Risse im Gewebe einer Urbanen Topographie
Departing from a perspective of the phenomenological, the theoretical work examines the urban fabric as well as the unused properties, empty spaces and construction sites that result from constant change, which are seen as places of demolition, upheaval, or departure. In doing so, the ambivalence that exists in relation to disruptive factors and design potential in these places is explored as well as how they can be negotiated artistically.
NOW
In the scenographic installation on a brownfield site in Offenbach’s harbour district, which has been under construction for a number of years, the work focuses on an awareness of transition and the qualities of spaces in between. Visitors to the installation initially climb a staircase that runs over a wall and therefore, in a symbolic act of conquest, acquire access to an area that is normally inaccessible. On the other side of the wall, the stairs become a grandstand and the public become observers of a symbolic laying of the foundation stone. They view a scene of upheaval and therefore also an atmospheric time of being in-between, in which what has occurred previously and what may or may not follow in the future meet. In addition, this moment represents a sense of waiting and anticipation for the construction to begin of the new HfG building that is planned for that location. Most importantly, the work also concentrates on a personal time of change: the process of graduating, which is both a form of ending and beginning.
