In the last couple of years, the Design-A-Thons have garnered renewed attention for their groundbreaking techniques, most notably the utilization of public access television stations for residents to call in during live planning and design telecasts to provide ideas and feedback.

Last year, Performa featured our Design-A-Thons in its book titled Bodybuilding, which studied the intersection of architecture and performance. An organization dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance, Performa expanded on its book with an online exhibition of the same title this spring. The exhibition has been so well received that it has been extended by six weeks.

Performa’s “Radical Broadcast” includes 30 minutes of original video from our 1979 Design-A-Thon for a master plan of Roanoke, Virginia. Note that the “Radical Broadcast” has scheduled programming, similar to a television station, and the Design-A-Thon feature is not yet available on-demand. It airs each day at 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Sept. 7.

The Bodybuilding exhibition has been covered by various architecture media outlets, including the following:

Performa Presents a Free Online Exhibition Examining Live Performance in Architecture (Design Boom)

Bodybuilding: Online Exhibition Studies the Contaminations Between Architecture and Performance (Domus)

How Architects Have Used Performance to Reclaim Private Space (Frieze)

An Online Exhibition Connects the Dots Between Performance and Architecture (Metropolis)