COHABITATION: A Manifesto for the Solidarity of Animals and Humans in Urban Space (2021)

The multi-year research project “Cohabitation: A manifesto for solidarity between animals and humans in urban space” was initiated by ARCH+ in collaboration with Silent Green. Cohabitation describes “life with” – life in urban space that includes not only humans, but also other resident species that have so far received little attention and acceptance in urban planning and architecture. Questions such as “Do animals have a right to the city?” and “How can animals become equal partners in urban space?” are on the agenda. In terms of a sustainable, future-oriented city, solidarity with all living beings, which influence each other in complex ways and exist as a consistent unit, is a fundamental pillar of cohabitation. The exhibition promoted a visualization of the future cohabitation of non-human and human species in cities and highlighted the development of the city in the individual stages: Anthropocity – Ecocity – Zoopolis. Using different artistic and design approaches, the human-animal relationship was captured and reinterpreted by 30 participating actors.

Sound installation: “Not so Silent Green” (June 5-6, 2021; 12pm-8pm)

Studio Animal-Aided Design was represented in the exhibition with the sound installation “Not so Silent Green”. In the domed hall of the former crematorium, a sound installation was conceived that acoustically brings back birdcalls of species that became extinct in Berlin. The location of the installation, which was a ceremonial hall and columbarium in the days of the crematorium, was chosen for its symbolic power: The term columbarium is derived from the Latin columbarium, meaning dovecote, and today is mostly used to describe a storage facility for urns and coffins. The preserved voices of extinct birds were brought to life for exhibition visitors through the immersive sound installation.

Concept: Thomas E. Hauck in collaboration with Marc Frohn (FAR frohn&rojas)

Sound installation: Zoë Mc Pherson, Vincent Vidal, Simulacro

Discussion: Architecture of Cohabitation I (June 5, 2021; 6 pm)

In the exhibition’s discourse program, Thomas E. Hauck, Marc Frohn and Zoë Mc Pherson, moderated by Peter Spillmann, discussed what an architecture of cohabitation could look like.

Architecture of Cohabitation I (June 5, 2021; 6 pm) – Available via the following link:

ARCH+ Architecture of Cohabitation I

Urban exploration: Organismic democracy: regulatory regimes in Wedding

(August 27, 2021; 4 – 6 pm; meeting point: entrance to the library at Luisenbad, Badstraße 39, 13357 Berlin)

Together with Marianne Ramsay-Sonneck (Club Real), Georg Reinhard (Club Real) and Maike Weißpflug (Museum für Naturkunde Berlin), Thomas E. Hauck led a tour around the site of Berlin’s first organism democracy on Osloer Straße and presented the concept. The urban exploration “Organismendemokratie: Ordnungsregime im Wedding” can be listened to via the ARCH+ podcast.

ARCH+ Podcast

Exhibition discourse program, urban explorations and ARCH+ edition

PLACE

Kulturquartier Silent Green, Berlin, Deutschland

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Marion von Osten (†), Christian Hiller, Alexandra Nehmer, Anh-Linh Ngo und Peter Spillmann

PERIOD

June 5 – July 4, 2021

Cohabitation is a project by ARCH+ gGmbH in cooperation with Silent Green and was funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation. The Federal Agency for Civic Education supported the Cohabitation urban explorations. The event series Cohabitation Discourse: Zoopolis Berlin was funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe. Other cooperation partners included the Goethe-Institut Côte d’Ivoire, Kunstraum Innsbruck, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and Spreepark / Grün Berlin.

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