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2004 M a d r i d

S c h o o l o f

A r c h i t e c t u r e

E s p a g n e

E u r o p e

V i a j e s a l a c i u d a d i n v i s i b l e

M e b a j o a l a c a l l e !

A l l a b o u t m y n e i g h b o u r h o o d

c o v i j o c o m p e t i t i o n

!

20032002 2005 2006 2007

laboratorio urbano

174 175

ul

z

ul

movimientos sociales y asocia- ciones de vecinos

L U (LU) es una asociación de

alumnos de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Arqui-

tectura de Madrid . Tratamos de buscar un espacio

en el ámbito universitario que sirva de canal de

interacción con una realidad urbana que nos es

muchas veces desconocida o negada: la ciudad

invisible.

El interés común que nos aglutina podría ser el de

explorar el entorno que nos rodea. Como arqui-tectos se supone que estamos preparándonos

para intervenir en él; de cualquier forma, viviremos

en él; de hecho, vivimos en él. La ciudad, que se

supone estudiamos hasta la saciedad, tiene miles

de facetas que se nos escapan, de las que no

hablamos en ninguna asignatura

Existe un cierto funcionamiento en red, cada

uno tiene sus historias, cada uno se mueve por

algunos lugares y de lo que se trata es de poner

en común, de compartir experiencias, muchas

veces, de pedir ayuda, manos y cabezas; pero

sobre todo de reflexionar; se trata de construir

algo, un proyecto común a partir de esas reali-

dades diversas. Nos es común una inquietud conrespecto a las lagunas que deja la universidad. Y

entre estas dos vertientes andamos, construyendo

cosas: el ciclo de charlas Ciudad, Vivienda y

are involved in transforming our own close envi-

ronment, the School of Architecture, trying to fill

some of the voids that formal architecture and

urban formation leaves.

Ciudadanía , con la Red de Lavapiés y el Taller de

Mujeres , junto al colectivo de Mujeres Urbanistas ,

tantos ratos en El Laboratorio 03 , la experiencia

de organizar en la Escuela el concurso de ideas

para la Cooperativa de Vivienda Joven (COVIJO) las

Charlas sobre Iván Illich , los talleres de participa-

ción en la Escuela y en Alcalá, la Iniciativa por la

Vivienda y los Espacios Sociales (m s ) , las Fiestas

Vecinales de Las Vistillas , el apoyo al periódicoDiagonal , y un largo etcétera.

L U (LU) is a student associa-

tion at the School of Architecture at the Polytechnic

University of Madrid. It brings together people

involved in various aspects of city construction

based on social participation. Our aim was to make

a place at the University that could act as a space

of interaction with an urban reality that is often

unknown or denied: the invisible city. We started

our activity informally during the winter of 2002 as

a work in progress. Later in 2003, it was registered

as a student’s association at the university.Our main common interest is to explore our urban

and social environment. As architects, we are

expected to take part in it; as citizens, we live in it.

The city, which we as architects are meant to study

in depth, has thousands of aspects that escape our

attention, of which we don’t talk of in any lecture. At

that time, the Trips to the Invisible City had exactly

this intention: to interrogate what was moving

around us in our city, Madrid; we wanted to contact

those people who had an opinion about the urban

space in which they lived and who were trying to

intervene in it, to transform it, the people who wereable to articulate proposals based on their deep

knowledge of the problems concerning a particular

space.

In fact, LU was born as a meeting point, a place

to spend time with our university colleagues, to

discuss the subjects we were interested in and as a

starting point to generate debate within the univer-

sity. Ever since we have been working as a network:

each of us has his/her own contacts and moves in

certain areas of the city, with different partners,

and we use LU as a place to share our experiences

and thoughts in common; a place to ask for help.

But above all, it’s a place to think and learn in a

collective way, to build a common project based onour diverse experiences.

Therefore, we work with different neighbourhood

associations and social movements, but also we

www.lu.k Laboratorio Urbano / M / since 2001 / statUs fml

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176 177

Our initial and still official workspace is the

student’s association room at the School of Archi-

tecture but since 2004, we have moved from our

own houses and job spaces to Montera 34, 5o3.

28013 Madrid

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Rented office space in the city centre

Ten people on a voluntary basis

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70 m2

0 €/m2 – Studio space initially used for meetings

but eventually also for working (2 group members

share this space with 8 other people)

Yes, with 8 friends

Yes, from the student’s association room at the

University

University tutors, social movements in Madrid,

neighbourhood associations...

Each project has different means of economic

support but we count on the support of ‘local’

partners for all our projects.

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178 179

L ó: l l u

¿Qué entendemos por participación? Participa-

ción como capacidad y derecho de los habitan-

tes-ciudadanos de analizar, criticar y transformar

el medio en el que viven. Los procesos de toma

de decisiones suceden casi siempre al margen

de las personas que se verán afectadas por

sus consecuencias, por lo que muchas de estas

decisiones no responden a sus necesidadesreales.

El tema de la participación en la construcción

del espacio es una cuestión fundamentalmente

política y, como tal, afecta de una manera

central a nuestras vidas como ciudadanos y

como técnicos.

Cada uno de nosotros conoce mejor que nadie

sus propias necesidades y deseos. Además, cada

uno de nosotros conoce en profundidad deter-

minadas regiones de su ambiente. Esta infor-

mación, que nos pertenece, nos hace capaces,

imprescindibles para dar forma al entorno

que nos rodea. Cuando las actuaciones sobre

nuestro entorno construido (por supuesto,también sobre cualquier otra dimensión de nues-

tras vidas) se deciden desde instancias ajenas a

nosotros mismos, se produce un desfase entre

nuestra situación real y la respuesta supuesta-

mente correcta a nuestros problemas.

La vinculación de las personas con el medio

en el que viven es el primer paso para una

reflexión sobre el modelo de desarrollo que

estamos produciendo. Y para que se produzca

esta vinculación, para desarrollar el sentido de

responsabilidad ante el entorno, tanto físico

como social y cultural, en el que vivimos, es

necesario reforzar los mecanismos de partici-pación en la construcción y transformación de

ese medio.

Colaborar de forma activa en la construcción

de nuestro entorno produce dos efectos, por

un lado, aumenta nuestro sentido de apropia-

ción sobre los lugares que utilizamos, por otro

lado, aumenta el grado de control que tenemos

sobre nuestras vidas, eliminando la sensación

de que todo nos es impuesto desde un sitio

lejano. Ni siquiera es la construcción física la

más importante, lo que logramos realmente

cuando volcamos nuestras ideas y pensa-

mientos sobre un lugar es llenarlo de signifi-

cados, hacerlo verdaderamente nuestro.

pul : m

What d o we under stand by publ ic pa rti cipatio n?

We formu late it as the abilit y and right of the

inhabitants of a certain place to analyse, criti-cise and transform the environment in which

they live. The processes of decision making

usually occur without taking into account the

people who will be aff ected by its consequences,

and therefore many of these decisions do not

correspond to their real needs. The issue of

public participation in the construction of the

city is basically a political question, and so it

affects strongly our lives as citizens and tech-

nical experts.

Each of us knows better than anyone his/her own

needs and wishes. Moreover, each of us knows

deeply certain aspects of his/her environment.

This information belongs to us and makes uscapable, essential even in giving shape to our

own environment. When the interventions in

our built environment are decided from above,

the solutions adopted can hardly satisfy us.

The link between the people and their environ-

ment, which is where they live their lives, is the

first step towards a debate about the model of

development that we are producing. So for this

debate to emerge it is essential that those links

are reinforced, in order to generate a sense

of responsibility towards our environment,

both physic and social. For us, the best way to

achieve this aim is by reinforcing the mecha-nisms of public participation in the construction

and transformation of that environment.

Collaborating actively in this process has two

main benefits: firstly, it increases our sense of

belonging to the places we li ve in, and secondly,

it increases our sense of control over our own

lives. The key point is that by participating in

these kinds of processes, we fill our places with

meaning, which is even more important than

building them physically.Couple of filing cards describing public spaces in Madrid from the

point of view of the Fourth World / part of the Fourth Worlds

project, 2005

Laboratorio Urbano / tooLs / Methods

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180 181

Vj l u vl

La ciudad, que se supone que como urbanistas

estudiamos hasta la saciedad, tiene miles de

facetas que se nos escapan, de las que no

hablamos en ninguna asignatura de la carrera.

Los Viajes a la Ciudad Invisible son una visita a

lugares “cotidianos” de la ciudad guiados por

las personas que viven estos lugares, de un

lado y por expertos arquitectos o urbanistasen esa misma zona de la ciudad (o en sus

problemáticas) por otro.

t ivl cy

The city, as an object of study, has thousands of

details that escape us. Trips to the Invisible City

is a way of looking, of getting in contact with

people who have a view about the place in which

they live and work.

The first round of trips took us to the quar-

ters of Lavapiés, Retiro Sur and Orcasitas,

Usera and Villaverde; on the second round wetravelled to Alameda de Osuna and once more,

to Lavapiés. The ‘trip’ consisted of a kind of

tourist route through the quarter but with two

important differences;

- The destination: the invisible city is made of

our daily places, the places we meet for a drink,

the way we walk to the tube every morning, the

shops we go to, the cafés and the squares….

The invisible city is a tangle of people, of lives

that cross; we find the invisible ci ty in the places

we wait for things to happen, in the places we

decide to take action, where we sit down to

watch our liv es go by.- The guides: we leave the Michelin Guide at

home and let ourselves be gu ided by the people

who know the place, who have dreams about it

and are making an effort to transform it; people

who have found problems and who have taken

a minute to look for alternatives, for different

possibilities.

This is how we met people from the Red de

Lavapiés and Laboratorio 3 squat social centre,

from the neighbourhood association Los Pinos,

the housing co-operative COVIJO, the Youth

Group of the Neighbou rhood Associations Fede-

ration of Madrid and the people from 21 Raíles

Verdes. We also took with us a tutor from the

School of Architecture in Madrid, someone who

knew the place, had studied it from an academic

point of view and who was capable of analysing

it as part of an urban process.

The trips also had a theoretical basis. The first trip took pl aceat the same time as ‘Ecology and Cities’, a debate series atthe School of Architecture, where we tried to reflect on thecity we live in, mixing theory with action.

We felt fascin ated by unknown object s/spac es and wantedto explore them. For each trip we go out with fresh eyesand look for the people who live there but we also want toengage with the people who study this same object (the ci ty)from a distance, those who theorise it.

Laboratorio Urbano / proJect ViaJes a La ciUdad inVisibLe

/ SITE Madrid / TIMING march 2001 (Lavapiés, Orcasitas, Adelfas), november 2002 (Alameda de Osuna, Lavapiés) / PARTNERSHIP Red deLavapiés, Covijo, Centro Cultural Mariano Muñoz, 21 Raíles Verdes, DuyOT (ETSAM) / FUNDS 500€ to pay for the bus, with a grant from theUrbanism Department of the School of Architecture in Madrid.

