Here is the second draft for Project by WochenKlausur from March 2004: An intervention to involve more tenants into Tenantspin. The project is designed for the Liverpool-Biennial 2004

Situation

At the moment Tenantspin, run by High Rise Tenants together with FACT, offers webcast-TV to residents of Sefton Park Towers. A show takes place irregularly, scheduled twice a month on average and involving High Rise Tenants both in the making of the show and in the show itself. Chat-comments are regularly fit into the current show, read to the audience or questioned to the guests.

In spite of this interactive concept and efforts by FACT to get more people involved with tenantspin, only about ten per cent of the High Rise Tenants participate in the show, either by making it, watching it live in the FACT-centre or being a guest on the show, or by chatting. It is likely to suppose that those who participate in the show sometimes actually do watch it - whereas others might not find enough impetus to watch.

Aim

The project aims at increasing participation from the tenants living in the five Sefton Park tower blocks.

To approach this goal we propose to use the internal CCTV cabling, a broadcast system to be developed by FACT. At the moment tenantspin is limited to owners of computers with Internet-access. The infrastructure within the towers – CCTV at cable-television – fits perfectly to lower access-restrictions by bringing tenantspin to its audience by simply broadcasting the show via television. As a precondition the problem of bringing the programme on the local Cable TV has to be solved by FACT.

Concept

12 months programme

WochenKlausur develops and organizes a year’s calendar. Different institutions, companies, associations, interest groups and private funders will be invited by WochenKlausur to cooperate in creating content for the programme.

Each show has anotherissue. For example a hairdresser invites three tenants for a free styling session. During the haircut the hairdresser could chat with the clients about several problems at the towers and general politics as well. Another example: A group of tenants guide some managers of The Cube through their own exhibition.

Other examples

- A local gardening centre could invite tenants to restructure Sefton Park gardening and provide plants and professional help

- A Paint-shop arranges a painting session to colour parts of the sidewalk in front of the towers

- A Football-team integrates some tenants into a training session

Frames

WochenKlausur also attempts to line up some sustainable programme series (types) always using the same frames. Within these frames the content always changes.

For instance the type “walk and talk” Every month there is a another political or philosophical discussion by tenants walking together with invited specialists (, nutrition scientist ithrough a supermarket, botanist along the seftonpark talking about the plants thereetc) Other example: Each month another problem coming up in the daily co-existence has to be discussed.There also could be a repetition of the best show at the end of each month.

Production

The way a show is produced depends to a large part on its individual content, and depends on the providers´ (companies, associations, shops) suggestions as well. It can be broadcasted live or pre-recorded; meetings at the ‘work space’ or at the blocks are possible and useful. It depends on the type. If there is a series like “walking through the streets in touch with philosophy” it is outside. Others could be produced at the studio.

The tenants

In any case the role of the tenants is two-fold. They are integrated in the programme as participants, but they are also integrated in organising and brainstorming for new ideas together with institutions, shops or the FACT people. Sometimes it should be helpful to prepare the shows together. In this case a meeting with people from FACT, the providing company or institution and some tenants could be helpful to work out a specific show.

Advertising

The shows could be promoted with a poster (handmade or with chalks on an especially prepared board) close to the elevator on ground floor of each Sefton Park House. Also the schedule of the programme always has to be presented online, not necessarily detailed but it should make the audience curious.

Office Space

For organizing the schedule WochenKlausur will be based within FACT´s workspaces. The working space should be equipped with 3 computers (with printing facilities and full ADSL), at least two telephones, also admin support should be provided. For the agreed working period the four members of WochenKlausur will work together with two staff-members of FACT.

Schedule

The project is divided into two parts.

- 3 weeks in July

- 3 weeks in August, September (ending on 7. September 2004)