(P) LOT, an ongoing project by Michael Rakowitz (of the notorious paraSITE), questions the occupation of public space and encourages reconsiderations of “legitimate” participation in city life.

Instead of using municipal parking spaces to store vehicles, P (LOT) proposes to rent them for alternative purposes. The acquisition of municipal permits and simple payment of parking meters could enable citizens to, for example, establish temporary encampments or use the leased ground for different kinds of activities. A first initiative turns ordinary car covers into portable tents, available for loan at the MUMOK, the Museum of Modern Art in Vienna. Interested citizens have the choice to use one of five covers ranging from a common Sedan to a luxurious Porsche or motorcycle.

Correction: The project was exhibited at MUMOK in Vienna way back in October 2004, and is currently on view as part of the “Beyond Green: Toward a Sustainable Art” at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City until 7 May and also in “Mind The Gap” at Smack-Mellon in Brooklyn until Sunday, 30 April, where Michael Rakowitz will hold a small, drawing-based workshop on creating “Flexible Architecture.”