Osthang Project

Geopolitical, socio-economic and environmental processes of transformation present us with the following question: How do we want to shape and improve our co-existence in the future both locally and globally? The “Osthang Project” aimed to revive the uncultivated eastern slope of the Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt with a temporary artists’ colony and think-tank on issues of co-existence. For six weeks, the project hosted a meeting of international architecture collectives, artists, theorists, activists and the regional cultural and creative scenes. The Mathildenhöhe, founded as an artists’ colony at the beginning of the 20th century, has been transformed into a campus featuring experimental installations, public studios and event venues. The “Osthang Project” presented a variety of positions which deal with models of co-existence. The organisers have invited artistic collectives and activist groups, e.g. Köbberling/Kaltwasser (Berlin), atelier le balto (Paris) and Atelier Bow-Wow (Tokyo), as well as philosophers and theorists like Walter D. Mignolo and Christoph Meierhans, who investigate the potential of change in our neoliberal and biopolitical society. The module “building.together”, curated by Jan Liesegang (raumlabor berlin), served as a space for social, architectural and urban-planning experimentation. The second module “thinking.together”, curated by the Austrian dramaturge and curator Berno Odo Polzer, has been staged as a forum for public discourse. Performances, dance, music and film programmes accompanied the campus.

Artistic director: Kerstin Schulz
Curators: Jan Liesegang, Berno Odo Polzer (BE)
Artists, architects: atelier le balto, Atelier Bow Wow (JP), Collectif Etc (FR), constructLab (FR, GB), Martin Kaltwasser, M7red (AR), orizzontale (IT), Christophe Meierhans (BE), Walter D. Mignolo (AR), Ruth Sacks (ZA), Studio Umschichten and others