BERLIN BLEIBT!

Spatial concept for the festival Berlin Bleibt!, Alte Postbankfiliale, Hebbel am Ufer Theater, Berlin 2019

The spatial concept for a temporary project space in a former Postbank office was part of the "Berlin Bleibt" festival, organized by Hebbel am Ufer Theater. This week-long festival and exhibition provided a platform for discussing gentrification and urban politics through public debates, film screenings, interactive art installations, and music performances.

The iconic Postbank building, constructed in the 1960s, features a standardized, generic interior design typical of many commercial office spaces worldwide. Currently awaiting renovation, the building is being repurposed for cultural and media production, as well as storage. The spatial concept highlights the building's temporary nature, allowing the multiple layers of its past—its time as a post and bank office—and its present role as an event space and site of speculation to coexist.

A central carpeted stage area with flexible seating accommodates a variety of event formats, serving as a social space during the day. Overhead, a large-scale light installation disrupts the monotony of the ceiling panel grid, revealing the underlying infrastructure. A scaffold structure, the size of a small apartment, functions as both an installation and a stage, while the glass cubicles house interactive art installations. The building's history and future plans for the surrounding area are presented on scrolling LED displays. Meanwhile, advertising signs from a nearby closed kiosk illuminate the bar area, adding a touch of local character.