excl

Neukölln's urban space exemplifies the tension in which many European cities currently find themselves: densification, gentrification, displacement, accompanied by the increasing privatisation of what was once public. Worldwide, there is a growing use of architectural measures that regulate use, selectively assign quality of stay, and push marginalised groups out of the urban landscape. This form of spatial design follows not only aesthetic logics, but increasingly those of security and economic exploitation. In the competition between cities, a homogenised image of urban quality of life emerges: clean, orderly, efficient, yet fragile, exclusionary, administered.

The work group excl shows how so-called hostile design, defensive architecture, and unpleasant design are increasingly shaping our cities: seating that discourages lingering; greenery that divides; bollards, cameras, light, silent agents intended to shape our behaviour. The works on show were created in London, Paris, New York, Berlin, and Hamburg, and are now extended for the first time by a Neukölln series. Here in particular it becomes visible how built interventions mirror social questions: Who is allowed to stay? Who does the city belong to? And how are certain groups excluded from social participation in ostensibly public space?
Guided Tour: "Perception of Space" – subtle discipline and hostile architecture in Neukölln. Start: Saturday, 04.06. at 6:00 PM, duration 1h, Treffpunkt im Ausstellungsraum