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Germany

MOVE is an experimental short film that explores the influence of architecture to human psyche. The experimental short film emphasizes the physical exploration of the “Plattenbau” - an architecture of prefabricated concrete block flats that was typical of East Germany. It questions the relationship between body and space.

Albania

The film aims to portrait The New Bazaar: a modern public space; a lively scene with many happenings; inclusive for the people; a space that makes no seggregation between those who visit. But as you look at it, the design itself has no link with the Old Bazaar: the booming point of the whole city of Tirana, that has existed for over 300 years, and was demolished in 1959. As you walk around, the glass structure reflects the old mosque, an element that recalls the fact that before the new buildings composed this space, less than a hundred years ago, other buildings, another bazaar lived there, and they shaped the collective memory of the habitants. But there is no other sign. No translation of the history into the design itself. The film tends to implicate the fact that the new bazaar as a public space has proven to be successful in terms of inclusivity for the people. But it is just as important for the design to represent the history of the old bazaar, which people cared about and remember with nostalgia, but risks to be just a vague memory, and for which new generations 100 years from now will have no idea about.

Vietnam

Getting a satisfactory haircut can be a simple pleasure that brightens up your day, leaving you feeling confident and comfortable. For 20 years, a skilled barber has been providing this little happiness to people through his small, inexpensive, wall-based barbershop. This is more than just a place to get a haircut. It's a hub where people from all walks of life can come. At this peaceful place, people can feel comfortable and accepted, regardless of their background or appearance. It's a reminder that happiness can be found in the simplest of things, and that sometimes all it takes is a friendly smile or a listening ear to brighten someone's day. In the midst of a bustling and rapidly changing city, there are still pockets of peace and warmth.

Albania

Play is older than culture. Play theorist Johan Huizinga in his book Homo Ludens (1955) defined play as "a free activity standing quite consciously outside ‘ordinary’ life as being ‘not serious,’ but at the same time absorbing the player intensely and utterly. It is an activity connected with no material interest, and no profit can be gained from it. It proceeds within its proper boundaries of time and space according to fixed rules and in an orderly manner." While exploring Tirana in Albania I searched for signs and acts of playfulness in the built environment. A lot of play spots can be found in the city centre in parks, where people play chess and domino, especially the elderly. They bring their own games, organise and spend time with friends outdoors. Play is in the city incorporated as a design (chairs as domino blocks), and use of public space (covered areas) in parks. As a result of my research, I choose to make a short film in which the play is addressed as a sign of inclusiveness which gives the feeling of belonging and identity.

Jordan

This film depicts the various ways in which 'the home' is made in the context of displacement. Building on kinship and family ties, these stories from Zaatari village show the centrality of the home in building new lives after conflict.

United Kingdom

Ilford is a diverse and growing neighbourhood of London. Access to green and public spaces in the heart of Ilford however, is greatly compromised. According to the English Indices of Multiple Deprivation, it features amongst the 10% most deprived areas for access to high quality local living environment. Wilderness Street is a temporary living urban landscape which was installed in Oakfield Road in Ilford in 2022, launching the town centre as a cultural destination at London's north-eastern fringe. Before large-scale urbanisation started from the C19, the Ilford, Barkingside and Hainault area was characterised by forests, fields and meadows. Our design strategy seeks to temporarily revive these lost landscapes. We have selected Uphall Camp Beacon, the former Royal Forest of Hainault and the Essex Grazing Marshes as blueprints for plant species and landscape character to be replicated by our proposal for Oakfield Road. The project advocates for the preservation of ancient natural landscapes and their role in maintaining biodiversity and supporting well-being. The legacy strategy will see all planting including trees and shrubs given away to community organisations and Ilford residents at the end of the project. Enticing local people to adopt the plants will see elements of the ancient Essex landscape re-instated in public places in Ilford, in peoples gardens, front gardens, planters and allotments.