Camp for Oppostitional Architecture :: Report from Berlin
by Alob Switt
The Camp for Oppositional Architecture took place June 25-27th, 2004 in Berlin, Germany and PIPS was glad to be in attendence. The participants were from all over and a wide range of projects were presented. Some quick introductions of pariticipants and goals of the CFOA also took place the first night.
Group work sessions were a large part of the camp and PIPS was in the public intervention group. Some serious brainstorming and lots of presentations later we got to know some of the other participants a little better. Over the whole weekend, there was a lot of interesting proposals for projects that hoped to expand the realm of the possible in life, architecture, and art.
Background of Camp
An Architektur is a quarterly publication that engages the social and political aspects of architecture and space. In an attempt to create an international platform for planners, architects, and artists working in areas of social engagement and intervention in the public sphere, An Architektur hosted the Camp for Oppositional Architecture in Berlin from June 25-27th.
Hosted at an old factory, the event was an experiment in individual and collective modes of communication and living. A truly international conference, there were participants from over sixteen countries with a wide range of backgrounds. Most of the participants stayed at the camp throughout the conference, with large group meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Two of the main presentations were given by Brian Bell, an original participant in the Rural Studio program started by the late Samuel Mockbee, and Peter Marcuse, a historian with an in depth knowledge of the planning history of New York City. Both presentations were engaging and thought provoking, the room packed to the limit with participants and Berliners.
The group sessions were short but informative, a little more time and some more ideas could have been talked about and debated. On the positive side there were lots of great ideas and projects coming from all different angles and strategies.
Participants
The group Exyzt, from Paris, presented a video documenting their occupation of a lost space in the middle of the city. Using scaffolding, large tents, and platforms they made a temporary structure in which they lived for a month. Within this time they created different activities every few days: film screenings, potlucks, transformation of space, additions, subtractions, etc.
From Copenhagen, N55’s Rikke Luther presented upcoming work in which trash is recycled into housing materials. Casagrande Laboratory and the Informal University in Foundation were represented in the camp as well.
From Berlin, two groups working together on a future project called Los Topos were present and had an impact on the public intervention group. Club Real and Peanutz-Architekten contributed to the ideas discussed and PIPS is very interested in the “projected” old West town of Los Topos. We all had fun using the crates as toys when we decided to put our theory into action and PIPS hopes to see these guys around...
From the states, the Institute for Advanced Architecure and Polar Inertia were both present. Polar Inertia is a Journal of Nomadic and Popular Culture on the web that is worth a close look. Due to the short time not everyone could share ideas, but PIPS is sure that all of the participants had great projects and looks forward to the tentative call by the Glasgow Letters on Architecture + Space for another conference sometime next year in Scotland...
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