An Architektur: camp of oppositional architecture 2004

Polar Inertia was a participant in the camp for oppositional architecture held in berlin germany June 25-27 2004, sponsored by the german magazine an architektur and the Federal Cultural Foundation of Germany. Held in a former factory and adminstrative building in berlin, this international open congress was searching for possibilities of resistance within the field of architecture and planning. Included were the questions of how to criticize the demands of a capitalist production of space, and how to take a non-affirmative part within the current economical context. In addition to Polar Inertia over 80 other groups and practices were represented, their abstracts are available as a downloadable pdf.

The conference was broken into three subgroups tackling the issues of Oppositional Social Engagement, Oppositional Design Concepts, and Oppositional Strategies of Intervention. Polar Inertia presented its urban research to the Oppositional Social Engagement working group, a group focused on exploring ways that we can grasp and relate to contemporary social reality. For those unable to make it to Berlin the Polar Inertia slide presentation is reproduced on the following pages.