At the end of April, “radical playgrounds,” an art parcour curated by Joanna Warsza and Benjamin Foerster-Baldenius, raumlaborberlin, will open in the parking lot of the Gropius Bau in Kreuzberg.

 

In a 2-day workshop, participants will use minimally invasive methods to appropriate the former parking lot of the Gropius Bau, examining and questioning its radical nature: Who has the say here? To whom does this space belong? Is our city still negotiable?
Nearby, at Hafenplatz on the border between Kreuzberg and Tiergarten, the company Art Invest, together with GEWOBAG, aims to realize the residential and commercial district “Kulturhafen.” For this, the existing buildings from the 1970s must be demolished.
It is uncertain whether all tenants can return once construction is underway.

 

Over the course of the semester, we will network with residents of the building complex, who have been fighting for their home for years and are wondering: Why does the owner let this prime property continue to deteriorate? (refer to the TAZ article). The Berlin Tenants' Association speaks of “Monopoly with breaks.”
Can we imagine alternative utopias for our cities instead of leaving the playing field to the profit expectations of a few? And how can we as designers help make urban struggles visible?

During the workshop on June 1st and 2nd, we will collaboratively translate the research into designs and reveal them to all of Berlin.

 

Dates:

April 27 (1-8 PM) + April 28 (1-4 PM) public opening of “radical playgrounds”

April 18 (2-3 PM) KICK-OFF @401

May 6 (2-6 PM) Exchange with Hafenplatz Initiative and the curatorial team of Radical Playgrounds / Berliner Festspiele (tbc)

June 1 (12-4 PM) Presentation of the research + June 2 (12-4 PM) Design and construction Workshop “Radical Playgrounds: How radical?” with Guerilla Architects and Hafenplatz Initiative

July 8-12 Documentation and exhibition concept for the Rundgang

The number of participants is limited to 10 students.
Registration with a short motivational letter via email to gioberti.silvia@udk-berlin.de by April 17th 2024.