy raumlaborBerlin
Photograph: Courtesy raumlaborBerlin
Photograph: Courtesy raumlaborBerlin