LONDON, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

City of Stories -  "If You Turn the City Upside-down, Stories will Fall Out"  

On 13^th June, Levitt Bernstein will host an event in collaboration with local artist, A Labour of Love, and industry homelessness charity CRASH.

     (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130724/629940 )

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150519/744575-a )

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150519/744575-b )

This large-scale art installation in the courtyard at the front of Levitt Bernstein's Dalston studio will explore hidden stories of homeless people within our capital city alongside Levitt Bernstein's own research on mixed communities.

The event takes its influence from this year's London Festival of Architecture theme of 'a work in progress', exploring the efforts going into addressing these issues both through the design process at an architectural level, and also through the work of the industry's charity.

The medium used for the installation will be cardboard, a material synonymous with its use on the streets as a barrier from the cold.

The upended cardboard city we are creating will be a map depicting themes explored in Levitt Bernstein's research, coupled with the experiences of those who have been most affected by the housing crisis - the beneficiary group of the charities that CRASH supports.  

Along with CRASH, Levitt Bernstein will be working closely with Kairos Community Trust, a charity which is dedicated to helping homeless men and women with drug and alcohol problems. Some of these homeless people will be sharing their stories whilst helping to build the installation.

Exploration of and interaction with the piece will allow the viewer to discover these real life stories, facts and figures as they tumble out of cardboard city.

Arrive hungry, as local café Subtitles will be serving food and drink in the courtyard all day, with donations going to Kairos Community Trust.

Date:        13^th June 2015

Time:        11.00 to 16.00

Location:    1 Kingsland Passage London E8 2BB

Note to editors: 

About Levitt Bernstein 

Levitt Bernstein aims to create architecture of the highest quality which embodies a deep sense of responsibility towards our clients, their buildings' users and the environment.

"We strive to be inventive and to advocate the profound benefits of good design through ideas informed by research, resourceful talent and project efficiency. We collaborate with communities touched by our work, communicating our opinions in an articulate, friendly and intelligent manner." 

The practice remains true to its roots, bringing architects' sensibilities to the process of regeneration, and creating buildings which contribute to the vitality and diversity of our best towns and cities. The skills of the practice reflect the need for architects to design buildings which lift the spirits and to be problem-solvers who constantly seek new answers to old questions. Acknowledged leadership in the fields of regeneration, housing and cultural buildings is balanced by expertise in varied fields, including education, health, commercial, mixed-use and landscape design, a commitment to research and a desire to accept new challenges.

Levitt Bernstein's architecture is design-led, people-orientated and inherently sustainable. We appreciate that a building's carbon footprint must be addressed in its design, its construction and its eventual use. We look beyond fashion to create buildings which give a lifetime of value, and recognise the benefits of debate in the process of creating unique, tailored and ultimately workable design solutions.

The practice's house style is a shared, progressive attitude to design. By constant reassessment, interrogation and reinvention, we aim to keep the practice at the forefront of the profession, continuing to demystify the architectural process, working imaginatively within the constraints of brief and budget and using architecture as a vehicle to improve people's lives and the environment in which they live.

http://www.levittbernstein.co.uk

Twitter @LevittBernstein

About CRASH 

CRASH is a practical charity addressing the issues of homelessness by harnessing the skills, products and goodwill of the construction and property industry to improve hostels, day centres, night shelters, training centres and move-on accommodation, for frontline homelessness agencies who work directly with homeless people.

CRASH focuses on projects that help single homeless people aged 18 and above as they are not entitled to receive any statutory assistance from the local authority and are therefore extremely vulnerable.

Well designed and expertly built environments have a positive effect on how we feel and behave and this is no different for people who are homeless.

Every year CRASH helps a large number of homelessness charities throughout the UK refurbish and develop their buildings by:

• Providing on-site professional expertise
• Sourcing building material free of charge from our Patron and supporting companies
• Awarding cash grants

The result is that the buildings homeless people need can be refurbished and developed to a much higher standard than would otherwise be possible.

http://www.crash.org.uk

Twitter @CRASHcharity

About Kairos Community Trust 

At Kairos Community Trust we are dedicated to helping homeless men and women with drug and alcohol problems. We do this through our detox and rehab programmes and our network of 28 supported move-on houses, almost all of which are in south London.

Our five core services are the stepping-stones to recovery - detox, residential rehab, day programme rehab, supported housing and aftercare. Each service can be accessed separately or they can be combined to build individual treatment pathways over a period of time. All our services are delivered by experienced teams of qualified therapists, support workers and administrators.

Addiction and homelessness are twin problems, and we believe that the journey to recovery from drugs and alcohol begins in a safe, secure environment.

http://www.kairoscommunity.org.uk/

About A Labour of Love 

A Labour of Love art project is run by Hanna Benihoud, fuelled by an interest in capturing the everyday and turning it into something intriguing. Often inspired by the ability of poetry and song writing to produce this transformation lyrically, Hanna's work does this visually, deconstructing various elements of everyday life, from train tickets to newspaper. Through observation and imagination she fuses them into something far more fantastical than their original form.

http://www.alabouroflove13.co.uk/
Twitter     @labouroflove13

Supporters 

The scaffolding for the installation is kindly provided by RPF Scaffolding - http://www.rpfscaffolding.co.uk.

For more information, contact: Emma Brophy Communications Manager CRASH +44(0)208-742-0717 ebrophy@crash.org.uk

SOURCE CRASH