Learning Objectives
With a view to their own bodies, their own urge to move and intrinsic willingness to perform, the students explore their urban environment
«off campus». They observe and question the movement possibilities of different demographic groups. They work exploratively and methodically, using cultural probes, found objects and a variety of physical prototypes as research tools and to generate ideas. Current theoretical discourses on urban futures, participation and the public realm, and notions of health are introduced by guests from the fields of art, architecture and health, creating an interdisciplinary setting. Students develop working theses to give direction to their project ideas.
Content
Workout equipment and people doing sports in public places have become a familiar sight, and yet, according to the WHO, 80% of Swiss young adults and 66% of Swiss adults do not exercise enough - tendency rising. In order to promote interaction between people - movement - and togetherness, the module focuses on impromptu or ad-hoc interventions in intermediate urban spaces. The project builds on the students' experiential knowledge with reference to their own patterns of physical activity. Themes on urban futures, participation, the public sphere and health are opened up and contextualised, discussed and made tangible using examples from art, architecture, science and design. Introductions to the use of cultural probes for idea generation support the students' research off-campus. The module welcomes subtle as well as disruptive ideas and compelling objects whose physical and aesthetic presence enables users to interact in a way that stimulates movement. Hybrid speculative objects that carry the potential for repurposing and reinterpreting, operate at the interface of artistic and design practices, whereby impact is also sought in the sense of social sustainability.
Course language
English
Lecturers
Christoph Zellweger, Xiaocun Zhu, Dr. Sandro Steudler (artist, researcher, lecturer)
Bild: Christoph Zellweger
