BroadsheEts And Videos - A Study in Old School Engagement

Lobby Fest was conceived by Future Cities as a way to reimagine semi-public spaces in Calgary. They initially approached us to create a video that would promote the event and inspire people to engage with these spaces in new ways. In that first meeting, someone said, “Something like MuchMusic’s Speakers’ Corner.” We took that as a cue to be scrappy and to capture the voices of the people. To do that, we rented the longest lens in Alberta, gathered what courage we could, and went out to see what Calgarians had to say.

The result was two minutes of candid feedback about the state of Calgary’s public spaces, but more importantly, the vision and hope people have for them. The shoot also doubled as the launch of Lobby Fest. We moved through the central +15 hub, creating a visible, public moment right in front of the people the festival wanted to engage.

That video was the first of two we created for Lobby Fest. The second was a more straightforward recap of the event itself.

Both videos went on to be used beyond the festival, helping space owners and city planners better understand what Calgarians are thinking and feeling about their community.

Leaning into the festival’s old-school aesthetic, we took things a step further by creating two broadsheet publications we called Strange Attractor. The first issue featured content from the video, alongside essays, art, and photography from designers and artists. It was distributed throughout Calgary’s semi-public spaces during the week of Lobby Fest, both promoting the event and offering something tangible for people to take with them.

The second issue pushed things further. In collaboration with the Centre for Newcomers and designers Kris Kelly-Frere and Cindy Lee, we worked with a group of youth who had recently immigrated to Canada. Together, we moved through the +15s and other semi-public spaces, equipping them with Polaroids, markers, and poster boards. We asked them to document these spaces as they imagined them—reimagined through their own perspectives.

We then spent the afternoon eating pizza and assembling the second issue of Strange Attractor. The result was a fitting conclusion to the festival—and a tangible, impactful piece that was later shared with attendees as a follow-up.

These videos and broadsheets were deeply collaborative. More than that, they asked people to engage with their city differently. Not every project requires this kind of approach, but making things like this can create impact far beyond the final deliverable.

‘Speakers Corner’ for those too young to remember.