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tll ñ allá h,

M

Este taller se llevó a cabo en el marco de las

jornadas [R]ACTIVA 04, organizadas desde la

Escuela de Arquitectura de la Universidad de Alcalá

de Henares, en las que 10 grupos de jóvenes

arquitectos aterrizaban en el Distrito 7 de Alcalá

con el objeto entrar en contacto con sus vecinos y

proponer ideas para su reactivación. Se realizó unainvestigación sobre el espacio público de la ciudad

de Alcalá. Se pretendía evaluar desde el punto de

vista de un niño de 10 años las posibilidades de

uso que ofrece la calle como lugar de juego, apren-

dizaje, convivencia, etc. Nos marcamos un objetivo

explícito a cumplir durante la semana del 27 de

septiembre al 1 de octubre de 2004; tomando como

referencia los trabajos realizados por Francesco

Tonucci en La ciudad de los niños, o por Adriana

Bisquert en 1979, pretendíamos «centrarnos en la

vida que el niño puede o no realizar en la calle.

El estudio analítico de las circunstancias que le

rodean, las reflexiones ante esa situación y la posi-

bilidad de vías de actuación serán el motivo y fin deeste trabajo, y el objetivo, plantear la calle como un

lugar a recuperar, como una plataforma educativa,

donde el niño se encuentra asumido como cual-

quier otro ciudadano».

El taller constaba de dos partes diferenciadas,

a realizar a lo largo de una semana. La primera

parte, de tres días de duración, se desarrolló en

el aula del colegio con los niños, en sesiones de

una hora y media de duración. La segunda parte

consistió en la construcción, en un espacio residual

ganado a la ciudad, de algunas de las propuestas

de los niños, utilizando material recogido de la

basura en las noches previas.

El primer día, titulado “Lo cotidiano”, tratamos de

conocer la relación cotidiana de los niños con la

calle y de hacerles entrar en el tema de trabajo: la

ciudad y el espacio público. Una de las dinámicas

fue la realización por parte de los niños de un mapa

mental. El niño, orientado por el monitor, dibuja

sobre papel el camino que recorre desde su casa

al colegio. Se llama mapa mental porque en este

tipo de documento no queda reflejado de manera

exacta el recorrido, sino que consiste en una

descripción gráfica de las sensaciones percibidas

durante el recorrido, así como de los elementos

del mismo más significativos para la persona que

lo realiza. Posteriormente, se realiza, con ayuda de

los monitores, un mapa real. El niño identifica sobre

un plano parcelario el recorrido que realiza desde

su casa al colegio. La actividad consiste en marcar

con rotuladores de colores sobre el plano el itine-

rario que realiza cada niño, las distintas calles que

recorre y los elementos que atraviesa.El objetivo del segundo día, titulado “Sueños”, er a

que el niño describiera los lugares que pueblan

el imaginario de sus juegos infantiles: la cueva

o gruta para esconderse, la selva o bosque, el

laberinto, la cabaña o refugio, y que a menudo

construye con materiales caseros. Se trataba de

identificar y describir estos elementos naturales del

juego infantil que son imprevisibles y que escapan

al control y diseño de los adultos. En una primera

dinámica los niños soñaban de manera individual,

para poner después sus sueños en común y tratar

de construir mediante el consenso, una propuesta

conjunta.

El tercer día, “Propuestas sobre un lugar concreto”,trabajamos sobre un lugar común para todos los

niños, el entorno inmediato de la escuela. Utili-

zando una maqueta del colegio les pedimos que

modificaran el lugar hasta convertirlo en un verda-

dero espacio público. Se insistió en que un espacio

público es un lugar en el que no sólo habría niños,

también debía dar cabida a cualquier otra persona;

además, debían cuidar las interferencias con el

resto de la ciudad.

Los dos últimos días se dedicaron a la construc-

ción física de una propuesta. El objetivo era

transformar un espacio público atendiendo a

las propuestas de los niños, dejando constancia

de las carencias de dicho espacio. A pesar de lo

efímero de las construcciones que surgieron tanto

de nuestro taller como del resto de talleres parti-

cipantes, las jornadas sirvieron para probar lo

sencillo que puede resultar la mejora del espacio

público con un mínimo de recursos económicos

e intentando materializar una voluntad de nego-

ciación entre los distintos agentes que entran en

conflicto en dicho espacio.

Wk w l allá

h, M.

‘Me bajo a la calle!’ means ‘I’m going down to

the street (cheerio)!’. It is a phrase that we all

remember saying to our parents when as kids we

ran down to the street to play with our pals; to

our surprise, the children who took part in the

workshop still used it.

The workshop took place during the ‘[R]Activa

04’ week at the School of Architecture in Alcalá de

Henares, a city close to Madrid. During the week

10 groups of young architects worked in District

7 of Alcalá trying to contact residents and to find

together ideas to upgrade the neighbourhood.

We dec ided to research public space in the city

of Alcalá from the point of view of a 10 year

old child, in order to find out how he/she could

use public space to play, learn and live together

with other children. The project took place in

September 2004, with specific tasks which used

as reference the work of Adriana Bisquert and

also Francesco Tonucci; ‘[to]fix our attentionin the things that a kid can or cannot do in the

street. The analytical study of the circumstances

that surround him, the reflections about this

situation and the possible ways of taking action

are the reason and end to this work; the aim is

to bring the street up as a place to recover, an

educational platform where the child may find

himself at the same level as any other citizen.’

The workshop lasted a week and had two parts.

The first part, took place in a school classroom,

the second in a city parking lot. The first part

lasted three days and had three sessions of one

and a half hour length, which took place in the

classroom of a local school. The second was in

a city parking lot (for which we gained tempo-

rary permission) and consisted of ‘ephemeral

constructions’ of the proposals made by the chil-

dren, using waste material collected previously.

The first day was called ‘Daily’, where we tried to

get to know the daily relation between the chil-

dren and the street, and we also tried to get them

talking about our working issue: city and public

space. The children drew a mental map of their

walk to school and annotated it with the sensa-

tions they felt as they walked and the elements

they found important. Afterwards, we helped

them draw the same walk on a real map of the

city, so they could compare their mental drawing

with the actual walk.

The second day was called ‘Dreams’ and we

asked the children to describe the places they

fancied and dreamed of: forests, rainforests,

caves, a labyrinth, a hut… We wanted to identifyand describe the places where children would

want to play, places that were beyond the control

of adults and that had not been designed ‘for

children’. We asked each child to think of a dream

place, which they discussed together in small

groups. We then asked them to find a common

dream place in each group that would also fit with

the individual dreams.

The third day was about ‘Proposals for somewhere

real’ and we worked on the site that was common

to all the children in the workshop: their school..

We built a blan k mo del of the school and as ked

them to work on it and to transform it into a real

public space. We insisted that this place should bereally public, not only for children but any other

person should also fit in. Apart from this they

had to be careful about the interferences that

could happen with the neighbouring buildings. In

this way we tried to get the children to give their

dreams a physical aspect in a real site.

For the last two days we made an ‘ephemeral

construction’ that could reflect the debate that

had taken place during the previous days. Our

objective was to transform a public space by

taking into account the proposals made by the

children and to use this as a way of pointing out

the shortcomings of the public space we were

working in (which at that time was a parking

lot).

The week of hard work helped to prove how

easily public spaces can be improved, with only

a small investment, but it requires a serious

attempt to understand the conflicts between the

different agents within that space.

/ SITE Alcalá de Henares - Madrid / TIMING September 2004 / PARTNERSHIP R-activa (a group of students from the School of Architecture of Alcalá de Henares) / FUNDS 500 € for materialLaboratorio Urbano / proJect ¡Me baJo a La caLLe!

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Laboratorio Urbano / proJect ¡Me baJo a La caLLe!

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20032002 2005 B e r l i n

G e r m a n y

E r s a t z s t a d t

m e t r o Z o n e s

m Z 1 -

S p a c e / T r o u b l e s

m Z 2 - L e a r n i n g f r o m *

m Z 3 - H i e r E n t s t e h t

m Z 4 -

S e l f - s e r v i c e c i t y :

I s t a n b u l

m Z 5 -

C i t y o f C o o p

m Z 6 - K a b u l / T e h e r a n 1 9 7 9 f f

m Z 7 - A r c h i t e k t u r a u f Z e i t

E u r o m a p s

F r o m /

T o E u r o p e

E u r o p e

186 187

Urbn

post/colonil

culturl politics

metroZones arbeitet als Büro für städtischen Analyse und Interventi on und wird von JochenBecker (Kritiker/Kurator) sowie StephanLanz (Stadtforscher, Stadtplaner, UniversitätViadrina) in Zusammenarbeit mit wechselndenBeteiligten betrieben. mZ verbindet Recherche,breitenwirksame Darstellungsformen, kulturellePraxis und politische Intervention im städtischen

Alltag.metroZones veröffentlich eine fortlaufeneBuchreihe, zu Beginn als Fortsetzung desErsatzStadt-Projekts. Jedes Buch vertieft undkompletiert ein Ereignis gleichen Namens.

metroZones is an office for urban analysisand intervention, run by Jochen Becker (critic/curator) and Stephan Lanz (urban researcherand planner, European University of Viadrina,)working in co-operation with different groups andindividuals. It combines research, mass mediadescriptions, cultural productions and politicalinterventions intervening in everyday urban life.

metroZones publishes an ongoing book series,in the beginning as the results of the projectErsatzStadt (Substitute City). Each book deepensand completes an event with the same name.

Jochen Becker / Stephn Lnz:

2002/2003: ‚Learning from*’ (NGBK Berlin,Kunsthalle Exnergasse Wien)

2002–2006: metroZones in ErsatzStadt(Volksbühne Berlin, project initiativeKulturstiftung des Bundes)

• Lerning from Lgos with Bregtje van derHaak / Edgar Cleijne / Georg Schöllhammer

• Spce//Trouble : Schattenglobalisierung,Gewaltkonflikte und städtisches Leben with An Archi tektur / A nbauNeu eMitte / Raul Ze lik / Ann eJung / Eyal Weizmann / Martin Pawley etc.

• 7 Islns n Metro: Bomby/Mumbi with Merle Kröger / Philip Scheffner / Flavia Agnes / Madhusr ee Dutta / Ramgopal Varma /Dorothee Wenner

• Self Service City: Istnbul with Orhan Esen

/ Folke Köbberling / Martin Kaltwasser, Aziza-A/ Bülent Tezcanli / Meray Ülgen / Andrej Holm /Gülsün Karamustafa / Hüsnü Yegenog¬lus etc.

• Hier Entsteht Strategien partizipativer Archi tektur u nd räum licher Aneignu ng with JeskoFezer / Matthias Heyden / Rural Studio / LucienKroll / Eckhart Ribbeck / Park Fiction etc.

• City of COOP Ersatzökonomien & städtischeBewegungen in Rio de Janeiro & Buenos Aireswith Coopa-Roca / Nuevo Rumbo / Hermann

Hiller / Ivana Bentes / Afro Reggae / La Tribuetc.

