Romanian Creative Week (RCW), the most important event dedicated to the Romanian creative industries, which will take place in the city of Iasi from 19 to 28 May 2023, the Union of Romanian Architects, Iasi branch, together with the Arch Forward team announces for this year’s edition a series of strategies, installations and activations of a peripheral public space in the city, under the name PLAYESCAPES: A CITY OF WONDER.

The Arch Forward team thus continues its work on interventions at the border between architecture and social activism, which began at the first edition of RCW in 2021 with the Bahlui Visions project. As part of the PLAYESCAPES initiative, the organisers are launching a Call for Illustrations on architecture, city and public space.

If you are an architect, illustrator, graphic designer, photographer, painter or a little bit of everything, you are invited to share your vision of how the city can bring out the playfulness and creativity in the everyday with the public. Explore visions from the real, achievable or utopian spectrum and create your own manifesto for a Iași where play is not just for children: A CITY OF PLAY AND WONDER.

You can express yourself in any medium you consider (photography, collage, mix-media, digital or classical illustration, etc.), just keep in mind that all the works will be printed and exhibited in an installation that aims to promote art as a common occurrence in the public space, and not only in galleries and museums.

The three most successful illustrations will be awarded €100 each and will be exhibited in PLAYESCAPES. In addition to the prize-winning illustrations, the organisers announce that, within the limits of the exhibition space, as many of the entries as possible will be presented.

COMPETITION CALENDAR

10.03 – 20.04.2023: Entries must be made by e-mail, with the subject “A CITY FULL OF WONDER AND PLAY”, sent to play.wonder.city@gmail.com, in which participants must mention their name, a brief description of their motivation and concept and attach their work in A2 portrait or landscape format, at a resolution of 300 dpi. The originality, execution and clarity of the idea expressed and the meaning of the work will be appreciated.

25.04.2023: Announcement of the winning illustrations.

19.05.2023: Awarding of the winners, together with the opening event of the exhibition.