Design & Crafts in Tunisia

Tunisia is famous for its arts and crafts scene. Naturally, designers attempting a more sustainable production approach are turning towards working with artisans. In their workshops they find a source of local hands-on production capacities with great skills for creating products with local identity, durability and lower CO2-emissions. Vice versa, cooperating with the designers means new income possibilities for the artisans.

The potential of the union of design and crafts is grasped by several stakeholders: the Design school of Tunis (Ecole Superieure Des Sciences et Technologies Du Design) is offering a Master Studies on Design for the Sustainable Development of Local Handicraft Productions (“DDD-Design Pour Le Développement Durable Des Productions Artisanales Locales”). Minassa, an incubation hub providing creative start-ups with entrepreneurial skills defines crafts as a branch of the creative industries ready to march off. Oxfam steps in and supports L’Artisanerie, an initiative giving structural, social, economic and marketing consultancy and support to artisans all over Tunis. The UNESCO honors the pottery of the town Sejnenia by declaring it a world heritage. The project Jbal from Kasserine sees working with design and crafts as a chance to strengthen local identity and to stabilize youngsters against extremist influences.

How do these initiatives give artisans the support they need to utilize the full social, economic and creative potential of their crafts?

L’Artisanerie is run by Lobna Saidi and works with artisans of different crafts all over Tunisia, from carpet weavers, potters, basket weavers to palm wood carpenters. The showroom in Tunis offers new marketing and publicity opportunities. One of the crafts producers is El Mensej, a collective of women weaving upcycling carpets in Nefta, an oasis town in the South of Tunisia. The women used to produce the handwoven carpets in their homes hence their activity was never regarded as a real job or paid by their families and society. Shanti, a local cooperation partner of L’Artisanerie, installed the structure that was missing: a local neighborhood working room, like a co-working space, where the women can actually pursue their work of weaving carpets any time that suites them, but are still near their homes so that they can still take care of their household chores. L’artisanerie provides marketing possibilities with the showroom in Tunis and with orders from customers from Tunis and Europe. By the sales of the carpets the women earn a living – for almost all of them it’s the first time in their lives.

The Master DDD (“DDD-Design Pour Le Développement Durable Des Productions Artisanales Locales”) aims at providing the design students with the full capacity of realizing a business with traditional crafts. They not only learn and practice their design skills and technical understanding of crafts, but at the same time how to work with artisans in an equitable way so that the design outcome is based on true artistic collaboration. Therefore, the human scale of working together is given great importance. The students practice these skills in hands-on-projects with artisans. Besides, they learn all the economic marketing skills to make a business out of their product idea. As the master runs successfully since several years, the graduates already prove themselves as successful entrepreneurs.  For example, Khansa Yazidi  reinterprets the Tunisian bathroom by designing brass fittings, taps, basins and towel holders handmade by local artisans in unconventional playful shapes; e.g. the piping of a tap can take the shape of a flamingo. Mariem Ben Abid founded the internationally successful company Suddart which produces and sells a wide arrangement of beautifully designed ceramic tiles.

Crafts also come in when projects deal with preserving cultural heritage and identity. The initiative Djerba Insolite aims to save the craft traditions of the island Djerba in the collective memory by opening them up to new influences and inviting designers to create new designs with the artisans.

The artist Sana Tamzini sets another statement of preserving and reviving traditional crafts and skills with her artistic work. She creates light installations, photography, videos and art performances in public space actively integrating local people. In her site-specific works she records and transmits disappearing traditional customs, craft skills and agricultural practices and interprets their importance for identity. In the village of Takrouna she realized an installation and a performance relating to the gathering of Esparto Grass which is used for weaving doormats and baskets. In the village of Chénini she created an installation, projection and performance by working with the last stone breaker of the area by projecting him during his work into a cave that had been created by other stone breakers in the past.

The vibrancy and importance of crafts in Tunisia mean a wonderful playground and chance for Tunisian product designers. Whereas designers in Western Europe are often faced with the situation of the actual production taking place all over the world, Tunisian designers find hand-on crafts production right in from of their door which makes it easier to start small scale individual crafts productions. So the merging of crafts and design in Tunisia means great chances and benefits for both of them, designers and artisans.

Fotos:

Jbal: Marouan Zbidi

L’Artisanerie: Mohamed Amine Charbti

Suddart: Suddart

Sana Tamzini: Mejdi Bekri

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Die Recherchereise nach Tunis und Thessaloniki im Rahmen des ECO DESIGN FORUM international veranstalten wir als Kooperationspartner der Stadt Köln. Das Projekt wird gefördert durch die Stadt Köln aus Mitteln der Partnerstadtprogramme und Engagement Global aus Mitteln des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen.

Flaÿou – „joyful design“ made in Tunis

Introduction

Hella El Khiari and Thomas Egoumenides first met 2009 in Paris, where they both studied Architecture. After a few years of working as architects in different studios throughout Paris and Montreal the Tunisian-French couple moved to Tunis, Tunisia. Here, in 2016, they founded flaÿou – an interdisciplinary design studio for graphic, object and architectural design.

Visiting the Studio

We got to know Hella and Thomas during our research trip to Tunis in November 2019. Visiting their studio in the district of La Marsa, we learn about their motivation, curiosity and passion toward materials, techniques and objects that tell their own story. Welcoming us with coffee and homemade cookies, we’re completely delighted by this self-proclaimed „dream team“ bursting with energy and positive charm. 