• Kbul/Tehern 1979ff Filmlandschaften,Städte unter Stress und Migration with SandraSchäfer / Madeleine Bernstorff / Siddiq Barmak / Bahman Niroumand / Aghelleh Rezaie etc.

metroZones Books:

‘Metropolen’ / ‘Space//Troubles’ / ‘Hier Entsteht’ /‘Self Service City: Istanbul’ / ‘City of COOP: Buenos Aires/Rio de Janeiro’ / ‘Kabul/Teheran 1979ff ’ /‘Architektur auf Zeit’

METROZONES / www.metrozones.infoBerlin / SINCE 2002 / STaTUS NGO, professionl, euctionl /

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LOCaTION

C O NTExT

T EaM

COST(S)

S H aRING

PaRTNERS

PRaCTICE

MOBILITY

SUPPORTS

Jochen Becker at homeStephan Lanz in an office

Cosmopolitan district

Jochen Becker (critic/ curator)Stephan Lanz (urban researcher and planner)

2 to 30 persons

490 € per month

Stephan Lanz works in a shared office space

No

From none to the Federal Foundations for the Ar tsHalle/S, Volksbühne Berlin, b_books Berlin, Shed-

halle Zürich, etc.

From no to office structure

Urbn culturl ctions n publictions

O s h o d i M a r k e t / I n n e r C i t y o f L a g o s 2 0 0 2 ,

f o t o s : J o c h e n B e c k e r

METROZONES / WORKSPaCE / ORGaNISaTION

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Gilt dem europäischen Stadtbürgertum ein urbanesLeben abseits hochgradig regulierter Normen alstendenziell anarchisch, zeigen sich jenseits dieser‚Civitas’ konträre Normalitäten: Dem irregulärenstädtischen Leben der Selbstbau-Siedlungen stehthäufig staatliche Repression, private Kontrolle,mafiöse und bürgerkriegsförm ige Gewalt gegenüber.Das Bild der «Europäischen Stadt» blendet aus, daß

‚Drittweltstädten’ zugeordnete Phänomene wiemultinationale Zuwanderung, informelle Märkte undandere Armuts-Ökonomien längst in europäischenStädten existieren. Die ErsatzStadt bildet gleichsamdas virtuelle Gegenstück der existierendenEuropäischen Stadt.Dabei thematisiert sie öffentliche und private Räumezwischen illegaler Landbesetzung, privatisiertemKonzernland und ‚Gated community’ und greiftdabei auf Erfahrungen und Lebensweisen inverschiedenen globalen Metropolen zurück.Sie erfindet, verschärft, verdichtet und verschönertstädtische Alltagspraktiken und räumliche Aneignungsformen und trägt sie zur ück in die real

existierende Stadt. Die ErsatzStadt macht aus dervon Bert Neumann in der Volksbühne montierten‚Neustadt’ einen öffentlichen Versammlungsraum,der – je nach Veranstaltungsformat – verschiedeneFormen annimmt: die eines Marktes, einerProduktionsstätte, einer Kongreßhalle, einer Service-und Informationsstätte, eines Medienstudios oder‚Volksbildungsheimes’. Gleichzeitig beschränkt sichdas Projekt nicht auf den Theaterraum, sondernwird mit dem städtischen Raum sowohl Berlins alsauch verschiedener Partnerstädte verwoben.

While the European urban bourgeoisie regardsurban life without highly regulated norms to bepotentially anarchic, outside Europe forms of normality that contradicts this ‘Civitas’ can beobserved: irregular urban life in self constructedsettlements is frequently met with state repression,state control and violence typical of the Mafia orof civil war. The image of the ‘European city’ doesnot account for the fact that phenomena attributedto ‘Third World cities’, such as multi-nationalimmigration, informal markets and other economiesof poverty, have all been long in existence in

European cities. ErsatzStadt / SubstituteCity isthe virtual counterpart, as it were, to the existingEuropean ci ty.It thematises public and private spaces betweenillegal land occupation, privatised corporate landand ‘gated communities’, and thus falls back onexperiences and ways of living in various globalmetropolises.

It invents, intensifies, condenses and beautifieseveryday urban practices and forms of spatialappropriation and transfers them back to theexisting city. ErsatzStadt / SubstituteCity turns‘NeuStadt’, built by Bert Neumann in the Volksbühne,into a public assembly space which – depending onthe type of event – will take on different forms: thatof a market, a production space, a congress hall,a service and information space, a media studioor ‘public education centre. The project is notlimited to the space of the theatre, but will becomeinterwoven with the urban space of not only Berlin,but also various partner cities.

METROZONES / PROJECT ERSaTZSTadT / SITE Volksbühne Berlin / TIMING 2002-2006 / PARTNERSHIP Multitude of Partners / FUNDS Federal Foundation for the Arts

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SPaCE//TROUBLES / metroZones 1

Jenseits des Guten Regierens: Schattenglobalisierung, Gewal-tkonflikte und städtisches LebenJochen Becker, Stephan Lanz (Hg.)2003 / 232 p. / b_books ISBN 3-933557-51-8

Lektorat: Kim Hannah HörbeGestaltung: sandy k. / bildwechsel

LEaRNING FROM* / metroZones 2

Städte von Welt, Phantasmen der Zivilgesellschaft, informelleOrganisationJochen Becker, Claudia Burbaum, Martin Kaltwasser, FolkeKöbberling, Stephan Lanz, Katja Reichard2003 / 248 p. / NGBK ISBN 3-926796-86-3

HIER ENTSTEHT / metroZones 3

Strategien partizipativer Architektur und räumlicher Anei-gnungJesko Fezer / Mathias Heyden (HG.) 2004 / 256 p. + cd-rom/ b_books ISBN 3-933557-53-4

Lektorat: Kim Hannah Hörbe; Christian Sälzer (Mitarbeit)Übersetzung: Christian Sälzer (engl.)Gestaltung: sandy k. / bildwechsel; Pierre Maite (Mitarbeit)

Self Service City: Istnbul / metroZones 4

Strategien partizipativer Architektur und r äumlicher AneignungOrhan Esen / Stephan Lanz (Hg.)2005 / 424 p. - zahlr. s/w Abbildungen / b_books ISBN 3-933557-52-6

Lektorat: Kim Hannah HörbeÜbersetzung: Dielek Zaptçioglu, Stefan Hibbeler, Kathrin Neumann

(türk.), Christian Sälzer (engl.) Gestaltung: sandy k. / bildwechsel,Pierre Maite u. Plamena Todorova (Mitarbeit)

CITY OF COOP / metroZones 5

Ersatzökonomien und städtische Bewegungen in Rio de Janeiro undBuenos AiresStephan Lanz (Hg.)2004 / 296 p. - zahlr. s/w Abb. / b_books ISBN 3-933557-54-2

Lektorat: Kim Hannah HörbeÜbersetzung: Marcel Vejmelka (portug., span.), Christian Sälzer(engl.)Gestaltung: sandy k. / bildwechsel, Pierre Maite (Mitarbeit)

KaBUL/TEHERaN 1979ff / metroZones 6

Filmlandschaften, Städte unter Stress und MigrationSandra Schäfer, Jochen Becker, Madeleine Bernstorff (Hg.)2006 / 400 p. / b_books - ISBN 3-933557-55-0

Lektorat: Kim Hannah HörbeÜbersetzung: Marcel Vejmelka (portug., span.), Christian Säl-zer (engl.)Gestaltung: sandy k. / bildwechsel, Pierre Maite (Mitarbeit)

architektur uf Zeit / metroZones 7

Baracken, Pavillons, Container Axel Doßmann, Jan Wenzel, Kai Wenzel2006 / 264 p. / b_books - ISBN 3-933557-66-6

Mit einem Beitrag von Tom Holert und Mark Terkessidis Foto-grafien von Karl Heinz Mai, Betty Pabst u.a.

METROZONES / PROJECT BUCHREIHE / PUBLICaTIONS

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on the wy to:

From/To Europe

Eposé für ein fortschreitendes Projekt über Europs

kolonile Funmente, trikontinen-tle Posi-

tionen und aktuelle postkoloniale Konditionen in den

Stäten von Welt

From/To Europe möchte als fortschreitendes Re-cherche- und Ausstellungsprojekt zwei zen-traleErkundungsfelder -die wechselseitigen Beziehungenzwischen Europa und den Kolonialisierten seit 1884sowie die aktuelle Situation der ‘Städte von Welt’ alsdurch Mi-gration geprägte Metropolen- miteinanderverschränkt sehen. Bislang wurden Kolonial-geschichteund Migrationspolitik je getrennt betrachtet.Der Berliner ‘Kongo-Konferenz’ von 1884/85 kommthierbei die Bedeutung zu, einerseits die koloniale Auf-teilung des afrikanischen Kontinents in ein zu Regelwerk überführt zu haben und zugleich – unter Ausklam-merung der Betroffenen und auf Kosten Afrikas – dieEinheit und den Wohlstand Europas fortentwickelt zu

haben. Wie also konstituierte sich Europa durch Kolonialismusund Migration? Wie gestalten sich die Entwicklungslinienund wechselseitigen Beziehungen bis in die Gegenwart?Und wie bildet sich ein künftiges Europa in den ‚Städtenvon Welt’?From/To Europe untersucht die Beziehungen zwischen‘Europa’ und ‘Afrika’ – als his-torische und kulturwis-senschaftliche Forschung, als eine Frage von Migration,Exklusion, Rassismus und asymetrischen Tauschbezie-hungen, als ein Versuch, ein korrigiertes Bild von Welt inden europäischen Städten widerzugeben.

Jochen Becker für metroZones

on the wy to:

From/To Europe

Eposé on a project-in-progress about Europe’s co-

lonil funment, tri-continentl positions n

contemporry post-colonil conitions in the

cities of the worl

From/To Europe, a research and exhibition project-in-progress, maintains that its two central fields of exami-

nation - the reciprocal relationship between Europe andits colonies since 1884, and the contemporary situationof ‘cities of the world’, which are effectively determinedby migration - are interlinked. Until now, colonial historyand migration politics have always been discussed se-parately.The Berlin ‘Congo Conference’ in 1884/85 was not onlyresponsible for the final colonial division of the African

continent, but also - with the exclusion of the subjectnations and with Africa paying the costs - consolidatedthe union and development of Europe.How does Europe constitute itself through colonialismand migration? How have the contours of developmentand reciprocal relationships been defined up until thepresent day? And how will a future Europe emerge fromthe ‘cities of world’?From/To Europe examines and researches the rela-tionship between Europe and Africa - from a culturaland a historical point of view. The project aims to shedlight on the subjects of migration, exclusion, racism andasymmetrical exchange, in an attempt to correct thepervading misconceived of the world within European

cities.Jochen Becker for metroZones

#1 #1

#2#2

#2 #3

#3 #3

On the wy to: From/To Europe #1

Jochen Becker/metroZones with Francesco Jodice, ValérieJouve, Fahrettin Örenli and Dierk Schmidt; exhibition archi-tecture: Jesko Fezer; project dialogue partners: ManuelaBojadzijev, Julien Enoka-Ayemba, Stephan Lanz«Bourieu in algeri, Bourieu in the Bnlieue.»: From/To Europe #2

Jochen Becker/metroZones‘Bourdieu in Algeria, Bourdieu in the Banlieue’: a com-mentary on ‘Pierre Bourdieu: In Algeria’.‘Pierre Bourdieu. In Algeria. Testimonies of Uprooting’:

an exhibition by Camera Austria, Graz / Christine Frisin-ghelli and the Fondation Pierre Bourdieu, Genève / FranzSchultheis.Roming aroun: From/To Europe #3

Digital Divide, Regional Codes, Copy/South & the Questionof AccessJochen Becker/metroZones with Agency (Kobe Matthys):quasi things • Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda: afro@digital •

Julien Enoka-Ayemba: ‘Nollywood’ • herbstCamp Graz:

Global Controll • SMAQ architecture urbanism research

(Sabine Müller, Andreas Quednau): Mobile Kinshasa &display architecture.

