Drawing Public Space

Abstract

The project consisted in a work in progress intervention carried out in the selected location of Schwendermarkt in the center of the Focus District Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus for the Vienna Design Week. The workshop aimed at investigating and triggering new social dynamics by redefining public space through the use of colored adhesive tape, laid out to create a precise geometrical design. Each day the participants of the workshop operated directly on site in such a way to rise curiosity and interaction from the inhabitants of the neighborhood while at the same time having the possibility to better understand the dynamics of the area and its strategic locations. The physical engagement and continuous presence in the area required by the project resulted in a gain of trust of the community, enabling the work to go beyond its temporal and ephemeral nature and create a bond with the inhabitants of the neighborhood. The geometrical drawing itself, playful yet strongly rigorous in its execution, was planned in order to offer different scenarios of the area, depending on the work in progress. Subdivided into different steps, each configuration was thought as a different fantastic figure: animalistic creatures slowly populating the square, allowing for differentiated physical gatherings and public relationships.