The playful and refreshing approach reflected by each of their objects matches the studio name: In Arabic „flaÿou“ referres to a specific type of mint and is also a nickname for typical Tunisian mint drops that are usually attached to business cards as a small gift.

„Joyful design“ is the term Hella likes to use in this context. They want their works to be fun. All the products we are shown in their space are colorful, playful and made with attention to detail. As a basis they work with ecological and recycled materials like clay, cork, collected plastic bottles or other pre-used materials.

About two of their products we talked about in more depth and discover more about the idea and the design process:

Chich-bich (Backgammon)

Inspired by the craftsmanship of the female potters from Sejnane in the northern part of Tunisia, flaÿou created three strategic games made of cley, burnt in the open fire. The collection’s name „Chich-bich“ is the Tunisian word for Backgammon. Chess and Checkers are also part of the series. All the figures are handmade (without a pottery wheel) and can be bought in a variety of colors. For the traditional coloring local herbs and other plants are used. Going hand in hand with the humorous approach of the „dream team“ the games are presented in home-designed pizza box packaging.

On their website the collection’s elaborate creation process is shown in a video. The traditional handicraft pottery of the Sejnane women made it onto the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2018.

Tunis en poche…

… is the name of a miniature city made from pastel colored resin, cork or chocolate. The set includes eight miniatures of iconic Tunis buildings. They are each paired with a leaflet with personal anecdotes and information about their history and architecture. The former entrance gate to the old part of the city „Bab Saadoun“, the Olympic stadium „El Menzah“ as well as the impressive and vacant „Hôtel du Lac“ are just three examples ans show an interesting variety of construction and styles that characterizes the city’s appearance today.

Hella and Thomas sell their work in a few selected shops in and outside the country as well as in their online shop. They also share their passion for materials, traditional crafts and innovative production methods in workshops and other cooperative projects. If you want to learn more about them, have a look at their website.

We are very excited to have met the two of them in this personal way and wish them all the best for the future, a ton of fun and fresh ideas!

 

Fotos: Achref Guesmi

 

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Die Recherchereise nach Tunis und Thessaloniki im Rahmen des ECO DESIGN FORUM international veranstalten wir als Kooperationspartner der Stadt Köln. Das Projekt wird gefördert durch die Stadt Köln aus Mitteln der Partnerstadtprogramme und Engagement Global aus Mitteln des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen.

The Collectif Creatif

The Collectif Creatif is ökoRAUSCH’s cooperation partner in Tunis supporting our network and research activities. The NGO aims to promote cultural activities and the creative industries in Tunis, to improve the social and economic state of the Medina (the old town of Tunis), to provide creative activities for youth and to rise environmental awareness among the inhabitants of Tunis. The initiators come from the creative fields themselves. For example, we were accompanied by Dhafer Ben Khalifa, a designer and design lecturer at the Higher Institute of Fashion Design of Monastir, and Leila Ben Gacem, who with her Bluefish agency works on developing the social and economic potential of the Medina by restoration and crafts.

To understand the Collectif Creatif’s approach it helps to take a look inside the architectural and social structure of the medina: Beautiful large mansions provide space for large families to live closely together. Yet the structure of these buildings is inconvenient for a modern lifestyle with small families demanding privacy and individual freedom. So, many inhabitants have moved to the modern city centre of Tunis. A number of the empty mansions has stayed neglected, others have been filled by villagers moving in from the countryside and enjoying the close neighbourhoods and networks the medina is offering. This process led to a rather economically disadvantaged population mix, bringing along social problems like high unemployment amongst youth.

To tackle these problems by creative and cultural means the Collectif Creatif since its starting in 2016 realized a number of impressive projects and events, always involving and activating the inhabitants of the Medina.

In 2016, 2018 and 2020 the International Light Art Project „Interferences“ gathered several Tunisian and foreign light artists in the Medina of Tunis. The inhabitants of the medina, especially youngsters, were actively involved in the realization of the event as volunteers. So, they were activated not only in supporting the international artists getting installed in the Medina but also in improving their English skills.

Some of the volunteers acquired their skills in another project of the Collectif; „Doora-Fel-Houma”, an initiative to educate young people between 18 and 30 years old, living in the Medina of Tunis and its suburbs, to become guides for tourists and for artists involved in the Collectif Creatif’s projects. Valorising the knowledge of their daily living in the medina enables them to re-appropriate their living space. At the same time, they create an innovative urban tourism offer by offering guided tours in selected neighbourhoods. Another means to make the voice of the medina heard is the „Journal de la Medina”, a journal for the medina written mostly by the people of the Medina that traces the thrilling everyday life in the old town of Tunis.

With „El Warcha” the Collectif Creatif installed an open maker space where the local community meets to develop projects around urban furniture and public space with a focus on upcycling techniques. With „Fantek” the Collectif offers a digital art school and residency program that offers workshops and trainings in the fields of sound, visual and interactive digital arts and is especially aimed at reaching and activating youngsters. „Dar El-Harka” is a co-working space and cultural hub where several Tunisian and foreign young people meet to learn Tunisian dialect, foreign languages or calligraphy and to exchange around cultural projects.