METROZONES / PROJECT FROM/TO EUROPE / SITE Shedhalle - Zürich / TIMING 2005-2007 / PARTNERSHIP Multitude of Partners / FUNDS City of Zürich, etc.

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2004 2006 2007

C i t y M i n e d

B r u x e l l e s

A A A

P a r i s

m e c h a n i c s o f f l u i d s

L u n a N e r a

B e r l i n

L o n d o n

u r b a n p l a y g r o u n d

V i e n n a

g r e e n b e l t s

s t r e e t a r c h a e o l o g y

Urban Clearance

l a g o o n s i d e

o n c e u p o n a n o w

I n t e r f a c e

s a m p l e

s e m i n a r

Space Shuttle

B e l f a s t

U K

E u r o p e

N e w - Y o r k

P a r i s

D u b l i n

L o n d o n

M a n c h e s t e r

PS2

196 197

PS² = Paragon Studios/ project space , is small

artist collective, with studio space in the centre of

Belfast since 1993. A former shop in the same buil-

ding, project space , is used as a platform for art

projects and run on a voluntary basis. The focus

of the activities is on urban creativity and social

interaction by artists, multidisciplinary groups and

theorists, deliberately opening the traditional cate-

gories and often expanding to other locations.

project space is a non commercial, easily acces-

sible place for experiments and a small showroom

for mainly visual work or processes, which can be

visualized. It is seen as a workplace rather than a

‘gallery’, exploiting the fact that it is exposed to the

street through its shop windows. This connection

to the street level and passers by does influence

and direct the conceptual thinking and planning,

the work process, and visual presentation. Like in

a commercial showroom- ideas and imaginations

should be taken out and ‘used’ in the real wor ld.

PS² generally invites artists/groups/ institutions to

work in project space/outside locations or to take

part in projects. It does r ely on the help and exper-tise of fellow artists, similar initiatives and a few

specialists (architect Ruth Morrow as co-curator for

the urban programme). It is an artist run project;

urban creativity

transforative

artist-ed

re-connection art & society

idealistic, obsessive, playful and more intuitive than

theoretical.

Although projects are often linked to the broader

subject of urban creativity, PS² also gives space to

‘odd’ events and conceptual break-outs to prevent

a specialisation and exclusion in a self designated

corner.

(PS² members are Paddy McCann, Jill McKeown,

Bill Saunders, Sharon Kelly and Peter Mutschler,

who organises project space ).

PS2 / PARAGON STUDIOS / PROJECT SPACE / www.pssquared.orgBefast / SINCE 2003 (as project space) / STATUS iited copany wit caritabe status /

PS2 /

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Former shop, ca. 24 m2 in city centre and various

temporary urban sites.

generally for in-house small scale exhibitions. For

larger (external) projects additional funding is

sought through a range of funders. Funding varies

according to theme and scale of project. All work/

administration by PS² for projects is voluntary.

Northern Ireland receives the lowest cultural/ arts

funding in the UK.

The whole family, friends, fellow artists / creative

practitioners.

lOCATION

C O NTExT

T EAm

PEOPlE

COST(S)

S h ARING

PARTNERS

PRACTICE

SPACES

mOBIlITY

SUPPORTS

Currently located in an old building which has been

recently earmarked for demolition in area of inner

city regeneration.

1-2 people (uncredited and unpaid and supportedby family unit) chiefly responsible for focus and

organisation of PS². Additional helpers/artists are

paid for bigger projects depending on funding.

Projects are initiated by artists/PS2 and targeted

at a diverse street audience. With its focus on

urban creativity architects, city planners, archaeo-

logists, passers-by or loosely targeted inhabitants

or workers… were/are part of projects. The

outcome however should always be transforma-

tive, poetic and visually strong.

project space 24 m2 and 5 studios each approxi-

matively 40/50 m2

3 € /m2 per month

Studios of PS² are on different floors of an old buil-

ding, with project spa ce on the ground floor, acces-

sible and visible from the street. The premises are

shared with two long established small businesses

with no art context.

Not yet

Co-operations with other cultural/alternative orga-

nisations, University, NGO’s, private companies,

community organisations.

Funding mainly from the Arts Council of Northern

Ireland and Belfast City Council on a yearly base

for studios and projects. Generally this amounts

to approximatively £8,000 of which half goes on

rent/ services etc. and half towards project funding

PS² is based in Befast city centre, in an area

recenty branded as ‘catedra quarter’.

project space is surrounded by sa sops,

offices, (sub)cutura organisations but

ony one residentia buiding. Te oca-

tion owever is cose to sociay deprived

residentia areas. As a city evoving out of

30years of confict, Befast sti faces te

caenges of its segregated counities

in a tie of rapid pysica epansion and

new iigrant popuations.

PS2 / WORKSPACE / ORGANISATION

PS2 /

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All projects initiated and organized by PS² are

primarily seen as art projects and measured for

their transformative and poetic potential to deal

with urban realities. Creativity as a social process

and the re-connection of art with the social envi-

ronment are key criteria.

Most projects are planned in a series and seldom

as a singular event.

PS² sees its role as facilitator, networker and orga-

nizer of projects in outside locations and in project

space . This small space -a former shop in the city

centre- is an open platform and shared space

for process and research orientated exhibitions/

discussions/ performances. The space is run in a

permanent rotation of activities, sometimes with

regular opening hours, sometimes just as 24hour

window viewing/listening.

Projects located externally are placed at everyday

surroundings and situations and at culturally

undervalued/resourced sites. For larger -mostly

outside- projects, PS² sets a fairly tight brief andparameters for the participating artists, like rules

for an urban game. So far, all projects were delibe-

rately based locally, both with local and non-local/

international artists/interdisciplinary groups.

Outside projects demand a wide range of negotia-

tions with residents, owners, businesses, private

and public bodies. Networking and participation

are welcomed tools in this process, but should not

dilute a creative idea.

The targeted audience for all projects is the

diverse group of passers-by, who should be acti-

vely invited and encouraged to view/take part in

a project. Accessibility should not be an aestheticcriteria and shouldn’t influence the work. We do

however look for ways to mediate projects for the

general public i.e. by information, ‘talkative’ invigi-

lators and most of all by the imaginative artists/

work themselves.

It is important that the projects, the direction of

PS² and the motivations for their commitment are

theoretically reflected and critically analyzed to

counteract any signs of self indulgence, insiderism

or complacency. To be open for critique or invite

criticism is essential.

Although PS² now initiates mor e complex projects

with higher levels of funding it resists becoming

institutionalized or burocratized. This sets self

determined limits to the scale of projects and the

necessary funding carried out by PS2.

project space gossary

Aestetic- Unfashionable but useful criteria. See

>Beauty >Well meaning.

Roantic ideais- important ingredient to

carry out any non-institutionalized projects. Essen-

tial- but in retrospect often naïve notion- of chan-

ging the world through art… till every branch and

every activity of society is impregnated with it. See

> fanaticism > love, > voluntarily blind. Compare

> Political conviction.

Autonoy- Question of supreacy. In art

projects; where the artist is not the mere facili-tator of a collaborative/community project. In art

work; where there is an inner creative system and

rules. Individually; where one speaks with an own,

independent voice often against constrictions,

regulations, trends.

Poitica conviction- Aesthetic production

(art/architecture/literature…) is predominantly

a middle class occupation which tends to ‘speak

for’, although rarely’ listening to’, everybody. See

>Exclusion, >Participation.

Audience- Like >community never singular,

uniform. To >reach new audiences< as a stereo-typical pledge, to be ‘ticked’ in funding applica-

tions. However a real and important issue if art

wants to be relevant and socially influential.

Botto up- opposite of >top down<. In animal

behaviour: feeding pattern of swimming ducks. In

activist circles: the direction, empowered citizens

enforce decisions/ cultural developments. Force of

the enlightened Street.

Confrontation- by diverse and unpredictable

street audience; nosey kids and youngsters,

unsuspecting, curious people, interested, casual,

sometimes engaged, sometimes just asking for

directions or where to renew a passport. Most

artists are initially nervous about personal expo-

sure and unprotected vulnerability, much more

than their concerns of negative reactions towards

their work.

Creative Initiator- Individual/group/organiza-

tion- not necessarily artists- to spark off an initia-

tive, i.e. pulling together participants, funding,

expertise… See >Mediator.

Faiure- Necessary, if unpleasant component of

creativity. Needs to be built into a project a) as

something to learn from, b) to work creatively with

c) use it as a starting point for further projects.

Faiy&friends business- model unit for cheap

and effective organisation down to the involvement

of the kids. May lead to a merger of work andprivate life.

Quaity- Undervalued criteria with the tendency

of exclusion; remains important.

Spacia practitioners- Useful general term for

people from community artist to geographer to

market stall holder.

We eaning- Inclination of artists to do the

right thing. Lack of >Provocation can lead to

easy viewing/consumption.

PS2 / TOOlS / mEThODS

PS2 / / SITE Belfast/ TIMING 17 to 24 November 2005 / PARTNERSHIP Participatingartists:Atelierd’architectureautogérée,Paris /SeamusHarahan,Belfast/

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Street Archaeology (2005), a project about urban

memory and local identity, took place in more

than 30 shops and offices along Donegall Street,

where PS² is based. Seven artists were invited to

research this street in the city centre of Belfast and

to unearth real or imagined stories and histories

of its buildings, inhabitants and users. The resul-

ting videos and text panels were placed within the

everyday context of the hairdressers, pubs, flower

shops, offices, taxi waiting room… and could

mostly be viewed from the outside by passers-by.

project space functioned as a tourist office with

location maps, background information and guided

street tours.

The week-long event had an unexpected festival

character, with some pride on the side of the

‘art hosts’ in being part of something bigger- a

celebration of their street. As the project drew to

its conclusion, some wished to continue with the

project, others were keen simply to switch over to

their Christmas displays.

For PS² the ‘invisible’, pre-project organisational

tasks of negotiation, conversation and reassuranceof people in the neighbourhood was, in the long

term, important and fruitful; establishing personal

contacts as well as detailed l ocal knowledge.

The project defined some key questions: How does

art change within the everyday context of a hair-

dresser’s or a flower shop? How truly ‘site-specific’

is the outcome? Is it just an imposed change of

venue or is there a true relation between art, loca-

tion and audience? Does a project like this make art

more socially relevant and is art in a site specific

context more relevant for the ‘audience’? At which

level does participation unbalance the autonomy of

the artists/artwork or is the outcome intended as a

non signature, collective collaboration?

