Since 2002, four local interdisciplinary teams have been commissioned to study and document urban shrinking processes in the urban regions of Detroit (USA), Manchester/Liverpool (Britain), Ivanovo (Russia), and Halle/Leipzig (Germany). Each site stands as an example of a specific form of shrinking: In Detroit, the issue is the consequences of suburbanization; in Manchester/Liverpool, of deindustralization; in Ivanavo, of postsocialism; and in the greater Halle/Leipzig region, several of these factors are compounded. People from various disciplines, including urban geographers, cultural experts, architects, journalists, and artists, take part in the work.

Congratulations to Mitch Cope (of Tangent Gallery) who curated an exceptional Detroit show for the Shrinkng Cities project exhibition, which opened to a full house in Berlin last night with diverse work from both established and emerging artists. The work represented contemporary Detroit without overplaying the 'abandoned building' cliche (you win Gina), my favorites being: Mitch's 'Fortifications' drawings, Jody Huellmantel's video on the relocation of graves from the city to the suburbs (post-mortem white flight), and Chris McNamara's 'Magic City' video / pinball installation. Of course there was the obligatory Heidelberg project review and a multi-story slide to keep the kids out of trouble. I'm not sure who attached the illuminated potted plant to the outside building, but it was a brilliant reference to the all too common sight of nature reclaiming the city.

Although the project focused on topic more than the individual artists work, the show managed to capture current aspects of each city and relegated the heavy background information to a timeline on the groud floor. One of the more fascinating projects was from Further A Feild, the transformation of a subsidized apartment tower in Manchester into artist's installations as each one was vacated, leading up to the building's condemnation. Shrinking Cities will be up until November before it hits the road - and may yet come to Detroit.