In 2018 the Collectif’s collaboration on the international project „The Sea… Final destination?“ (by the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, supported by Drosos Foundation) in the Medina meant the starting point of the Collectif Creatif’s environmental activities. They dedicated three special issues of the Journal De La Médina to this topic and a series of zero waste creative workshops during which Tunisians were invited to explore sustainability in a playful way, e.g. upcycling weaving with women artisans, DIY composting, plastic shredding or recycling. Since then their engagement on environmental topics has increased; they focus on involving various stakeholders such as the Municipality of Tunis, the high schools of the area and the Medina community. With „Trash to Treasure” (2019/2020) the Collectif developed an educational curriculum for environmental clubs at high schools in Tunis focused on waste management, waste reduction and upcycling –in collaboration with the municipalities of Tunis and Cologne. Following the wish to initiate a movement of urban agriculture in the Medina uniting environmental commitments with economic development opportunities and strengthened social links the „J’nina Fel M’dina”, an urban garden on the rooftop of an ancient Medina House, was inaugurated (with the support of the German embassy). A second urban garden was initiated 400 metres away at another building’s courtyard. Hydroponic systems, trays for growing vegetables, a mushroom growing space and sitting areas were installed. El Warcha was and continues to be closely involved in the set-up, not only in building the physical structure of the gardens but also in continuing to maintain the gardens, involving the inhabitants, mentoring students from the neighbourhood’s schools and organizing cultural and gardening workshops.

With this impressive range of projects, the Collectif Creatif is very well connected into the creative scene all over Tunis, and thus a splendid cooperation partner for ökoRAUSCH on exploring the sustainable design scene of Tunis and bringing exhibitors to the ökoRAUSCH Festival in Köln.

Fotos:

Interference: https://www.facebook.com/intunis.net/

Doora Fel Houma: Doora Fel Houma 2018, Photo-Med-Ali-Agrbi, http://doorafelhouma.net/

El Warcha: El Warcha, https://www.elwarcha.org/

Trash to treasure: https://www.facebook.com/برنامج-الفضلات-ثروات-109108353836794/

Jnina Fel M’dina: Collectif Creatif, www.facebook.com/Collectif-Cr%C3%A9atif-Tunis-113476726674662/

 

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Die Recherchereise nach Tunis und Thessaloniki im Rahmen des ECO DESIGN FORUM international veranstalten wir als Kooperationspartner der Stadt Köln. Das Projekt wird gefördert durch die Stadt Köln aus Mitteln der Partnerstadtprogramme und Engagement Global aus Mitteln des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen.

Partner of the 2020 Festival  | Guest contribution by the GIZ

The ökoRAUSCH Festival 2020 is supported by many great cooperation partners. We would like to give them the opportunity to present themselves and their current projects.

NachhaltICH* – What gender equality has to do with sustainability and how you can contribute to the cause

Goal 5 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has set a clear goal: Gender equality should be achieved by 2030. But what does gender equality have to do with sustainability, and hasn’t this already been achieved in Germany? After all, men and women have the same rights. March 8 is International Women’s Day and we have taken this day as an occasion to really think about these questions.

Gender equality is sustainability

The 17 SDGs are holistic because they do not only take into account the ecological perspectives of sustainability, but they recognise that social and economic aspects are just as important for both a sustainable life and society. Furthermore, the SDGs take into consideration that the individual goals influence one another, so the interdependencies must be considered.

When talking about gender equality worldwide, the numbers speak for themselves: there is still a lot to do, not only for the specific targets of SGD 5, but also with regard to other goals. This pertains to everyday life, such as the job market and health; for example, women represent approximately 40 % of agricultural workers, but only around 14 % of landowners are female. Furthermore, around 300,000 women die annually due to complications during pregnancy or childbirth due to lacking quality health care. Women are especially vulnerable during war and crises; for example, three out of four victims of human trafficking are female.

Not a German problem?

Yes it is! Lacking gender equality is not just a problem that other countries have. It is estimated that in Germany, one in three women will experience violence during her lifetime, often in a romantic relationship. This is only an estimate, however, because many women do not press charges.

Even the much discussed “gender pay gap”, the gap between the pay women and men receive, is an issue that is relevant in Germany. That does not necessarily mean that women are paid less for doing the same job. Factors such as part-time jobs are taken into account because women often do not work full-time: they are the ones with the most responsibility in the family. Care work, meaning the care of children or other family members, is unpaid. Women therefore have a smaller income than men and are more financially dependent on their partners than men are. At the same time, they have a double load with care work and wage labour, and their work is valued differently by society; it is equated more with care and emotions than with profitability. A more sustainable world is therefore a world that also supports more equal conditions between genders. For it is only when everyone has the same rights that we can actually live sustainably.

Gender equality – not only for women

Gender equality is often equated with the needs of women and girls. But the rights of members of the LGBTQIA+ community are also taken into consideration under the umbrella term of “gender”. Because gender quality often relates to role models and stereotypes, men also benefit from the discussion about this issue because when female gender roles in society are questioned, the roles of men in society are also questioned.

What can I do?

For the most part, gender equality has been achieved in legal terms and has come a long way, especially in recent decades. Two examples: Until 1997, marital rape was not recognised as such in the eyes of German law, it was considered assault or coercion. Until 1958, a husband was allowed to terminate their working wife’s labor contract without notice – and without the woman’s consent – and he had the exclusive right to manage her wages.

These laws no longer exist, but the corresponding roles have not quite disappeared. They have changed over the years, but they are so deeply engrained in our society that they still influence our thinking and therefore our behaviour. Which is why it is so important to speak about and question the status quo, especially regarding issues such as gender equality, where the problems are not always obvious at first glance. In speaking about it and questioning it, you are directly advocating for a more sustainable society.

