Abstract

This study looks at four cases surrounding mobile disruptive architecture. A niche method for delivering pop-up arts-based programming via bikes, bike trailers, or trollies and into public space. Using mixed-methods, qualitative interview data from practitioners are understood through thematic analyses and compared alongside auto-ethnographic accounts. Henry Lefebvre’s (1991) theory of social space, Chantal Mouffe’s (2007) theory of agonistic interventions and Christina Standerfer, et al.’s (2022) theory on community readiness are also applied. My research question asks, How does mobile disruptive architecture generate new meaning in relation to place, and new forms of collectivity while fostering public dialogue? The projects analyzed are: 1) Bakery of Bread and Roses and its sequel, Museum on Wheels based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal; 2) Art Spin based in Toronto; 3) El BiciCrófono based in Los Angeles; and 4) PedalBox Gallery based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. This study includes an overview of each project and discusses the tactics involved in doing this work. It investigates the forms of collectivity that emerge and shows how meaning is generated in and through these projects. I advocate for further research into the experiences of those encounters from the perspective of the participant rather than the practitioner to gain better insight into the pedagogical potential of this method of social engagement.