Kapitel 1: Collini-Center

The Agentur für neue Utopien (Agency for New Utopias) appears when architecture that was once thought to be utopian is now being threatened with demolition. It salvages the remnants, samples the visions and creates new utopias from the ruins of the past. The excavation site is Mannheim’s Collini Center.   

 Utopia is receding and almost fading away in the face of current events such as wars, conflicts and natural catastrophes. At the same time, it has never been more urgent to hold fast to these ideas, hopes and plans that can give us a glimpse of how things could be. Why not start at places that were built according to utopian visions? The interdisciplinary team dares to explore the archeology of unrealized utopias and in this residency, examines what can be learned from them. In these seemingly hopeless times, “Chapter 1: Collini Center” poses the big question of what will our future be like?

To find an answer, the group has been establishing connections with the city and its inhabitants – with their experiences and visions. 

About the artists:

The Agentur für neue Utopien (Agency for New Utopias) is an interdisciplinary network of utopians and visionaries initiated by the performance artist Ricarda Walter, stage designer Sophie Lichtenberg and sound artist Friedrich Byusa Blam.

Websites: www.ricardawalter.com www.byusa-blam.de,  www.sophielichtenberg.de

Cast & Credits:

Artists Ricarda Walter, Sophie Lichtenberg, Friedrich Byusa Blam

_{Foto © Lys Y. Seng}