The NachhaltICH app offers you specific suggestions regarding this issue. Have you ever talked to friends or family about gender-based discrimination? Do you know if there is a gender equality officer at your school, university or at work? Is there an association in your town that campaigns against genital mutilation? What is the gender pay gap in your company? Gender equality is a sensitive issue that begins in the minds of people, which is why it is of great value to have quality conversations about it: It affects not only our female friends, sisters, mothers and grandmothers, but also our male friends, brothers, fathers and grandfathers.

So what are you waiting for? You can download the app from any app store, Google Play, or directly from www.nachhaltich-app.de and take on exciting challenges!

*A play on words meaning “Sustainability and me”

ökoRAUSCH Festival 2020 | Kick-off

„We are strong“

Die Schüler*innen der Schule im Süden in Meschenich wissen, was sie wollen. Mit einem Brief wandten Sie sich Anfang Januar an die Bezirksvertretung und schilderten die Zustände der Spielanlagen am Kölnberg und baten um Hilfe. Ihr größter Wunsch, ein Skateplatz. Die Studierenden der ecosign führten im Rahmen von 2 Projekttagen mit den Schüler*innen ein interdisziplinäres Gemeinschaftsprojekt durch. Die Kinder wurden hierdurch zu Gestalter*innen ihres Anliegens und wirkten an der Umsetzung ihres größten Wunsches aktiv mit. Das Projekt wurde durch die Zusammenarbeit von Caritas, Jugendpflege, Bezirksvertretung und Hauverwaltung mit der Schule im Süden und der ecosign realisiert.

Wir freuen uns, dieses wunderbare Projekt in unserer Ausstellung beim ökoRAUSCH Festival 2020 präsentieren zu können!

ökoRAUSCH international – visiting our partner city Tunis

We, the ökoRAUSCH team, are currently preparing for our next ökoRAUSCH festival in 2020. Again we will invite designers and artists from different partner cities of Cologne to take part in our exhibition on sustainable design and in the international ECO DESIGN FORUM held during the festival time. In 2016/17 we cooperated greatly with our partners from Istanbul, Barcelona, Tel Aviv and Bethlehem (Ramallah/Auja). Now, in 2019/20 we are undertaking research and networking trips to integrate new partner cities into our activities as well as to widen our network on sustainable design in Europe and the MENA-region (Middle East and North Africa). The first new city is Tunis, partner city of Cologne and capital of the Arab spring. During a four-day-trip my colleagues Anna Kamphues, Liliana Marinho de Sousa and I researched the scene of sustainable design and social arts in the city, networked like crazy, held a small event to give a presentation on the ökoRAUSCH festival and also visited a design and fashion school in Monastir. Tunis is teeming with sustainably working creatives and vibrant with exciting initiatives supporting the development of social and ecologically responsible design. The initiatives are surely enjoying the democratic freedom established by the revolution that gives them the possibilities to engage themselves for the topics they care about. The creative approaches revolve mainly around three central topics: reviving the medina (the old town) of Tunis, handicrafts and upcycling. On our trip we were accompanied by our cooperation partner, the Collectif Creatif, an NGO promoting cultural activities and creative industries while embracing sustainability in its economic, social and environmental aspects. They realize events and projects that often stand in context to reviving the Medina, from „Interferences“, an international light arts festival, over the upcycling-space El Warcha, where they activate youth to build upcycling furniture for public spaces, to developing a curriculum for environmental clubs at high schools. We were accompanied by Dhafer Ben Khalifa, himself a designer and a teacher at the Higher Institute of Fashion Professions of Monastir, and Leila Ben Gacem, who runs the Bluefish agency. With the support of our well connected partners the days were filled with exciting encounters and insights: Thursday 31.10.2019: Higher Institute of Fashion Professions of Monastir We visited the Higher Institute of Fashion Professions of Monastir where our cooperation partner Dhafer is teaching accessories design. The state institute firstly amazed us with its location at the seaside but also with its extensive equipment of fashion industry tools. Lecturers of the institute showed to be very interested in sustainable approaches to design and joined our talk about the ökoRAUSCH festival. Then we were presented an exhibition of a project on upcycling fashion and accessories that the students had undertaken during the last semester and who keenly introduced their absolutely amazing works.

Friday 1.11.2019: Networking like crazy

We ran through a tight programme of visiting four different design initiatives and one vernissage: First we met Flayou, the agency of two product designers focused on cool, humorous, sustainable design. Did you ever want to pack the most intriguing architectural sights of a city into a small box to carry them home with you? Flayou makes it possible. The next stop was Cogite, a coworking space comprising several shared workplaces as well as offices and support programs for start-ups, and – a swimming pool. We met with Houeida Anouar, Chief Executive Officer, who is keen to promote and encourage female entrepreneurship. At the showroom of L’Artisanerie Lobna Saidi gave us insights into their support of artisans all over Tunisia; producers of upcycled carpets, pottery, basketry and palm wood carpentry are assisted in improving the organization of their work, in price-making, design and distribution. Finally we got to know Minassa, an incubation hub for creative businesses located in a beautiful Medina mansion. They support start-ups from the fields of fashion over animation and media to décoration and artisanat (crafts), marketing e.g. new lines of pottery products. In the evening we had the chance to visit the vernissage of the exhibition „Utopia“ initiated by the Goethe Institute Tunis on the occasion for 100 years of Bauhaus. Tunisian designers and artists were invited to create works commenting the concept of the Bauhaus. We again met the designers of Flayou and El Warcha who had contributed works to the exhibition.