Participating artists: Grace Weir- Dublin, Seamus Harahan-

Belfast, atelier d’architecture autogérée- Paris, Dave Beech-

Manchester, Chris Murphy-Belfast, Mark Orange- New York,

Gillian McIver- London. www.streetarchaeology.co.uk

PS2 / PROJECT STREET ARChAEOlOGY/ SITE Belfast/ TIMING 17 to 24 November 2005 / PARTNERSHIP Participating artists: Atelier d architecture autogérée, Paris / Seamus Harahan, Belfast /Grace Weir, Dublin / Dave Beech, Manchester / Chris Murphy, Belfast / Mark Orange, New York / Gillian McIver, London / FUNDS Belfast City Council

PS2 / PROJECT SPACE ShUTTlE/ SITE Six projects of urban creativi ty and social interaction in Belfast / TIMING 2006-2007 / FUNDS Arts Council of Northern Ireland / Belfast

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SPACE SHUTTLE (2006/7), a series of six projects

around Belfast, was set up as an urban laboratory,

to test the interrelation between artist, production,

urban environment and street audience. PS² set a

tight conceptual framework and designed a scaled

replica of its project space, built as a transportable

steel structure. This 12m² multifunctional shuttle

was sent to different orbits/locations within Belfast

and was used by multidisciplinary artists, initiatives

and (community) organisations for up to two weeks.

In six missions these diverse environments were

investigated and explored, to various degrees with

the active participation of passers by/ residents/

or actors selected through open auditions. Space

Shuttle, as a platform for urban creativity and social

interaction, was utilised as an on-site work base or

office/meeting point for activities in a schoolyard,

a film production in the shipyard or inner-city side-

streets. Each project had a distinct artistic approach

and showed a spectrum of work practices and stra-

tegies to work in and with an urban context.

The preparation time for each project was gene-

rally long, increasingly so for projects, whichwere more participative - see ‘Pass Odyssey’ or

‘Belfast- Dallas’.

After the on-site projects, a post-production phase

gave the artists the opportunity, to edit and trans-

form their experience and findings and to create – if

this was possible- a new work, a film, an essay, a

city-map… The project outcomes were presented

in a final ‘Discoveries’ show, both at project space

and the shuttle. PS² published a book with portraits

of each project, critical texts around the subject of

urban interventions and comparative studies. The

publication was an important opportunity for PS²

as a critical review and theoretical analysis of this

urban experiment. The shuttle was- after a call forproposals- handed over for free to another artist

organisation in the Republic of Ireland.

launc. 11 - 19 Aug 2006. Lower Garfield Street and

PS². Overview- projects, artists, locations, proposals,

information about similar existing projects.

mission One. 22 – 29 Aug 2006. Donegall Pass. Call

Centre Collective: ’Pass Odyssey’. An interdisciplinary

group of ar tists, designers and architects from Interface,

University of Ulster, used the shuttle as a multifunctional

stage, initiating a series of events and provocative envi-

ronmental and community themed multi-media activities

with young people and other local r esidents.

mission Two. 31 Aug – 16 Sept 2006. Titanic Quarter.

Sarah Browne / Gareth Kennedy: ‘Episode 306: Dallas,

Belfast’. In collaboration, the two artists tur ned the inte-

rior of the shuttle into a film set. Together with a group of

people selected by open audition, Kennedy and Browne

made a film based on a fictional script of the 1980s TV

show Dallas, investigating issues of development, pros-

perity and choice in the context of Belfast’s ongoing

urban regeneration.

mission Tree. 18 Sept – 5 Oct 2006. North Street /

Waring Street. Aisling O’Beirn:

‘some things about belfast (or so i’m told)’. Dealing in

her work with urban myths and a personal approach of

mapping a city, O’Beirn used the shuttle as an unofficial

transmitter and receiver of informal, unofficial contempo-

rary information about Belfast.mission Four. 9 – 19 Oct 2006. Blackstaff Square.

Siraj Izhar ‘7 by 7 and the Health & Wealth syndicate’.

Establishing a National Lottery syndicate on site, where

everyone could be a member, ‘7by7’ was a complex

game, combining permutations of emotional values

and personal/public space with the 49 numbers of the

Lottery.

mission Five. 23 Oct – 2 Nov 2006. Dublin Road/Shaf-

tesbury Square. Mick O’Kelly: ‘Find Your Perfect Loca-

tion’. With the promotion of Belfast, as with Dublin and

other cities, bidding to become the desirable cultural and

economic centre, Mick O’Kelly converted the shuttle to a

mobile unit / apartment, where the selling point was the

buyer, who could choose their desired location.

mission Si. 19-30 March 2007. St. Aidan’s ChristianBrothers Primary School. Amy Russell ,Barnardo’s Chil-

dren Charity : ‘H.I.’ As exper ts in direct community action,

the children charity Barnardo’s together with the artist

Amy Russell were invited, to open up the ‘art’ field and

to challenge the topic of social intervention. This allowed

SPACE SHUTTLE, to question and expand the bounda-

ries of ‘art in a social context’ and the subject of ‘social

engagement’ in art.

SPACE ShUTTlE- Discoveries. 23 April – 05 May

2007. PS² and shuttle locations. Presentation of all

projects, edited work and launch of publication.

SPACE SHUTTLE. Six Projects of Urban Creativity and Social Inte-raction, BelfastPublished by PS², Belfast 2007. ISBN: 978-0-9555358-0-2 or asPDF on website/publication

www.spaceshuttle.org.uk

PS2 / PROJECT SPACE ShUTTlEp j y

City Council + (Awards for all Lottery Funding)

PS2 / PROJECT PASS ODYSSEY/ SITE Donegall Pass - Belfast / TIMING 22 – 29 Aug 2006 / PARTNERSHIP Call Centre Collective : Saoirse Higgins, Aoife Ludlow, Emma

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mission One : Pass Odyssey

Donegall Pass is an inner city loyalist/protestant

enclave in Belfast with mix of low rise residential and

business use (notably Asian restaurants/ supermar-

kets). Isolated culturally from its neighbours and

physically by road and rail routes, it has -like other

segregated areas in Belfast- maintained a strong

sense of community. In the past, the catholic commu-

nity was perceived as the threat, now it comes from

private investment and the privatization and commer-

cialization of space, particularly this inner city commu-

nity, where land is at a premium. ‘Pass Odyssey’ was

led by ‘Call Centre Collective’ (CCC), an all-female

crew, made up of creative practitioners (interactive

media, textile, product design, fine art, architecture)

from the University of Ulster. Over the course of 8

days CCC ran a full itinerary of events (see table) that

had developed out of 6 months of conversations and

meetings with community members. The multi-media

activities took ‘the environment’ as their theme and

local residents and passers-by were invited to explore

the environment of the Pass in novel ways, encoura-

ging new strategies to sustain and foster pride andconfidence in the community.

Two examples:

1) ‘The Model Pass’ workshop used model buildings

as a way to engage young men of the local football

team in considering possible uses for an existing large

vacant site. Working with outside experts, it was an

opportunity to talk about the needs of this group and

the wider community and how to make those ‘needs’

add up to a commercially viable proposal.

2) Shiny Sparkly Sunday was used as a way to bring

together the women of Donegall Pass. Unlike most

other communities in Belfast, the women in this

community had never formed a proactive group. It

was hoped that a gentle, indulgent day might bring

them into contact and might lead in some way to a

beginning.

Through the course of the Odyssey, CCC came to

realise the extent of the fractured nature of the

community. In fact it seemed rarely to act as one

community and indeed within its taut boundaries,

intense rivalries had emerged between families and

areas. CCC also noticed that though there were a few

people in the community who were progressive and

creative in their thinking, they rarely shared these

thoughts with their peers (reasons might be lack of

opportunity or in a class-defined culture, one should

not ‘rise above ones station’). CCC began to think

of ‘Pass Odyssey’ as a demonstration of creative

and positive action; that those individuals, who were

drawn to the SPACE SHUTTLE, could even for a brief

time be engaged and encouraged in the hope that

they might go on to become the ‘creativity carriers’

of their community.

Since ‘Pass Odyssey’, the community has formed

a Community Development Company (non-profitmaking), identifying sites for development, taking

stock of its assets and seeking funding. A member

of CCC sits on its board. Its aim is to develop

projects that bring together social, economic and

physical regeneration. Through the Community

Forum they are also in the process of developing

a community art project. A group of women of

the area now meet on a regular basis for pamper

evenings. While empowerment and self-determina-

tion is just beginning, the community has definitely

started on a new, proactive journey.

PS / PROJECT PASS ODYSSEY McClintock, Ruth Morrow, Doris Rohr / FUNDS Arts Council of Nor thern Ireland / Belfast City Council + (Awards for all Lottery Funding)

DaNIel KUNle / Holger laUINger / www.nihmhnhnih.d

d d k dB i / sINce 2004 / statUs i d d f i /

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Nih-Mh I Nh-NihDaniel Kunle und Holger Lauinger zeigen inihrem dokumentarischen Filmessay «Nicht-Mehr INoch-Nicht» genau das - architektonische Situa-tionnen, die nicht mehr sind, was sie einmal seinsollten, und noch nicht sind, was sie in Zukunftsein könnten: Stadt - und industrielandschaften inManchester, Berlin, Dessau, Wolfen, Halle, Witten-berge, Leipzig, Bremen, Salzgitter und Liverpool,

über deren neue Funktionen und Bestimmungennachgedacht und für die gekämpft wird. Auch vageSituationen haben ihre Orte. Die Autoren suchensie auf und bechreiben damit einen Bereich fürProzesse und Visionen, der zuerst nur sprachlichzu erfassen möglich erscheint? Die Räume undEntwicklungen, um die es geht, sind allerdings inden Bildern mehr als zu erahnen.

N-M I N-YIn their essay documentary «No-More I Not-Yet» Da-niel Kunle and Holger Lauinger demonstrate pre-

cisely that- architectural situations, which are notanymore what they once were supposed to be, andare not yet what they could be in future: Urban andindustrial landscapes in Manchester, Berlin, Des-

Da würde sie dann endlich schlagen, die Stundeder Geduldigen, die sich nicht dem scheinbarNotwendigen beugen, sondern die Chance zumExperimentieren freudig ergreifen, weil sie, stattüberall leere Häuser und Brachen, lauter uners-chlossene Möglichkeitsräume sehen. Die Stundederer, die am ehesten bereit sind, «Neue Länder»tatsächlich als Neuland zu denken.

NundShould it really become possible, through the re-cognition of evidently disparate spaces and livingconditions, to take on chances, to engage with anew way of thinking, the unspeakable, the omi-tion of entire landscapes out of economic cyclesof realisation, could maybe be interpreted diffe-rently.The time of those would have come, who arepatiently unwilling to accept the seemingly ine-vitable, but enthusiastically claim the chances of experiement, because they see untapped spaces

of possibilities instead of empty buildings andwaste lands. The time of those, who most readilyconceive the ‘Neue Länder» as Neuland’.

