ar2com

These pictures were taken in Australia, Brazil and Europe. What they all have in common though is a certain sense of loneliness which doesn’t necessarily have something to do with a single person. It is the atmosphere of the whole setting. In some pictures Sabine von Sarnowski was looking for this one soul exception within a structure. Like in the picture with the pale that arises out of the surface of a lake. The lake itself and the sky are almost the same colour therefore there is no clear horizon. It is the pale that gives structure and character to the whole picture. To me it passes an ambience of meditation and sheer silence. But if I remember the moment I took this picture, I have to admit, the weather was really lousy and there wasn’t even a place to sit down. But nevertheless, whenever I look at it, I wish I would sit by this lake again.

You can see more of her pictures on www.sabinevonsarnowski.wordpress.com
Here you may even buy a calender for 2011. Don’t be afraid, it is not about loneliness but about Brazil!

// Which are the challenges of the future?
// Who decides how to address them?
// How can solutions arise?
>>> Public participation in the decision making has a crucial importance. The premise of this entry is that in order to formulate what will be regarded as the challenges of the future we need to consult the people. We need to increase public participation in the everyday life and at all levels.
Our response for this call is to enhance opportunities for public participation creating an atmosphere for that to happen. This proposal, From talks to action – a framework for community participation, is composed by two features: the “iCan > < uCan” and the “weStand”, together with a preliminary discussion outline for public and private talks. We believe that this operation could instigate public debate and lead to action plans and eventually new policies.



The iCan > < uCan
is a communication device – a 30 meters long tin can telephone with a gps attached – to play a communication game. These devices would be placed in a public space for people to play the communication game and leave them where they were found or take them to another location. They will be tracked through the gps and their movements will be followed online on an associated website.



The weStand
is a wooden platform -40cm high that splits in two pieces, one the speakers’ tribune and the other a mini auditorium seed – for people to spontaneously gather to debate. It will be placed in a central area of the city, where pedestrian traffic is constant. It will have attached a 3 m diameter balloon 20 m high that will call the attention from many different areas in the city and a camera and microphone to record the public talks which will be visible in real-time on a website. The data will be useful to collect direct feedback from the population on issues that are on debate at a specific moment in a specific place.

A preliminary outline with topics for discussion as Climate change, Waste management, Infrastructure, Public space, Environment, Immigration will trigger the debates. This installation will be placed in an armature of the city. In Oslo it will be along the Akerselva River, linking Maridalsvannet lake and the Oslo Fjord. 20 “iCan > < uCan”s will be placed along the river edges every 450 m, starting at the lake and ending at Vaterlandpark where the “weStand” would conclude the journey.

Total budget: €9740 (20x “iCanuCan”s €3870; 1 x “weStand” €4370; IT costs €1500).

concept by Cecilia Benites and Jula-Kim Sieber

This is the century of communication. Collaboration between cultures happens via internet or via mobile phone. We knew this Tuareg-clan settling since a few years north of Timbuktu, who asked an interpreter and an architect from Darmstadt, Germany, to help with the construction of their first permanent educational building for their kids. Of course, we will join in; didn’t we have a splendid time in the desert some years ago…

A work process from one continent to the other was launched – between parties almost 4,000 km apart: some presentation sketches were sent via email as JPGs from Central Europe to Mali, West Africa; but the adequate form of communication has still to be learned by both sides; the newly found name Scarab’s School brands a tangible, palpable idea in all participant’ s minds and motivates the whole team. Asking, checking, and asking again is done via VoIP-mobile phoneconnection.

The above paragraphs seem to be the beginning of a futuristic fairy tale from the 1970s-ies, yet they are our built reality on the desert sands of Timbuktu. Planning and construction of the Scarab’s School was done within three months and a half, finalized in July 2009. The astounding issue in the whole process, from finding first ideas, design, construction, site management, and completion as well as use of the building was twofold: the harmonious communication as well as the horizontally structured collaboration between a “developing country” or for the case being a “nation without country” and on the other hand a “highly civilized industrial country”. The workflow, the building and hopefully the didactic methods in this building will thrive on de-hierachization.

The following article is about processes, which are in a constantly changing world more important than results, even more important than immutable ultimate results.

The article was published at the online peer-review journal for cultural comparative studies in architecture JCCS-a 4/2010 // Ephemeral Structures vs. Current Preservation Practice
The abstract and the article are both available here for download.