urban occupation : berlin

We organized an event, using only digital platforms and digital social networks, to invite to a headphone event in the Kubus. It was i.e.  ’advertised’ on Facebook and we also had our own website. The idea was to reach as many people as possible through virtual space and networks to come to a real place and event. The event pushed the boundaries of regulations and rules in public space. No amplifier was allowed according to the Ordnungsamt, why we installed a pirate radio station (well, short distance reception only), and so forth. Also Volksbuehne was not able to run the bar they initially planned, why we called on everyone to bring their own beer (sixpack), as drinking in public is allowed in Berlin. Within 2 hours, from 4-6 pm, more than 100 people saw our videos on June 1 in the Kubus (by Volksbuehne) on Rosa-Luxemburg Platz. We had to stop the event earlier than p[lanned, as the weather changed and it started to rain. In whcih case Volksbuehne uses the Kubus for their evening plays. See a little video taken during the event.

Grand Finale

Two weeks after the final presentation, the final submission is due. The end of a long, and short, semester. Some will go back home to their home countries, some will continue their studies in Berlin. Afterall an exciting experience, i hope, for all of us. Helene and I enjoyed working with you a lot. All the best.

Please see here for the final occupation

Kubus Occupation : Mid-Semester Critique

A day of discussions and presentations! Our external Guest Critics included Prof Peter Aribert Herms from the State Academy of Fine Art in Stuttgart, Hannah Hurtzig from Mobile Academy / Blackmarket Archive, Thomas Arnold from Oxford Brooks and Suzie Attiwill from RMIT University, Melbourne. At the end of this long day Hannah Hurtzig presented the projects from Mobile Academy, Kiosk, and Black Market Archive in the Kubus. Hannah is currently exhibiting one of her projects at the Art Biennale in Venice. A very productive day with exciting projects and great conversations. See the mid-semester presentations here >

Kubus Occupation : headphone event

Another test and experiment was a headphone event we were throwing on a public holiday, June 1, in the Kubus on Rosa-Luxemburg Platz. We were only using digital platforms and tools, which are generally used for social networks in virtual space to create a crowd in real space, on Rosa-Luxemburg Platz. More than 100 visitors joined us to listen see our videos of occupations, to listen to our soundtracks and to hear the sound of the videos we did set up our won (pirate) radio station and broadcasted within the Kubus. Alternatively one could download the sound files beforehand onto ones mp3 player. and See the event  website, or connect top the facebook event page.

Video of the occupation here>

Kubus Occupation : Concepts

On May 29 the students of the international design studio Urban Occupation were presenting their very first concepts with diagrams, storyboards, collages and text, to a number of guest critics.  Here You find the written feedback on all the different projects. The results can soon be seen here>design concepts

Urban Occupation : Action

We learned from the instant occupations, a first test in occupying public space, and formed teams to collaborate on further actions/occupations. We did interact with space and public through active inhabitation, provocation, happenings and installations in order to discover the diversity and potential of a given public space. Many thanks to our guest critics Michael Roper (architect) and Alex Martinis Roe (installation and performance artist).

check out the cool urban occupation : actions here>

urban occupations

Instant Occupation

The first test, in a way a self-experiment in scale 1:1 was the exposure of oneself individually on the 1st of May in public space. A quite different experience of the public space for most of us, engaging with strangers, starting conversations, …Many thanks to Antonia Pont, our guest critic on that day.

see examples of the instant occupations here>

instant occupations

Kick Off - Precedents

The workshop started with individual research on precedents in art and architecture, using a common shared indesign template to fill in informations concerning authors, actors, title, date, location and most important the manifesto.

have a look at the precedents here>

precedents

On Friday we decided to do another ‘action’ on Rosa-Luxemburg Platz, this time using the ‘Kubus’ by Volksbuehne as a venue. We will show the documentation movies of the ‘urban occupation : action’. We will use all digital medias to advertise the event, from email and facebook to another other platform we come across. The whole event is in that sense a test run. What crowd can we generate by using those platforms / networks. Concerning the sound to the movies Markus Nielsen und Ramona Reiser have enquired further, they say the radio ‘gig’ will not be possible, but we could be ‘creative’, whatever that means. Currently the idea is, that we organize a headphone party.
Please start thinking about the issues we discussed, like title, image image, text text text…