Saturday 2.11. Talk Event in Dar Ben Gacem

Together with the Collectif Creatif we organized a talk and network event where we gave a presentation about the activities of the ökoRAUSCH Think Tank and sustainable design in Germany to Tunisian designers. We had decided on a rather cosy event of about 20 people, so all the designers present had time to introduce their work and there was plenty of time for intense exchange.  Again, the merging of traditional crafts with modern design and upcycling materials marked the way of sustainable production for the Tunisian creatives. We were impressed by the participants – many run their own company selling their product line. And many of them are women. Just like Mariem Ben Abid, founder of the successful company Suddart, puts it: „If you want to get things done, work with women. So in my company, I work only with women.” 1.) Association Djerba Insolite (initiative supporting crafts in Djerba) 2.) Nina L. (upcycling leather bags) 3.) Suddart (cement tiles) 4.) Khansa Yazidi (bathroom taps and basins) 5.) Kimaenti (upcycling jewellery made of used clothes) 6.) Regliz Kidz (embroidery) 7.) Tin Hinan (leather bags) 8.) Naila Jendoubi, Sana Tamzini,(Ecole Superieure Des Sciences et Technologies Du Design: DDD Design Pour Le Développement Durable Des Productions Artisanales Locales): Master Studies on Design for Sustainable Development 9.) Sana Tamzini (artist)

Sunday 3.11.: More networking

The last day again was full of encounters. We visited the atelier of Marouan Zbidi, a member of the Collectif Creatif, who impressed us with his interpretations of traditional crafts. During a visit of the DIY and-Design-fair „Handmade“ in the Acropolium de Carthage we connected with the initiative Sejnenia which supports a groupe of women who are producing a certain kind of pottery in a traditional technique only existing in Sejnenia and rewarded as world heritage. Finally a guided tour with Wajdi Borji, another member of the Collectif Creatif, offered us more insights into the social structure of life in the Medina and thus a deeper understanding of the work of the Collectif Creatif. Our visit finished with a dinner with Leila Chennoufi who is the initiator of Envirofest, an environmental film festival taking place all over Tunisia.

And now?

We were impressed by the variety and vibrancy of the sustainable design scene of Tunis and are already looking forward to presenting and seeing the creatives we met on the ökoRAUSCH Festival in Cologne. We thank our cooperation partners, the Collectif Creatif, for their great support!

 

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Die Recherchereise nach Tunis und Thessaloniki im Rahmen des ECO DESIGN FORUM international veranstalten wir als Kooperationspartner der Stadt Köln. Das Projekt wird gefördert durch die Stadt Köln aus Mitteln der Partnerstadtprogramme und Engagement Global aus Mitteln des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen.

Sustainable Living Film Festival took place in 19 cities simultaneously all over Turkey on November. 25 international documentaries were screened to inspire the audience for sustainable living.

2016 Festival core team consists of Gamze Selcuk, Pinar Öncel, Samet Cetin and Tuna Özcuhadar.
Photos are taken by Isauro Torres.

surdurulebiliryasam.org

Sustainable Living Film Festival (SLFF) took place in 19 cities on 18-20 November in collaboration with local activists and NGO’s who replied to “You Can Do It Too!” call of Sustainable Living Collective. The cities SLFF took place are: Ankara, Antalya, Artvin, Balikesir, Bayindir, Bodrum, Bursa, Diyarbakir, Düzce, Eskisehir, Fethiye, Güzelbahce, Istanbul, Izmir, Kartal, Kayseri, Konya, Manisa and Mersin. 120 guest speakers and 50 music/performance groups joined the festival alongside the documentaries. The total number of film viewings were 16.000 at 20 venues in 19 cities.

The films at the official selection of SLFF have holistic view showing the relations between social, ecological and economical problems instead of focusing on one aspect. According to the core team of the festival films focusing solely on problems without creative solutions disempower people; “our purpose is to create the feeling “I can do someting!”. The films screened at the festival shows ideas, initiatives of individuals/communities/organizations providing solutions. We see that waste is a valuable resource, the potential of collaboration for finding solutions to social and ecological sustainability challanges, the power of cooperative models and economic democracy, the possibility of real food, the potential of localisation and many more stories in 2016 official selection which inspired the audience.

Istanbul Salt Galata venue hosted director Tuvi Arbel

Tuvi Arbel; the director of documentary Wings of Change made a talk after the screening of his film on 19th November in Istanbul, Salt Galata Auditorium. The film is about Mr. Birdman AKA Professor Yossi Leshem who is the primary defender of Israeli nature and virtually the only groundbreaker in the talks with Palestinians and Jordanians, while negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians are stuck. The film tells the story of his uncompromising battle for coexistence between the parties with the aid of barn owls as exterminators in the fields.

Tuvi Arbel talked about his passion for peace and his purpose of showing what even one person can achieve in an atmosphere of cold peace. Prof. Leshem once said Palestinians in a conference: ”When I have a dream; I do not see politicians as my enemy; instead I try to get them on board and create conditions which everyone could win. When you believe in something and have dreams; please ask your politicians to share these dreams and get them beside you. I am also saying the same thing to you.”