Wolfgang Kil «Luxus der Leere»

sau, Wolfen, Halle, Wittenberge, Leipzig, Bremen,Salzgitter and Liverpool, whose new functions anddestinations are being contemplated and contes-ted. Vague situations can take place. The authorsvisit these places and so document an area of pro-cesses and visions that at first glance can only bedescribed through language- the implicated spacesand developments are however more than merelyimplied by the images.Heinz Emigholz (DVD’s cover)

With Thomas Sieverts, Wolfgang Kil, Be njamin Förster-Baldenius(Hotel Neustadt), Harald Kegler (Ferropolis), Martin Wilhelm(100qm Dietzenbach), Klaus Overmeyer (Urban Catalyst) andPhilipp Oswalt (Zwischenpalastnutzung), Jaap Draismaa (De vrijeRuimte), Eva de Klerk (NDSM Werft), Christoph Schäfer & MargitCzenki (Park Fiction)

NundSollte mit dem Zugeständnis offenkundig dispa-rater Räume und Lebensverhältnisse der Sprungüber den eigenen Schatten, sollte also NeuesDenken tatsächlich einmal gelingen, könnte das

so lange Unaussprechliche, dieses Herausfallenganzer Landesteile aus den ökonomischen Verwer-tungszyklen, vielleicht einmal in einem anderenLicht erscheinen.

With Rainer Land (Netzwerk Ostdeutschlandforschung), Horst Wilke (Bürgermeister Neulietzegöricke), Stefan Paulisch (FHReichenbach), G. Hartmann (Ladeninhaber Harz4, Weißen-fels), Michael Maurer (Die „Überflüssigen», Jüterbog), Andreas

Willisch (Thünen-Institut, Bollewick), Stefan Helfer & Freunde(Bitterfeld), Karin Fahnert (Filmfabrik Wolfen), Melanie Haller& Stephan Meister (Netzwerk Demokratische Kultur, Wurzen),Hajo Schubert (Kraftwerk Plessa), Danny Hübner & Daniel Weller(Vogtland Schneckenzucht), Falk Selka (Buffalo Ranch, Neukie-ritzsch), Frank Jansky (Der „Urstromtaler», Güsen), AndreasTornow (Biomassehof Müritz, Varchentin), Hermann Scheer(MDB, Berlin), Eva Stützel (Ökodorf Siebenlinden), Dodo Ender

& Lothar Mentz (Kommune Waltershausen)

dumny fimy

hinkin ii

ubn wnd

d-/ hyp-induiiin

p ify nd wy f wkin

DaNIel KUNle / Holger laUINger / www.nund-dnkn.dBin / sINce 2004 / statUs indpndn pfinn /

DaNIel KUNle / Holger laUINger / Project NIcHt-MeHr I NocH-NIcHt documentary film / Germany / 2004 / 82 min English subtitled

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Nih-Mh I Nh-NihSchrumpfende Städte und urbane Brachen - dieStadtentwicklung der Zukunft wird von einemgroßen Maß an «Unbestimmtheit» geprägt sein. DieDimension des sich rasant entwickelnden Gebäude-und Flächenleerstands in vielen Städten ist nochnicht ausreichend im gesellschaftlichen Bewusstseinverankert. Politik und Planung handeln mitKonzepten, die den Anforderungen der Problematik nicht gewachsen sind. Wie so oft die «Zivilgesellschaft»zur Lösung verpflichtet werden. Doch es besteht ein

allgemeiner Mangel an aufrichtiger Kommunikationund Diskussion...

Das dokumentarische Filmessay «Nicht-Mehr I Noch-Nicht» wurde von uns bewusst als kommunizierendesMedium für die Diskussionen vor Ort entwickelt. DasDokument verdeutlicht die Brisanz einer «scheinbarabseitigen» Thematik und stellt die Frage nachdem Gebrauchswert der Brachflächen: Können dieurbanen Brachen ein kultureller Möglichkeitsraumsein?

Noch-Nicht - In Teil II der Dokumentation wird einQuerschnitt an Projekten dargestellt, die sich der

sozialen Aneignung von Brachflächen verschriebenhaben. Verantwortliche Akteure präsentieren dieIntention ihrer Projekte, ebenso die Problematik undKämpfe, um die Freiräume. Zu sehen ist ein Puzzlegleichzeitiger Ungleichzeitigkeit lokaler Kontexte inder Diskussion um Nutzung von nicht verwertbaremRaum. Von der «temporären» Nutzung zur verste-tigten Flächenbesetzung - baut sich die Frage nachkulturellem Gebrauchswert und Eigentum auf. Eine Antwort wird nicht vorgegeben, jeder Ort sucht sichseine Diskussion!

eini d vn Pk >sm f h p pnd >

H Nud Das Projekt «Hotel Neustadt» war eine Vision für einenneuen öffentlichen Ort im Zentr um Halle-Neustadts, einemStadtteil, den viele Menschen verlassen. Gemeinsam mit demHallenseschen Thalia-Theater inszenierte der darstellende

Architekt Benjamin Förster-Baldenius (raumlabor berlin)städtisches Leben in einem leer stehenden, 13geschössigenPlattenbau. Besucher konnten spielerisch Stadt erleben, aneinem Ort wo Urbanität zu verschwinden droht. BenjaminFöster-Baldenius stellt das Projekt und die Hintergründe

vor.

H Nud The project ‘Hotel Neustadt’ envisioned a new publicspace in the centre of Halle-Neustadt, a quarter manypeople are abandoning. Together with the Halle Thalia-Theatre, performing architect Benjamin Förster-Baldenius(raumlabor berlin) staged urban life in a vacant thirteenstorey GDR prefabricated block. Visitors could playfullyexperience the city in a place where urbanity is on theverge of disappearing. Benjamin Förster-Baldenius intro-duces the project and its context.

100qm Diznbh Auch in Städten Westdeutschlands reichen Brachflächenbisweilen bis vor die Türen des Ratshauses. Doch warumfällt die Wahrnehmung und Akzeptanz dieses Phänomensso schwer? Der Stadtplaner Martin Wilhelm (Büro MWAS)erläutert die kuriose städtebauliche Situation der StadtDietzenbach und den Versuch der temporären Landnahmeim Rahmen des Projektes «100qm Dietzenbach». DieBürger der «Zwischenstadt» waren aufgefordert dieallgegenwärtigen Brachen temporär mit eigenen Setzungenauf 100qm in Besitz zu nehmen. Ein Hühnerhof wird zumSymbol des «missing link» zwischen Bürgern und ihrerVerwaltung.

100qm Diznbh

Even in some western German cities the urban waste landstretches right up to the front doors of the Town Hall.Yet why is it so difficult to perceive or accept this pheno-menon? Urban planner Martin Wilhelm (Büro MWAS)explains the strange urbanistic situation of the town of Dietzenbach and the attempt at temporary occupation of the area in the framework of the project ‘100sqm Diet-zenbach’. The citizens of the ‘In-between City’ were invitedto temporarily claim the ubiquitous waste land with theirown 100sqm partitions. A poultry yard is becoming thesymbol of the ‘missing link’ between citizens and theiradministration.

N-M I N-Y Shrinking cities and urban wastelands –the urbanparadigm of the future will be affected to a greatextent by ‘undefinedness’. The scale of the rapidlyincreasing vacancy of buildings and spaces in manycities is not yet adequately anchored in our societalawareness. Politics and urban planning applyconcepts, which cannot cope with the challengesposed by this problem. As so often it is intendedthat civil society will oblige to resolve the issue.However there is a general lack of genuine commu-nication and discussion...

The documentary essay ‘No-More I Not-Yet’ wasintentionally developed by us as a communicationmedium for discussions on the ground. The docu-ment makes the urgency of the ‘seemingly remote’subject matter clear and questions the practicalvalue of the derelict areas: Can urban waste landbe a space of cultural possibilities?

Not-Yet – Part II of the documentary portrays a

cross-section of projects, which have committedthemselves to the social appropriation of thewasteland. Leading stakeholders present the inten-tions of their projects as well as the problems andstruggles surrounding these spaces of freedom. Apatchwork of simultaneous asynchronisms of localcontexts emerges in the discussion on the usageof unrealisable space. The challenging of culturalvalue in use and of ownership increases fromtemporary usage to the consolidating occupancyof areas. No predetermined answer is supplied asevery place seeks out its own discussion!

DaNIel KUNle / Holger laUINger / Project NIcHt-MeHr I NocH-NIcHt documentary film / Germany / 2004 / 82 min. English subtitled

DaNIel KUNle / Holger laUINger / Project NIcHt-MeHr I NocH-NIcHt documentary film / Germany / 2004 / 82 min English subtitled

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Ubn cy/ZwihnpnuzunUrban Catalyst ist ein EU-Forschungsprojekt über temporäreNutzungen auf städtischen Brachflächen. Die InitiatorenKlaus Overmeyer und Prof. Philipp Oswalt verweisenauf dem Areal des ehemaligen Wriezener Bahnhofs auf die notwendige Integration von neuen Akteuren undinformellen Nutzungen in die Strategien der Stadtplanung- insbesondere bei der finanziellen Haushaltslage derMetropole Berlin. Die erläuternden Beobachtungender Planer bilden den inhaltlichen Rahmen der Projekte

«Zwischenpalastnutzung» und des «Broedplaatsfonds Amsterdam».

«Zwischenpalastnutzung oder Luftschloss?» In derDiskussion um den brachgefallenen Palast der Republik inder Mitte Berlins spiegelt sich die bundesdeutsche Malaisezwischen halluzinatorischem Wiederaufbauglaube vonkonservativem Schlossfassaden oder der pragmatischen

Wahrnehmung der Potenziale des vorhandenen Ortes. Allein jenseits des ideologischen Bilderstreits fehlen dieFinanzen für den vom Bundestag beschlossenen Abrissdes Palasts. Die kulturelle Zwischenpalastnutzung willdie Symbolik des Ortes nutzen, um innovative und neueFormen städtischen Lebens ins öffentliche Bewusstseinzu bringen. Der Palast wird zum prominenten, bundesweit

kommunizierbaren Beispiel für die vielen kleingeistigen undlangwierigen Diskussionen anderenorts über das Öffnenbrachgefallener Möglichkeitsräume.

Ubn cy/ZwihnpnuzunUrban Catalyst is an EU research project on temporaryuses of urban waste land. On the area of the former

Wriezen er tr ain st ation, the in itiato rs Kl aus Ove rmeye rand Professor Phillipp Oswalt, point out the necessar yintegration of new stakeholders and informal usersinto the strategic approaches of urban planning

– in par ticula r where the budget ary situat ion issimilar to that of the city of Berlin. The exemplifiedobservations of the planners form the framework of

the content of the projects ‘Zwischenpalastnutzung’and ‘Broedplaatsfonds Amsterdam’.

