verbinden (connect)
Through the flow from one bank to the other.

The built environment must relate to the human body. It must also reflect the qualities and functions of the body, such as size, movement and fragility. A number of questions arise in this context: How do urban structures relate to people? What is the relationship between rigid buildings and the vulnerable human body? What kind of dialogues arise between form, structure, material and people and how do they manifest themselves? How can we learn to harmonise the communication between existing urban structures, natural space and our human needs? Through abstract, experimental exploration of physical connections between our bodies and our urban context, this seminar aims to raise students' awareness of the importance of the human body within their design processes. Through this exploration, three-dimensional forms will emerge that address fundamental design aspects such as balance, orientation, spatial perception and materiality.

“Think of a river and its banks. We might speak of the relation of one bank to the other, and crossing a bridge, we might find ourselves halfway between the two. But the banks are continually being formed and reformed by the waters of the river as they sweep by. These waters flow in between the banks, along a line orthogonal to the span of the bridge. To say of beings and things that they are in-between is to align our awareness with the waters; to correspond with them is to join this awareness with the flow.”
– Tim Ingold, Correspondences, 2017, p. 41.

Anthropologist Tim Ingold's metaphor illustrates how we can think about and work with immaterial and physical connections between our own bodies and the immediate public space. To gain a deeper understanding of how we want to live together in an urban environment, we need to approach it from the inside, rather than from the outside. Our aim for this year's theme is to rethink notions of identity, belonging and individuality in relation to urban space and to consider how we can engage with the mass of materials available to us. In this lecture exercise, we consider artistic practice as a basis for the production of knowledge. The study of and reflection on specific methods and production processes in the application of individual creative projects is an essential component here. The course consists of five practical exercises that gradually lead to the final form and reflect on the theme of the semester. The exercises are accompanied by theoretical input in the form of weekly lectures. This constant interrelationship between practice and theory is essential for gaining knowledge and a deeper insight into the topic covered.

 

Christian Kern

Efstathia Eleni Baseta

Christoph Meier

Marie Reichel

Lukas Thaler

Gregor Titze

Martina Kögl

Jakob Neulinger

Christoph Bruckner

Markus Bauer

Lazar Lyutakov

Cosma Grosser

Nora Fröhlich

Monika Georgieva

Elisabeth Kofler