United Kingdom

The event was conceived by Jan Kattein Architects, Enfield Council, and St John & St James C of E Primary School in Edmonton, North London . On 23 July 2021 we closed the street in front of the school to cars for a day to seed the idea that space in the city needs to be first and foremost reserved for people. Chalk drawing, experimental den building, an outside gallery of student artwork, an ice-cream tricycle and a pop-up zoo proposed alternative uses for the street with a view to permanently transform the street into a space for play, social interaction and biodiversity in the future.

Azerbaijan

The film is about the toxic chaikhana culture of Baku. A chaikhana is a space where men come together to drink tea mainly in the company of domino and gossip. Many building complexes (particularly old ones from the soviet era) has an inner public spot for parking, playground, shops, and other businesses such as chaikhahas. Not only these places are very precarious for many to pass by, but also such facilities create a significant inconvenience for housewives. Sometimes the game and the chat last almost until early morning in the summer and the noise disturbs the citizens of the buildings very much. The film addresses the challenges of a housewife due to the situation and also, highlights the irresponsibility of public institutions regarding the issue.

Taiwan

Austria

The increasing use of digital technologies and the gigantic amounts of data collected in the process sparked my artistic interest in the question of how we can reclaim these technologies and use them in the artistic disciplines. The starting point for digital and analog processes was the cellular automaton, which was introduced around 1940 as a universal computational model and was considered the essential basis for artificial life. In this video, I used some footage from my smartphone and combined it with a Game of life interface algorithm pattern based on the cellular automaton. On the one hand the situation of a romanticized real nature and on the other hand a digital development of artificial life contrasts and connects both worlds clearly showing the dependence.

Azerbaijan

Due to public shaming, lack of awareness and education, and exclusive spaces, disabled communities struggle the most and turn into home prisoners at some point. The integration of disabled people into society is very limited in Azerbaijan and the film highlights a deaf person’s perspective on daily life. Due to little to no existing inclusive infrastructure in Baku, most disabled people find it hard to go out of their houses without being dependent on a helper. Also, those who feel comfortable going out are always subjected as someone “in need” and get many offers from the public for help which the person did not even ask for in the first place. Many also assume that people with disabilities are in need of money and often offer them some financial help as well, which leaves many in an uncomfortable situation. The public authorities who are responsible for the city design and institutions working with people with disabilities are usually very irresponsive and the needs of the community have been unfortunately neglected for years with many empty promises to provide necessary design and tools around the neighborhoods to make life easier for them.

Azerbaijan

There was no public space to gather and form a community for the alternative youth, marginalized communities, and those who enjoy arts and crafts. Salaam cinema opened its doors to different communities and started its activity with movie screenings. The space got so much attention from youth and in return, from its owner as well. To a point, the owner claimed to destroy the building which is a historical Molokan worship house and said that he plans to build a mall instead of it. The community around Salaam liked the space so much and slowly it was turning into their “home”. And when someone tried to demolish the community and the “home” they newly brought back to life, young people started to resist keeping the space for its further use. Weeks of resistance happened where at some point people physically fought against the owner and carried out a sitting protest not to leave the space. Eventually, with the support of urban activists and the community, the resistance won and Salaam could survive! Now the space hosts many arts and entertainment events and it is a safe space for different marginalized communities. For many, there is a strong feeling of community around Salaam and since its start, the building has been flourishing and getting bigger!