Emma. Design and construction workshop by raumlabor

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Photo
What: 
wrs
Where: 
St. Petersburg, Lopukhinsky garden
When:
09.09.2015 - 16:00
Related project: 
EMMA
design and construction workshop by raumlaborberlin
 
On September 9 -11 the design and architecture bureau raumlaborberlin will conduct their famous workshop ‘Emma’ for children and parents that has already gained international love and recognition.
"Emma, the yard tour" is a project which began in 2011, as a platform for communication between neighbors. The main element of the project is a mobile wooden table, consisting of modular units that allow transforming it according to the situation. This multi-functional structure, in addition to being a long dinner table where all neighbors can get together, can be turned into cinema theater, a DJ mixer, mobile kitchen, a  counter market, etc. Within two years, the social activator "Emma" wandered from house to house in the multiethnic quarter Marianne in Berlin Kreuzberg. Over the two years, in the framework of the project there have been conducted numerous events in different courtyards including community dinners, football parkour, planting collective garden, workshops for children and adults on various aspects of life in the area. Moving from one court to another, "Emma" has gained popularity among the residents of the area that would tell each other about the project and came to participate in the activities. "Emma" is a successful example of how using a low-budget project can revive cultural and social life of a multinational urban district. Joint activities organized in the framework of "Emma ", created for the residents of the yard an opportunity to get to know each other and learn more about all the neighbors. The collective creative and physical work has provided for conditions to overcome linguistic, cultural and emotional barriers that often prevent people living next door to each other  in the big cities from everyday communication.
 
The project "Emma, the yard tour" is a tool which is proposed to be used for a particular scenario, but its development can be quite varied . With the help of "Emma", local residents can organize various activities in their yard, but the success of the project largely depends on the locals’ activity and the desire to develop the project in the future. Like any other socially oriented projects, "Emma" promotes active involvement of its target audience in the process. This turns the project participants from passive residents to engaged citizens whose activities are aimed at public welfare.
 
We invite children of 6-14 yo and their parents to take part in the workshop and create a unique construction for the Lopukhinskiy garden which will be the main venue for the community picnic during the official opening of ‘Critical Mass – 2015’ on September 11! Please sign via email: tok.press@gmail.com  
 
raumlabor is an architect bureau in Berlin, which has been working in the field of social design and architecture for almost 15 years. Balancing between architecture, design, visual art, stage design, urbanism and interventions in urban space, raumlabor offers the solutions to such important social issues as development of adverse urban areas, preservation of endangered cities and landmarks. As part of its projects, te bureau also focuses on overcoming social segregation, promoting the integration of migrants in their new environment and providing policy of equal opportunities for all members of society. Raumlabor prefers to interact with representatives of various groups and organizations in the city and therefore collaborates with art institutions, communities, active citizens, houses of culture and city departments involved in revitalization of urban areas. For example, after the shut-down of the Berlin airport "Tempelhof " in 2007, the local government has not been able to decide what to do with this vast territory and an important place for the history of Germany. In 2009 raumlabor bureau was invited to develop a five-year plan to transform this part of town. Raumlabor has invited a large number of partner organizations to the project and encouraged them to create situations for testing long-term ideas and implement pilot activities in the area. As a result, they have become the new tools for creation of a master plan for the former airport. 
 
The workshop is supported by the Goethe Insitute in St Petersburg  
 
The main partner of the event  is Klass Truda workshop