Director Christopher Beaver attended the festival online

Christopher Beaver, the director of Racing To Zero connected online for a Q&A session after screening of his film at Salt Galata Venue in Istanbul and Güzelbahce Venue in Izmir. Beaver said: We are aware that we have to change our consumption habits in USA. If there is one message from the film; it could be “think before you buy”! Reducing and reusing are the two main strategies and recycling is a small part of this. We have a lot to learn from each other at platforms such as this film festival. We can learn from different cultures. We used to be citizens, now we are called consumers. As one of the characters said in the film: We can manage if we all work together!

About Sustainable Living

It’s not been a long time since we realized that our planet cannot tolerate the results of our actions. We recently started talking about sustainability in different ways and the different interpretations of this concept brought misunderstandings about it. The impact of language upon our mind and way of thinking is huge. When we ask ourselves about what we should understand from sustainbility or what we want to sustain; we find life at the core. This is what we want to highlight at Sustainable Living Film Festival every year.

Societies and economies are based on the ecosystems therefore being in harmony with the cycles of nature is to the advantage of human civilization. In other words; our existence is dependant upon harmonious relationship we have with each other and with the planet. The official selection of Sustainable Living Film Festival brings together inspirational stories from all around the world about restoring relationships and finding creative solutions.

About Sustainable Living Film Festival

Since 2008, The Sustainable Living Film Festival is held for a better understanding of the concept of sustainability, for a better perception of systemic problems interacting with each other, and for sharing inspirational solutions to these problems.

The festival is organized by the Sustainable Living Collective, which was born from a mission to collectively actualize projects “creating a butterfly effect” by individuals who got together within an open and flexible structure that values diversity. The collective, which solely is a civil movement, continues its work related to increasing awareness about sustainable living with the support and participation of individuals and organizations who share the vision of Sustainable Living Collective.

One of our fieldtrips during our ECO DESIGN FORUM in Tel Aviv past October 2016 was to „ONYA City“. Heela and Yoav of the ONYA Collective – a gathering of architects, activists, community leaders, and volunteers – took the time and showed us around one of their impressive projects at the New Central Bus Station in South Tel Aviv.

Here are some impressions of our trip and a glimpse at who the ONYA Collective is and what they are doing in their own words:

The Onya Collective started in 2014 as part of the WorldWide Storefront contest, to reimagine alternative futures for large urban landscapes. We focused on the Central Bus Station in South Tel Aviv, an enormous concrete structure that has destroyed the surrounding neighborhoods and is a center for drug use, prostitution, and crime. We launched the Collective with a two-month-long festival on all seven floors of the bus station, showcasing artwork and creative urban agriculture such as hydroponics and a library with a green wall.

Since that time, we have continued to be active at the bus station with a community garden and space on Neve Shaanan street. We give tours of the bus station to highlight the unique challenges of this massive building, which today stands 60% abandoned, but also provides a home for the city’s marginalized populations.

We are working towards turning the “Rampa Garden” on Neve Shaanan St into a community resource available free of charge to the diverse communities of South Tel Aviv.

Today, the Onya Collective is made up of a core group of architects, activists, community leaders, and volunteers. Through our work at the bus station, cities from across Israel have turned to us to copy our approach to Neve Shaanan and do “placemaking” in their challenging neighborhoods. We utilize community organizing principals to design public spaces that serve the needs of all of the residents of the areas where we work.

SOCIAL DESIGN – Perspektiven für nächste Generationen

Nicolas Beucker lehrt und forscht über öffentliche Räume und gesellschaftszentrierte Gestaltungsmethoden. In seinen Studien und Projekten thematisiert er, wie Stadträume und Stadtoberflächen als ‚urban interface’ gut lesbar, emotional ansprechend und zum Gebrauch einladend gestaltet werden können. Im Blog stellt er uns seine Interpretation von Social Urban Design vor.

Design-Lösungen für die Praxis

Design ist eine optimistische Disziplin. Und damit ist Design eine der Schlüsseldisziplinen in Zeiten von Unsicherheit und Krisen. Mit designerischem Denken und Handeln lassen sich Gelegenheiten und Möglichkeiten fokussieren statt Hindernisse und Risiken. Design unterfüttert Hoffnungen und zeigt die Möglichkeiten besserer Zukünfte auf. Wer Design so versteht, hinterfragt die Ansprüche an eine bessere Welt und entwickelt eine Haltung für Mitverantwortung an deren Gestaltung. Vor dem Hintergrund einer nach ökologischer und sozialer Gerechtigkeit suchenden Gesellschaft verwundert es nicht, dass seit den letzten Jahren wieder vermehrt gesellschaftliche Anliegen in die Designdebatten einfließen.