‘Zwischenpalastnutzung [temporary ‘in-between’ useof the former Palace of the Republic, transl.] or castlein the air?’ The discussion surrounding the now vacantPalace of the Republic in the centre of Berlin, mirrorsthe federal German malaise of a hallucinatory faithin the reconstruction of conservative palace facadesand a pragmatic recognition of the potential of theexisting place. Even looking beyond the ideologicaliconoclastic controversies there are no funds for the

demolition of the Palace, which has been decided uponby the Bundestag. The temporary cultural use of thePalace, the Zwischenpalastnutzung, aims to utilise thesymbolism of the place to raise public awareness of innovative and new forms of urban life. The Palacebecomes the prominent and nationally communicableexample of the narrowminded and protracteddiscussions on the opening up of abandoned spacesof possibilities everywhere.

Bdpfnd/NDsM-Wf amdm«Creative City Amsterdam!?» Amsterdam öffnete mittels derkommunalen Strategie der «Brutplaatsfonds» leerstehendeRäume in der Stadt. Aus Geldern der staatlichen Lotteriewurden die temporäre Inbesitznahme und der Aufbau vonInfrastrukturen durch Kulturschaffende gefördert. Kulturund Kreativität soll Nicht-Orte in attraktive, verwertbare

Adressen verwandeln. Der ehemalige Squater undkommunale Berater Jaap Draaisma (Büro de Verandering)spricht über Chancen und Instrumentalisierung der

«Brutplätze». Die künstlerische Leiterin Eva de Klerk stelltdas Projekt Kinetisch Noord auf der ehemaligen SchiffswerftNDSM vor. Auf der Werft wird Künstlern Platz für dieverschiedenartigsten Laboratorien geboten. Das kulturelle

Angebot soll helfen die städtebauliche Entwicklung desStadtteils Amsterdam Noord voranzutreiben.

Bdpfnd/NDsM-Wf amdm‘Creative City Amsterdam !?’ By means of the‘Broedsplaatsfonds’ Amsterdam made vacant spacesin the city accessible. Using funds from the nationallottery, the temporary occupancy and installation of infrastructures by people engaged in the culturalsector was promoted. Culture and creativity are meant

to transform nonplaces into attractive, regainableaddresses. The former squatter a nd community advisor,Jaap Draaisma (Büro de Verandering) discusses thechances the instrumentalisation of these ‘incubatorspaces’. The artistic director Eva de Kierk presentsthe project Kinetisch Noord on the site of the formerNDSM shipyard. The dockyard offers artists space forthe most diverse laboratories. The cultural programmeis supposed to promote the urban development of the

Amster dam No ord a rea.

DaNIel KUNle / Holger laUINger / Project NIcHt MeHr I NocH NIcHt documentary film / Germany / 2004 / 82 min. English subtitled

DaNIel KUNle / Holger laUINger / Project NeUlaND documentary film / Germany / 2007 / 75 min. English subtitled

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Nund Werden wir verschiedene Gesellschaften inunterschiedlichen Räumen haben? Im September2004 sorgte die Infr agestellung der Notwendigkeitgleichwertiger Lebensverhältnisse in allen RegionenDeutschlands durch den Bundespräsidenten HorstKöhler für einen kurzen Aufruhr in den Medien desLandes. Nachhaltig aber sind die Probleme, mitdenen sich heute zahlreiche Regionen konfrontiert

sehen. De- oder Hyperindustrialisierung sindverantwortlich für eine hohe flächendeckende Arbeitslosigkeit. Die Kommunen sindaussichtslos verschuldet. Zunehmend könnenInfrastrukturleistungen nicht mehr aufrechterhalten werden. Den disparaten Regionen laufendie Menschen davon. Wenn aber «Gleichwertigkeit»nicht mehr garantiert wird, könnte dann aus dem«Schattenreich der Globalisierung» nicht auchein «Neuland» für Experimente, Lebens- und Arbeitsweisen jenseits bzw. parallel der aktuellenVergesellschaftung entstehen?

Neuland ist ein Reisebericht durch die ostdeutsche

Transformationslandschaft. Die Verdichtung vonRealitätsfragmenten unterschiedlicher Akteure, vonPionieren und ihren Projekten regt an, Neuland zudenken.

Nund Will we have vary ing societie s in differ entspaces? In September 2004 the challenging of the ‘Necessity of equivalent living conditions inall regions of Ger many’ by the Federal PresidentHorst Köhler resulted in a short-lived commotionin the national media. The problems manyregions are confronted with on the other handare enduring. De- or hyper-industrialisation are

accountable for high region-wide unemploymentrates. The municipalities are hopelessly in debt.Increasingly infrastructure services cannot besustained. People are fleeing disparate regions.However, if equality can no longer be guaranteed,could the ‘shadow realm of globalisation’ notalso become a ‘Neuland’, a new territory forexperimentation, lifestyles and ways of workingbeyond or parallel to the current socialisation?

‘Neuland’ is a travelogue through thetransforming east German landscape. Theconcentration of various fragments of reality of

the protagonists, pioneers and their projects,encourages thought of ‘Neuland’.

eini d vn Pk >sm f h p pnd >

shnknzuh Vnd gbrDie ehemaligne BWL-Studenten Danny Hübner undDaniel Weller versuchen mit einer Schneckenzuchtsich eine Existenzgrundlage für das Bleiben in derstrukturschwachen Region Vogtland zu schaffen.

sni Fm Vnd gbrThe former economics students Danny Hübner andDaniel Weller, attempt to create a livelihood through snailfarming in order to be able to stay in the economically

underdeveloped region Vogtland.

Buff rnh NukiizhDie Buffalo Ranch ist der 1. und einzige Zuchtbetrieb

für «Plains Buffalo», den amerikanischen Präriebison,in Sachsen. Initiator Falk Selka (55) hat, nach jahre langem Kana da-Au fentha lt, sein gesamt esErfahrungswissen incl. professioneller Technik zurBisonhaltung eingebracht, um auf den Brachflächenehemaliger Tagebaue ideale Haltungsbedingungenfür Wildrinder zu schaffen. Die Buffalo Ranch, alsalternativer Landwirtschaftsbetrieb, kann durchartgerec hte, natürliche Tierhaltung ohne Ställe, für denFleischmarkt absolute Spitzenqualität bereitstellen.Gleichzeitig findet Landschaftspflege statt undinteressierte Beobachter können sich an der Ästhetik einer Bisonherde erfreuen.

Buff rnh Nukiizh

The Buffalo Ranch is the first and only breeding farm forthe American ‘Plains Buffalos’ in Saxony. After years of living in Canada, initiator Falk Selka (55) has investedall his experience and skills as well as professional bisonfarming technology, in order to create ideal living condi-tions for the wild cattle on the waste land of a formersurface mine. As an alternative agricultural enterprisethe Buffalo Ranch can by all means produce top-qualitymeat for the market, through appropriate and naturalanimal farming without stables. Simultaneously landscapeconservation is taking place and interested observerscan enjoy the beauty of the bison herd.

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DaNIel KUNle / Holger laUINger / Project NeUlaND documentary film / Germany / 2007 / 75 min. English subtitled

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Kmmun Whun Am Rande des Thür inger Walde s zwischen Eise nach undErfurt bauen circa 20 Kommunarden eine ehemaligePuppenfabrik für eine Lebensgemeinschaft von circa100 Menschen mit neuen Wohn- und Arbeitsformenum.

Whun cmmunOn the edge of the Thuringian Forest between Eisenachand Erfurt roughly 20 communards are converting a

former doll factory for a community of about 100 peopleand new forms of living and working.

Vhnin Md / Bimhf MüizDas kleine Dorf Varchentin in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern setzt auf endogene Potenziale zurRückgewinnung von regionaler Wertschöpfung.Grundprinzipien des «Varchentiner Modells»sind: Hundertprozentige Nutzung der lokalenRessourcen | Aufbau lokaler/regionaler

Wer tschö pfung skett en und Wir tscha ftskr eislä ufe| Energetische Gesamtversorgung auf Grundlageeigener nachwachsender Rohstoffe | «Landwirt alsEnergiewirt» | Stärkung des dörflichen Charaktersvon Arbeiten und Wohnen durch Schaffung/Sicherung von Arbeitsplätzen | Erhalt und Nutzunghistorischer Bausubstanz und Produktionsanlagenim ländlichen Raum für die Errichtung modernerDienstleistungsplattformen | Imageverbesserungder Landwirtschaft | Bunte landwirtschaftlicheDienstleistungsbetriebe mir hoher Wertschöpfung undÖkologie.

Vhin Pi P / Bim e MüizThe little village Varchentin in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern relies on endogenous potentialsfor the recovery of regionally created value.Base principles of the ‘Varchentiner Model’ are:a 100% use of local resources | developmentof local/ regional economic cycles and cyclesof value creation | total supply of al l energyrequired throughown renewable resources | ‘thefarmer as energy supplier’ | strengthening of the village character through working and livingand the creation/securing of jobs | conservationand maintenance of the historic building stock and manufacturing facilities in rural areas for theinstal lation of modern service industry platforms| image improvement of agriculture | variedagricultural service enterprises with a high returnand ecological values.

Ökdf sibnindnDas Ökodorf Sieben Linden in der Altmark (Sachsen-

Anhalt ) versteh t sich als Modell- und Forschu ngspro jektfür eine zukunftsorientierte Lebensweise, in der Arbeitund Freizeit, Ökonomie und Ökologie, Individuumund Gemeinschaft, weltoffene und dörfliche Kultur inkleinen Lebenskreisen zu einem Gleichgewicht findensollen:- In einem ökologischen Dorf, das in überschaubaremMaßstab alltagserprobte Antworten auf die

existenziellen Fragen unserer Zeit sucht.- In einem weltoffenen Dorf, das ein Anziehungspunktfür viele Menschen, ein Ort der Kreativität und desLernens sein wird.- In einem Modell, das zeigt, wie der Mensch mit derNatur verantwortlicher und zufriedener leben kann.

e-Vi sibnindnThe Eco-Village Siebenlinden in the Altmark region(Saxony-Anhalt) perceives itself as a pilot and researchproject for a future oriented way of living, in which work and free time, economy and ecology, the individual andthe community, as well as cosmopolitan and village cultu-re can find a balance in manageable living communities:- An an ecological village can seek out answers to exis-

tential questions of our time which are suitable for eve-ryday practice.- A cosmopolitan village will be a centre of attraction formany people and a place of creativity and learning.- A pilot project can demonstrate how humans can livemore responsibly and contently with nature.

rinwähun UmDer UrstromTaler ist als regional gültigesZahlungsmittel seit Oktober 2004 als Gutscheinund Online-System im Einsatz. Das REGIOgeldbleibt als zusätzliche Kaufkraft in der Regionsoll kleine regionale Kreisläufe aktivieren und

Menschen wieder in die Arbeitswelt einbinden. Eswird bereits von über 300 Partnern akzeptiert.

rin cuny « Um »Since October 2004 the Urstromtaler is in use asa regionally val id currency in the form of an onlineand voucher system. The local money remainsin the region as additional purchasing powerand is supposed to activate small-scale regionalcycles and reintegrate people into the world of employment. It is already accepted by over 300partners.

