Concept

Interspace

A concept for an experiential urban space enabling new ways of human encounters.

The experience of space and the boundaries it has raised have made us rethink and reimagine opposites. With our project INTERSPACE we would like to encourage exchange. Furthermore, borders need to be broken in order to playfully enter into exchange. Closeness and distance, experiencing spaces in full reception and thinking beyond. Our exit strategy is a beginning to move and interact in new spaces.

 

During our research on the topic of living space and alternative supply structures (organic food, food sharing, permaculture…) it became more and more clear to us how comprehensively this field touches all other problematic areas (such as education, nutrition, climate…) and we moved from a bird’s eye view to a closer look at the space as such. More and more the idea emerged to use the potential of change that lies in the form of an intervention.

We now want to create a temporary space of experience, a space of imagination that could lead to a different, more conscious and supportive way of living together. This experiential space is to be created as an intervention in public space and provide an occasion for an exchange on how space could be designed, lived and enlivened. Above all, the aspect of participation is very important to us, since the joint activity or use of the installation, brings people together almost automatically on one level and thus directly a fruitful space for discussion can arise.

The installation will be mobile, so it can be installed in different places. It will be thick, organic-looking ropes hanging from a metal framework. The ropes are looped around the struts of the scaffolding with a knot and hang loosely down to the ground. The somewhat strangely curved greenish ropes, which are reminiscent of a fleshy plant or aerial roots, are intended to arouse the curiosity of passers-by and invite them to interact. The ropes can be knotted, for example, to form small and also larger seating levels and swings, and thus the space around the ropes is in constant flux. Also due to the openness to all sides, the installation is constantly influenced by wind and weather and keeps changing. It is a large network of knots to which everyone can connect. This joint creation and linking of a space can give impulses for an expanded perception of space and its design possibilities.

Viewed in a larger context, this playful approach should also lead to a questioning of our fixed ideas/images of historically grown cities and to thinking about a new space in between. A space of exchange, mutual support and shared experience. We want to create an interface of urban/artificial space, natural space and social space. In a way, the installation is meant to stand as a metaphor for an abundance and a density (of the city) and to invite to deal with this abundance, to order it and to create new space. The interaction can be seen as a playful exercise of how we might deal with our living space, leading to an invention of possible futures (in the dimensions of social and educational).

Initially, a small model of the installation exists, but we also set our sights on a possible location in Berlin, namely the old Hammelhalle near Storkower Straße. The scaffolding of the old Hammelhalle could be the perfect support for the ropes of the installation. By working with the already existing construction, the installation would be realizable with very simple means. An opening of the installation is planned as well as regular events to give concrete food for thought for the conscious interaction with the installation. These thought-provoking impulses could, for example, take the form of a performance that illustrates the possible shared spaces of experience or brings them to life. Also conceivable is a certain coloring of the ropes, divided into several color groups, which provide a clue for possible connections over long distances and make it clear that the space can only be created in conjunction with several people.

A concept by Marc Roman Page, Devi Sofia Sund Rojo and Natalie Marie Preuß

DOWNLOAD PROJECT PDF

 

 

by nataliep

New Work – New Office

design of an alternative working environment

Digitization is affecting our lives in many ways, and this is becoming more and more apparent at work. The developments entail some risks, but also offer great potentials. For example, increasing automation and the more extensive use of machine learning could lead to the loss of many jobs in the future. This gives us the opportunity for a comprehensive reorientation in terms of work. Today’s concept of wage labor, which focuses solely on the end product and ultimately on maximizing profit, must be questioned in light of current economic and social developments. The economic system is heading for a crisis, and it is time to develop new forms of collaboration in which people with all their needs and the purpose for society are at the center of entrepreneurial activity. At this point, digitization also plays a crucial role, because only the appropriate technology makes it possible, for example, to work in a decentralized and asynchronous manner. The Corona pandemic has opened many people’s eyes to the upheavals that lie ahead for our way of working in the future. In the current “home office” intensive test phase, both the advantages and disadvantages of these developments became clear. Social isolation is probably the most decisive negative effect of office abstinence. More than ever before, the importance of the workplace as a place for social exchange and creative collaboration became apparent. And even if decentralized working becomes more mainstream after the pandemic, these aspects will remain.
Based on our research in the field of non-violent communication and the idealistic notions of the “New Work” movement, we have designed a concrete spatial concept that reflects the current developments towards more personal responsibility and needs orientation and transfers them into a future utopia of an ideal workplace. The concept represents a starting point. The spaces presented require further elaboration. Facilities and processes need to be evolved. And finally, the concept can also be transferred to other settings such as the education sector.

English Version: New_Office_Tamm_Machmer_English

German Version: New_Office_Tamm_Machmer_Deutsch

 

Research:

Das Ende der Megamaschine_ Mitschrift

Reinventing Organizations_Mitschrift

 

Interview on the topic of nonviolent communication:

https://www.gewaltfrei-kommunizieren.hamburg/aktuelles/interwiews-und-webtalks-zur-gewaltfreien-kommunikation/

by elisa

Digital Education

An undeceiving concept for the Young on how to responsibly deal with the advantages and pitfalls of digital media.

We are interested in the subject of psychology because for us mental health and its care are extremely important, especially in these digital times. We think that this topic receives too little attention in the public. 

At the beginning of our work, we researched separately. Since both research topics showed certain parallels, we joined. By combining both topics (internet use & mental hygiene) we developed our final concept.

Since we believe that these topics are an important aspect of everyone’s life, we asked ourselves why we are not taught strategies to maintain mental health from an early age on. Our internet use can also affect our psyche. Through the use of algorithms, internet sites tend to show us only information that matches our previous views. This can effectively isolate us in a bubble. Starting from the issues that children are confronted with during their school years, we developed our concept. It deals with digital education of school children and includes learning important precautions and general behavior in dealing with the internet, social media, etc. 

Collaboration of Céline Lanzl, Merle Lehmann-Korn, Klara Herrmann

 

PDFs:

Digitale-Aufklärung-Recherche-Psychohygiene
Digitale-Aufklärung-Konzept-Präsi
Digitale-Aufklärung-Recherche-Filterblase
Digitale-Aufklärung-Konzept

by klara

“And how will you make a living with that?”

Questioning work and its perception

My initial research began with investigating the value of work. I dived into topics such as money, economy, capitalism, performance, consumption, etc., and analyzed their relations. Early on, it became clear that economic thinking has a prior role in our lives. Although, we might not always be conscious about it. Remembering my time in high school, I realized how much my training focused on working for money and predefined goals that were not mine. The dominance of work with financial motivation pushed all other demands aside.

I started to ask questions. What is the source of this attitude? Why are we so strongly motivated by money? Why are we neglecting other significant things in our lives, such as our health, social environment, or personal fulfillment? Led by those questions, I came across alternative ways to organize work, for instance, the concept of unconditional basic income and New Work. These ideas became a great source of inspiration during my research. I felt convinced by their human-centered and value-oriented approach.

In my essay “And how will you make a living with that?” I discuss the perception of work and its role in our lives. Furthermore, I include proposals of how general education could help to shift our view. My ideas intend to serve as a starting point to a complex problem and draw attention to our personal needs and desires.

Research notes: Recherche-Wert-der-Arbeit

by johannes