Mit Veröffentlichungen unter den Überschriften „Design for Social Innovation“, „Social Design“, „Transformation Design“, „Kann Gestaltung Gesellschaft verändern?“ oder noch allgemeiner „Weltentwerfen“ werden Designer daran erinnert, sich mit ihren Kompetenzen aktiv für die Gestaltung eines gelingenden Gemeinwesens zu engagieren. Ihre Vorstellungskraft und die Fähigkeiten, diese Vorstellungen anderen so mitteilen zu können, dass sie darüber urteilen können wird dabei immer wichtiger. Designerinnen imaginieren das noch nicht Vorhandene und entwickeln Darstellungen, die es ermöglichen, über vorstellbare Zukünfte zu sprechen. Hiermit übernehmen sie eine Vermittlerfunktion zur Gesellschaft. Denn immer wenn es darum geht, die Welt zu gestalten, müssen mehr als nur Designer darüber befinden können, wie die Zukunft aussehen soll. Teilhabe in Designprozessen wird so zu einer neuen Kompetenz der Designprofessionen. Nicht nur muss Teilhabe von Designerinnen als wichtige Vokabel erlernt und verinnerlicht werden, Teilhabe muss vor allem gelebt werden. Dafür werden Designerinnen und Designer sich als Autoren zurücknehmen und auch schonmal partizipativ in co-kreativen Prozessen gestalten müssen. Je gesellschaftlicher ihre Aufgaben werden, desto häufiger werden Designer ihre Entwürfe in Aushandlungsprozessen auch mit den betroffenen Anspruchsgruppen und nicht nur mit Auftraggebern diskutieren. Dazu braucht es nicht nur Dialogbereitschaft und Empathie sondern die Bereitschaft, sich vertrauensvoll auf Augenhöhe zu begegnen. Nicht, dass Design seine Rolle als Impulsgeber für ästhetische Maßstäbe in Zukunft einbüßen wird. Es wird in vielen Gestaltungsfragen allerdings mit ästhetischen Mitteln ethischen Fragen begegnen.

Unsichtbares Design

Design für eine gemeinwesenorientierte Zukunft braucht also andere Voraussetzungen als das Design, das sich vor allem der Absatzwirtschaft verpflichtet fühlt. Dafür wurden und werden allerorts die Lehrpläne ergänzt. So auch an der Hochschule Niederrhein. Designstudierende in Krefeld haben schon seit über zehn Jahren Gelegenheit, sich mit Projekten zu beschäftigen, die das „Unsichtbare Design“ (Lucius Burckhardt) berücksichtigen. Sie lernen, sich mit Beziehungen zu beschäftigen, die durch das Design von Dingen entstehen und Produkte, Räume, Situationen oder Kommunikationsformen entsprechend zu gestalten. Das alles findet in Projekten des Social Design statt. Oft allerdings fehlten bisher methodische Grundlagen dafür, wie eine emphatische Annäherung an Entwurfskontexte und ein Verständnis für die unterschiedlichsten Anspruchsgruppen erlangt werden kann. Zudem stellt Social Design die Frage nach dem designerischen Lösungsweg erst während der vertiefenden Auseinandersetzung mit einer meist unscharfen und komplexen Aufgabe. Eine frühe Festlegung von Lösungswegen bestimmter Designprofessionen wie Produkt-, Grafik-, Automobil-, Messe, Editorial-, Web- oder XY-Design ist im Social Design eher kontraproduktiv.

Ab dem Frühjahr 2017 wird social design deshalb neu im Krefelder Design Curriculum verankert sein. Social Design wird zu einem wählbaren Vertiefungsfach. Systematisch können angehende Designerinnen und Designer nun Methoden zur Verdichtung von Empathie, Teilhabe, Partizipation und Co-Kreation erlernen. Es werden vorbildliche Projekte diskutiert und in ausgewählten Themenfeldern und Anwendungskontexten gewissenhaft Kriterien für eine bessere Welt verhandelt. Aus diesen heraus lassen sich dann Handlungsfelder und konkrete soziale Projekte definieren.

Aus dem Interesse interdisziplinärer Betrachtungsweisen heraus baute Nicolas Beucker 2009 das Kompetenzzentrum Social Design an der Hochschule Niederrhein auf. Mit Kommunen am Niederrhein erarbeitet SOUND verschiedene Ansätze für bürgernahe Stadtentwicklung. Beispielhaft dafür steht das StadtRaumFestival VIERTELPULS, das 2015 in Kooperation mit der Stadt Krefeld und der Urbanen Nachbarschaft Samtweberei durchgeführt wurde.

 

Aktuelle Artikel von Nicolas Beucker:

(2015) Transformation Design: A Piecemeal Situational Change. Transformation Design in Perspectives on a New Design Attitude. Wolfgang Jonas, Sarah Zerwas und Kristof von Anshelm, Birkhäuser: 33-42.

(2016) Design und die Sichtbarkeit möglicher Zukünfte. Social Design in Gestalten für die Transformation der Gesellschaft. Claudia Banz, transcript Verlag: 35-42.

Kreative Ideen gegen Lebensmittelverschwendung

Design-Studierende der Bergischen Universität Wuppertal und der Folkwang Universität der Künste entwickeln im Wettbewerb „Lebensmittel sind mehr wert“ Medien- und Produkt-Lösungen, die zu einem wertschätzenden Umgang mit Lebensmitteln motivieren möchten. Initiiert hat den Wettbewerb das Projekt MehrWert NRW der Verbraucherzentrale NRW.

Jeder Deutsche wirft statistisch rund 82 Kilogramm genießbare Lebensmittel im Jahr weg. In Geld ausgedrückt sind dies etwa 235 Euro pro Kopf und Jahr, die im Müll landen. Genug Geld für einen schönen Kurzurlaub in der Region. Doch das Problem ist kein rein Individuelles. Schließlich werden auch Gemeingüter wie Boden und Wasser unnötig ge- und verbraucht. Und der Einsatz von Kraftstoffen und Düngemitteln, die beim Anbau benötigt werden, führt zu einem Ausstoß von Treibhausgasen, die unser Klima zusätzlich aufheizen.

Es gibt also genügend Gründe, weshalb es gut ist, mit Lebensmitteln sorgsam umzugehen. Dieser Einsicht stehen allerdings bei uns allen verschwenderische Alltags-Routinen beim Einkaufen, Lagern und Kochen im Weg. Um diese zu durchbrechen, braucht es neue Denk- und Handlungsansätze.