Š

Meike schalk / apolonija ŠUŠTeRŠic / Mmö / amtrm / since 2005 / sTaTUs iu rf, brt r rt

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2005 2007

2005 2007

M a l m ö

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H o l l a n d

2005 2007

2005 2007 L j u b l j a n a

S l o v

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2005 2007

D u n d e e

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r e m e n

B o n n i e

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Our practice consists of two individuals collabo-rating on several projects. Our background is inart and architecture (Apolonija Šušteršič), andin architecture (Meike Schalk), but most of ourprojects move in and in-between the realms of micro- urbanism, practice-based research, andcommunity work. Main interests include socialdynamics, questions of local cultural production,alternative economies, and participation proces-

ses in urban planning.

The works we have conducted together have adistinct research dimension related to a criticalanalysis of space through the social, economic,and political dynamics, and practices of everydaylife. Extensive research into specific situations andcontexts found ‘on location’ serves as the staringpoint for each project. This involves an explora-tion of a site through its many different aspectsof social, political, and physical characteristics, aswell as explorations on micro and macro scales.Hereby, emphasis is put on the act of collectingspecific information, as a way of collecting and se-lecting information, the ‘how’ and ‘what’ and from‘whom’ is the foundation for the entire workingprocess. The result of our research is not only

imbued with analytical criticism, as one would ex-pect, but produces in itself already a suggestionfor the future (however naïve or idealistic).

A major par t in all projects is communication andthe establishment of contacts and partnerships todifferent actors, institutions, and local residents. All projects come into being through a collabo-rative effort between a community, an institution,

and us. The way we connect, and to whom, greatlyinfluences emerging themes and tools for a parti-cular project. The specific situation related to thepolitics of the place generates the entire creativeprocess further on where the role of the viewer isreplaced by the role of the participant. Mostly theprojects evolve into socially committed works thattake on the form of everyday activity.

The practice has always sought to express andsuggest different strategies for expanding an artor architectural practice.

/ WoRkspace / oRganisaTionŠMeike schalk / apolonija ŠUŠTeRŠ

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We work in our respective studios in Malmö (Meike)& Amsterdam (Apolonija), and communicate viae-mail and phone. We develop our projects togetherat meetings in Stockholm where we both work attwo different universities (Apolonija at the RoyalUniversity College of Fine Arts, Meike at the Schoolof Arc hitecture at the Royal College of Technology).In Stockholm we work at all sorts of places, inclu-ding home, school office, bars, and restaurants. As

we work abroad a great deal, hotels and swimmingpools should also be mentioned. We have a lot of meetings in all sorts of environments, using artinstitutions as our production offices and a largepart of our work consists in speaking to people onthe street.

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We support ourselves with teaching positions; theprojects are commissioned and produced by artinstitutions.

Our Malmö studio is in the industrial harbour areaof the city; our studio in Amsterdam is to the west,in an old community house.

The two of us and from 7 to 11 people, part time

Art exhibition curators, project producers, manu-facturers of all kinds, students, and everyone whowants to participate

Malmö: 18m² + 90m² (neighbours’ studio) Amsterdam: 70 m²

Malmö: 4,50 €/m² Amsterdam: 5€/m²

Malmö : sharing space with an artist, according toneed Amsterdam : sharing space with a musician. Thewhole community house is divided into 5 studiospaces under the name Stichting De Geuzen – afoundation for Multi-Visual Research.

Institutional

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/ Tools / MeThodsŠMeike schalk / apolonija ŠUŠTeRŠ

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workshops

meetings

sharing knowledge

drinking tea

developing ideas

archiving

publishing

organizing

inviting

producing

making contacts

financing

informing

resear-

ching visiting designing

swimming talking mailing calling

making appointments thinking sketchingdiscussing drawing building writing

reading presenting

INSTITUTION COLLABORATIVE PRACTICELOCAL ACTORS

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pRojecT Bonnie dUndee / SITE Dundee / a meeting place in the garden / TIMING preparation : 2 months / workshop : 1 week (April-June 2005) / PARTNERSHIP /

FUNDS Dundee Contemporary Arts DCA/ ŠMeike schalk / apolonija ŠUŠTeRŠ

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What makes a city worth to live in?

What do we expect of public spaces?

What means for us the quality of a place?

The Planning Department of Dundee

How can we participate in theplanning process?

Have we developed good modelsof communication in planning?

How was this plan developed?

How much was the public involved?

What is the base of activ ism?Do people want to involve themselves? What are the experiences of local activism in relationship tochanges in the city?Do have activists an influence ondecision-making?

Day 2: Green Spaces andLocal Activism

Day 3: The WaterfrontDevelopment

Day 4: Planning with Participation

Day 5: The Qualityof Place

Day 1: Garden Walk

Participants:Ritchie CummingBobby Heron Amanda MoncourJim NoblePeter SandwellMeike Schalk Apolonija Sustersic Anne-Marie Watson

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Bonnie dUndee, A MEETING PLACE IN THE GARDEN(after Patrick Geddes) was a workshop accompanying

Apolonija Šušteršič’s exhibit of a green house for theshow ‘Our Sourroundings’ in 2005 at Dundee Contempo-rary Arts DCA. The glass house was temporarily installedas a meeting place, on the waterfront of Dundee, theobject of a new and controversial planning scheme.During the period of one week, we invited different groupsof local activists, politicians, architects, and representa-tives of various interest groups, together with visitors, to

participate in discussion r ounds addressing questions of public space and participation in planning. Every sessionconcluded with a wish or an idea. These proposals werethen given to the city planning department.

Day 1: Garden Walk to explore Dundee’s public greenspaces. The tour was announced at DCA and open toeveryone interested.

Day 2: Meeting with local activists and volunteers involvedin the making of public green spaces. Community workcreates networks of people, and links neighbourhoodsand municipalities. It offers the chance to take part in themaking of a place.

Day 3: With representatives of a local business asso-ciation, and a housing association, we reviewed theproposed plan through the neglected lense of socialinclusion, and public space. The residents associationsuggested that the council, instead of demolishing theirrun-down council flats, should sell them to the residentsfor the symbolic price of £1 to enable them to take thingsinto their own hands.

Day 4: With council members we discussed the necessityof mediating planning ideas to communities. Planningwas not seen as pro-active or inter-active, but re-ac-tive. A common language for participation is a goal tobe pursued.

Day 5: With a local architect we attempted to find out what

makes the quality of public spaces. Who decides whatquality is? Inclusion and participation, and the possibilityof appropriating spaces and places for social interactionwas evaluated as more important than expensive envi-ronmental designs.

During the period of one week, the greenhouse wasanimated through an urban debate. Physically and meta-phorically the workshop posed the idea of a transparentplanning process whereby a city planning office could bethought of less as an exclusive institution, and more as apublic meeting place.

Šušteršič

/ SITE Bremen / Gröpelingen / TIMING April - September 2005 / FUNDS Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst GAKpRojecT alienaTion ŠMeike schalk / apolonija ŠUŠTeRŠ

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WAS IST DIE GESCHICHTE DES SPACE PARKS?

WIE WAREN DIE REAKTIONEN DER BÜRGER AUF DAS SPACE PARK

PROJEKT? GAB ES PROTESTE?

WIE SIEHT BÜRGERBETEILIGUNG BEI DER STADTPLANUNG AUS?

WER ENTSCHEIDET, DIE WIRTSCHAFT ODER DIE POLITIK?

WAS IST DAS PROBLEM?

WAS SOLLTE JETZT MIT DEM SPACE PARK PASSIEREN?

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The project, alienaTion is made up of two parts: A documentary video (30 min.), and a film-night program of science fiction films, originally organised for the CineSpacecinema in the Space Park, Bremen.The project ALIENATION discusses the influence of globali-zation on urban planning and its effects on a specific localsituation. The study looks into the urban transformation of the Harbour Area in Bremen, more precisely Bremen’s firstand always controversial mega-project of the Space Park.The Space Park was conceived as a Space ‘infotainment’Centre together with one of Europe’s largest shoppingmalls, which in fact never saw the opening of a single shop.The mall was planned over eleven years, but only the SpaceCentre ever opened in 2003. It was open only for ninemonths before closing down. The last surviving part is thecinema complex CineSpace.The video ALIENATION focuses on the Space Centre. It inter-rogates the gap or alienation between investment politics,urban planning procedures and local everyday life, often faraway. In discussion with the various agents concerned, suchas politicians, the concept developer, a city planner, localactivists, users, and local inhabitants, the video produces acritical reflection on urban top-down planning and its contra-diction of local reality.The one-night science-fiction film programme, which wascurated for the commercial cinema complex CineSpace - theonly still-functional part of the Space Park, contextualisesthe documentary video. The film programme is composed

of three early sci-fi movies, which discuss the demise of a society of the future, that is in fact looking back at ourpresent. They envision a dystopian reality, characterisedby prohibition, war, pollution, and dehumanisation. All thedifferent narratives are driven by the desire to overcomealienation in the search for a more genuine life experience.The breakdown of a rather short-sighted economicalconcept could be taken on by decision makers as a signto work more strongly from within a local context, involvinginhabitants in future plans as participants, as well as forlocals to involve themselves in the discussion of the futureof their cities.

/ SITE Chessels Court - Edinburgh / TIMING January - August 2007 / PARTNERSHIP The Common Guild Edinburgh International Festival/ FUNDS Edinburgh International FestivalpRojecT gaRden seRvice ŠMeike schalk / apolonija ŠUŠTeRŠ

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GARDEN SERVICE addresses the peculiar situation of mixed public

and private areas in the Closes adjacent to the Royal Mile. Spaces

such as Chessels Court are secluded from but also connected to

the Royal Mile, one of the great tourist destinations of Edinburgh.

We believe the city of Edinburgh and especially its’ historic centre

is very well suited for the tourists invading the city - looking for

attractions and entertainment - but it offers little to residents

living in the historical centre, keeping the city alive and vibrant in

all times of the year.

We chose to install a few simple urban elements designed to

encourage the space to be used, especially by and for the

residents living in Chessels Court who don’t have their own garden

or outdoor space. Our main focus was on the ‘observation

platform,’ a public area covered with concrete. This ‘bluff’ had

already been targeted as a potential garden by residents.

Together, during a workshop, we installed a temporary garden.

The new garden is a public expression of private care and shared

benefit – a public green space created and looked after by private

garden lovers.

GARDEN SERVICE was very much inspired by the life and work of

Patrick Geddes (1854 – 1932), a former resident of the Royal

Mile who planned and partly installed gardens in various closes

along the Royal Mile. Geddes was a firm advocate of the value of gardens as social places, and gardening as time spent towards

common good. This garden presents an old/new prototype, and is

a reminder of these forgotten values. With its shared facilities it

offers a place to sit down; it serves as a meeting place, which was

animated by specific programs during the time of the exhibition.

The temporary garden is currently under process of becoming

permanent pursued by the residents of Chessel’s Court with

support of the authorities. We hope it will trigger discussions

about both gardening and the use and provision of communal,

public space within the very centre of the city.

Photos: Kees van Zelst

Technical data: potted herb garden, table, benches, picnic blanket, staircase, notebook, poster for the program; Gardening workshop with inhabitants; Garden Tee Party; Sunday Afternoon Garden Talks Program

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