Berlin’s future making

The international summer school “Future maker/s Future market/s. Incubating the invisible talent in Berlin-Lichtenberg” will take place in September (4–15). Is free of charge and open to students and newcomers with background in architecture, urban planning, urban design, political science, social entrepreneurship, communication design and related fields, and invites also neighbors, local administrators and politicians to apply.

The German capital city of Berlin has received approximately 65.000 newcomers predominately from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq between January 2015 and the Summer of 2016. The majority of new arrivals are hosted in temporary shelters and wait idle for months, sometimes years, for their asylum to be granted, loosing valuable time to continue their education or use their brain- and (wo)manpower productively. During this 10-day summer school participants will work in Berlin-Lichtenberg on the premises of the former headquarters complex of the Ministry of State Security (Stasi), now home to about 1,600 newcomers among other uses. The entire district is home to 6.000 newcomers, yet, its urban fabric of predominantly prefabricated modernist high-rises (Plattenbau), does not appear open to small-scale businesses or social encounter.

Exploring Lichtenbergs potential for urban spaces of interaction, the summer school aims to provoke thought around evolving pluralist neighbourhoods. In a first phase, participants will engage with inhabitants of the emergency shelter, in international teams to visualize talents of “Future Maker/s.” During the second week, participants will develop prototypes and interventions to test “Future Market/s”. These can be inside shelter itself, the larger Stasi complex, or in the surrounding neighbourhood and might include a mobile barber shop, a textile workshop, a graphic design office, a cell phone repair shop, or a tea lounge among other ideas. To incorporate intangible talents, we will also explore the opportunity to connect to existing local time-banks. Here, time for tasks, errands or lessons is used as currency and as such, no work permit is required.

“Future maker/s Future market/s. Incubating the invisible talent in Berlin-Lichtenberg”
is a collaboration of Kaja Kühl, Columbia University GSAPP Oliver von Spreckelsen, UdK Berlin, Katharina Rohde, KU Leuven and Lama Sulaiman.
Supported by Sto Summerschool Award 2017
Summer school: 4–15 September 2017
Application deadline: 30 June
To apply send a brief motivation (max. 300 words) and CV to udk@studioberlin.net