FLOATING GARDEN

"Do you know the myth of the Schalke market?"

TRANSURBAN started with this question in the city of Gelsenkirchen in order to develop impulses for the transformation of the derelict Schalker Markt. In doing so, it explored its urban history and cultural value for the neighborhood.

The Gelsenkirchen district of Schalke is an example of the structural change that many cities in the Ruhr region are undergoing. The once lively district is now overshadowed by economic and social problems. In people's minds and everyday lives, public space seems to be losing its importance as a place to meet and interact.

Originating from the desire for change, the FLOATING GARDEN project developed by Dawid Liftinger, Mabel Yu-ting Huang & Ole-Kristian Heyer explored this seemingly impenetrable urban space in Gelsenkirchen as part of TRANSURBAN in a collaborative process. The 180 meter long underpass of the Berliner Brücke was made tangible through a temporary artistic intervention to illustrate its potential as a space of possibility.

One of the concrete ideas would be to open this underpass to cyclists and pedestrians in order to offer an alternative to the dangerous route across the 4-lane Berlin Bridge.

A joint attempt was made to draw attention to the existing possibility of an alternative connection between Schalke and Schalke-Nord using artistic means. An extensive intervention brought the tunnel to the "surface" and tried to make its existence present in everyday life. The underpass was activated with an improvised sound performance (toy piano, cello, percussion instrument) that incorporated the noises and sounds of the bridge to create a temporary space of perception that reinforced the existing potential of the site. In addition, a walk-in sound installation made it possible for pedestrians to cross under the bridge from Schalke to Schalke-Nord for the first time, bringing the two districts a little closer together for a week.

Publication / Book

A dedicated documentation book and publication was published accompanying the FLOATING GARDEN intervention and the TRANSURBAN project in Gelsenkirchen.