Design-Lösungen für die Praxis

Das Projekt MehrWert NRW der Verbraucherzentrale NRW hat deshalb gemeinsam mit der Bergischen Universität Wuppertal und der Folkwang Universität der Künste einen studentischen Wettbewerb mit dem Titel „Lebensmittel sind mehr wert“ initiiert. Dieser erstreckt sich über das gesamte Wintersemester 2016/2017. Studierende des Mediendesigns und Industrial Designs sind eingeladen, Kommunikations- und Produktlösungen zu entwickeln, die zu einem wertschätzenden und bewussten Umgang mit Lebensmitteln führen. Gesucht sind gute und kreative Ideen für die Praxis. Die Verbraucherzentrale NRW bringt ihr Fachwissen ein und begleitet die Entwicklungsarbeit der Studierenden.

Von A wie App bis Z wie Zustellung

An der Bergischen Universität Wuppertal beteiligen sich unter anderem die Studierenden des Designs Interaktiver Medien bei Professor Kristian Wolf an der Wettbewerbsaufgabe. Sie bedienen sich dabei den Methoden des Design Thinking Ansatzes, bei dem sie im Vorfeld Benutzer und deren Anliegen analysieren und auswerten, um daraufhin digitale und analoge Services zu erstellen, die passgenau auf die Probleme des Alltags zugeschnitten sind.

Nadine Hoffmann hat sich zum Beispiel die Frage gestellt, wie man sich in der kalten Jahreszeit regional, gesund und lecker ernähren kann. Sie führte dazu ein Experiment an sich selbst durch und kochte zwei Wochen mit regionalen Zutaten nach Plan. Zuvor hatte sie eine Reihe von saisonalen Rezepten zusammengestellt und alle notwendigen Zutaten eingekauft. „Ich fand es sehr bereichernd zu sehen, wie vielfältig das regionale Gemüseangebot im Herbst ist. Die verschiedenen Rezepte zeigten mir, dass sich Kürbis oder Steckrüben sehr variantenreich zubereiten lassen und sich der Speiseplan durchaus abwechslungsreich gestalten lässt. Sehr entspannend empfand ich dabei, alle Zutaten zur Hand zu haben und an jedem Abend zu wissen, was zu tun war.“ Sie beschloss daraufhin, eine App zu entwickeln, die den Nutzern saisonale Rezepte vorschlägt und ihnen dabei hilft, ihre Speisen eine Woche im Voraus bedarfsgerecht zu planen. Die Zutaten dafür sollen von Bauernhöfen der Umgebung kommen und jede Woche frisch vom Acker ins Haus geliefert werden.

Neben dem Fach Design Interaktiver Medien sind noch die Fächer Design Audiovisueller Medien sowie Mediendesign und Medientechnik am Wettbewerb beteiligt. Die Ergebnisse werden daher sehr vielfältig sein.

Die Kraft der Mentalen Modelle

An der Folkwang Universität der Künste haben Studierende des Industrial Designs unter Professorin Anke Bernotat das Konzept der Mentalen Modelle herangezogen. „Mentale Modelle sind kleine Theorien darüber, wie die Welt funktioniert“, erklärt Bernotat. „Sie liegen unserem Denken implizit zugrunde und leiten unsere alltägliche Wahrnehmung, unsere Entscheidungen und unser Verhalten. Wenn wir uns in Richtung Nachhaltigkeit bewegen wollen, brauchen wir Mentale Modelle, die beispielsweise das Ziel enthalten, Ressourcen zu erhalten. Sie helfen uns, unsere Blickrichtung zu ändern, die Welt neu zu denken und uns anders zu verhalten.“

„#I grew it, I care“ oder „#seasonal is best“ könnte solch ein Mentales Modell lauten. Veronique van Engeland hat es ihrer Arbeit zugrunde gelegt. „Ich möchte das Anbauen von Lebensmitteln in die privaten Haushalte bringen, um Menschen zu sensibilisieren, nachhaltiger mit Lebensmitteln umzugehen. Durch das Selberziehen gewinnt man einen Bezug zu den Lebensmitteln, wirft weniger weg und konsumiert bewusster“, erklärt Veronique van Engeland. Ihr Kommilitone Julian Hensel ist auch der Überzeugung, dass unbewusste Konsummuster dazu führen, dass wir zu viel wegwerfen. Damit meint er die übervollen Kühlschränke, die oft aus Sorge, zu wenig zu essen zu haben, bis an die Oberkante gefüllt werden. „‘Mehr ist mehr‘ scheint hier die Devise zu sein. Wir kaufen zu viel auf einmal ein und verlieren dann den Überblick über das, was wir zu Hause haben. Das führt zum sinnlosen Wegwerfen.“ Ihm schwebt daher das Mentale Modell „#eat fresh“ vor, das Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher dazu bewegen soll, weniger und dafür häufiger einzukaufen. Das Argument der Frische könnte hier überzeugend wirken. „Im Moment forsche ich noch. Es ist daher offen, welche Produktlösung ich für dieses Problem finden werde. Aber durch das Mentale Modell hab’ ich die Richtung nun gefunden.“

Der Wettbewerb läuft noch bis Ende März 2017 und wird mit zwei Preisverleihungen 2017 in den beiden Hochschulen abgeschlossen.

Weitere Informationen unter: www.verbraucherzentrale.nrw/mehrwert