Stadtgeflüster
︎ Tags: TU Wien, 2012
TU Wien Fall 2012
Partners: Niklaas Baudet von Gersdorff, Andreas Bernögger,
Franziska Lind, Klara Seltenhammer
Stadtgeflüster (“city whisper”) is a critical audio guide for Kagran, a rapidly developing neighborhood in Vienna. It is based on Henri Lefebvre’s concept of the Right to the City. By projecting utopian ideas on Kagran the imaginary character Sophie accompanies the listener on their walk along a most heterogenous path leading through dense housing blocks, industrial sites and agricultural fields. The utopian propositions motivate the listener to question their visual perception at the same time as being a starting point for further action-taking and potentially a participatory planning process.
Kagran is situated in the so called “Transdanubian” part of Vienna. It is faced with radical urban transformations, which are mainly forced by market-based decisions to develop an economically rich district. Neoliberal urban policy concludes in the fact that public spaces are being conquered and turned into consumption-oriented areas.
Stadtgeflüster was selected for Vienna’s Urbanize Festival in 2013. (Photos by Bernhard Siquans)
