indie urbanists
EX-Nature
commissioned by Utrecht University © 1998
Campagne Green
commissioned by Atelier Rijksbouwmeester © 2007
MattonOffice; Ton Matton, Björn Ortfeld, Martin Luce, Rafal Wamka,
cutting trees and build an entrance of the Botanical Garden at Utrecht University,.
Campagne Green, a strategy to give identity to green energy, by selling plugs wich contains 100 Watts of green energy (enough to to watch 1 football match),
Dorf machen ! hacking the potjomkin village of Gottsbüren
MattonOffice and space&designSTRATEGIES Linz,
commissioned by Landkreis Kassel / City of Trendelburg, sponsored by Sparkasse, Germany 2015
Like Potjomkin build attrappe villages for czarina Catherine the Great, we ,hacked‘ the village of Gottsbüren (Germany) and played together with the inhabitants a harmonious village life. Students of the Art University Linz squated some abandoned houses and build installations and exhibited our art-works in the 2nd. Centenniale Gottsbüren. Goal is to show and share the city dwellers our love for the countryside.
with a.o. musician Bernadette LaHengst, filmer Wanja Saatkamp, artist Pepi Maier
Große potemkinsche Straße social reannimation of Wittenburg
a MattonOffice project , commissioned by City of Wittenburg / Wirtschaftsministerium M-V, Germany 2015
It was Potjomkin who erected in 1787 for czarina Catherine the Great some villages out of painted decors, to hide the true face of the area. A likely attrappe-village was build in the main street of Wittenburg (Germany 2012). Together with the artists Bernadette LaHengst, Michael Kockot, Björn Ortfeld, Lukas Push, Alex Römer, we squated the 15 abandoned houses, made workshops with the inhabitants of Wittenburg and build objects and installations like the ,drive-through-cinema‘, the ,park-house‘, the ,complaints-horn‘ and many more.
Surviving the Suburb (the movie)
a MattonOffice project , founded by Mondriaan Foundation, FBKVB, Dutch Creative Fund,
Germany / the Netherlands 2015
Gina Lombardi verlaat het comfort van de stad op zoek naar loom geluk. Een loom geluk dat vandaag de dag wordt geassocieerd met platteland en authenticiteit. Aan de snelweg ontmoet ze een huis: Type EW58/08. Dit leegstaande huis migreert van het oostduitse dorpje Wendorf naar de Nederlandse New Town Almere.
Type EW58/08 Surviving the Suburb, a simple house in Almere
a MattonOffice project , founded by Mondriaan Foundation, FBKVB, Dutch Creative Fund,
Germany / the Netherlands 2015
Bewoners vertellen hoe ze het huis destijds met eigen handen hebben gebouwd, volgens tekeningen van de architect Wilfried Stallknecht, maar met een fikse dosis improvisatietalent, geen enkel huis is hetzelfde.
De ruilhandel waarmee Trabideuren tegen zakken cement werden geruild, of dakpannen tegen een vetgemeste gans, bracht een levendige informele economie op gang. Wanneer Gina het huis intrekt, raakt ze geconfronteerd met de eisen die dit huis aan haar leven stelt.
the Production of Wellbeing
a MattonOffice project for VAR-region, commissioned by OMA/AMO
France 2010
Since the naive fifties Côte d’Azur is well known as a place to lie down in the sun and feel the world is all right. In our contemporary world, internet makes us aware off really all problems in the world. This killed our naivety and made Côte d’Azur to a place to forget of these problems. But not feeling guilty, as in the naive fifties, is not enough anymore, twitter’s, blog’s, iPhone’s, etc. makes us aware 24/7.
Not being guilty is the goal; the idealistic, political and urbanistic goal. To solve all problems and visiting Côte d’Azur means to produce something good for the world?
On an urban level, the implementation of a moral economy is a complex question.
In a broad welfare model, (which is a cumbersome question , as prof. dr. Arnold Heertje, University of Amsterdam replied to this proposal) all aspects of lifecycle are taking into account. Energy demand , waste, expulsion, transport, labour conditions, etc. which comes up at the production and the consumption of a product are part of the costs. This moral economy will attract new people and businesses who wants to show of their conscience lifestyle. The existing rules and regulations have been growing over the last centuries. An integral approach was rather uncommon, the urban tradition was more divided into different facets. Single disciplines made rules to solve a particular problem, without a broader view.
Slow Development Plan for the edges of Zwartsluis
a MattonOffice project , commissioned by Atelier Overijsel, 2007
a Buro Schie project , commissioned by RPD Rijksplanologische Dienst, 1997
A slow urban planning brings up new rules from a more holistic approach and transforms
the area into the production of well being. This slows development plan challenge new
ways of ‘green’ and ‘fair’ development.
If you take this example to it’s extreme, the slow development plan could implemant like:
§1
every user has to show its ecological footprint.
§2
empty buildings are to give free for ‘green squating’ if inhabitants from around use it for
production of bio-food.
§3
on every plot it is allowed to keep 2 free range pigs, if you plant 10 oak trees.
§4
If you want a swimming pool in your garden, it is only allowed if you produce fish with
aquaponic.
§5
who wants to drive a car has to plant 1 tree a year on a parking lot. If the tree dies, no driving is allowed.
Praja dé Bràs performative strategy for public space
a Buro Schie project , commissioned by Arte/Cidade, São Paulo
Brasil 1999
To bring back some collectivity, a strategy to reinvent public space is introduced:
double use
Lines in different collars are painted on the street; blue lines for playing basketball, yellow lines for parking and white lines for playing volleyball. Like in a gymnasium, everybody understands the rules of the game, understands the lines that belongs to it. The moment the street children plays volleyball, the collared lines will help them to claim the space.
Schie Power
Zukunft machen ! squatting the potjomkin village of Tribsees
MattonOffice and space&designSTRATEGIES Linz,
commissioned by Ministerium für Energie, Infrastruktur und Digitalisierung Mecklenburg-Vorpommern , Germany 2019/20
Wie kann man Stadtplanung in unserer kapitalistischen Gesellschaft neu definieren; wo nicht maximale Gewinne erzielen, aber das Schaffen von Möglichkeiten für die Bewohner das Ziel ist.
Das Planen ist eher das Nicht-Planen.
Die Straße braucht erst mal Raum für das Umdenken, für Improvisation und ein Gespür wie man mit dieser Lage umgehen kann. Wie kriegt man Leben in die maroden Häuser, wie kriegt man Menschen heran, die in Tribsees was machen können und machen möchten, ohne große Investitionen ?
MattonOffice and space&designSTRATEGIES Linz,
commissioned by Trafo, Modelle für Kultur im Wandel, Kulturstiftung des Bundes , Blieskastel, Saarpfalz, Germany 2018
