14 Jakob Grabher In this hands-on design-build workshop, we will explore the themes of longing and belonging through the creative reuse of salvaged materials. Together, we will design and build communal seating structures – spaces not only for sitting and gathering, but also for reflecting, imagining, and sharing. These structures will serve as both physical and symbolic platforms for discussion and exchange. The workshop invites a critical examination of our current economic system – one shaped by neoliberal ideologies, grounded in competition, growth, and exploitation of people and planet. These systems, though human-made, are often perceived as inevitable and unchangeable – as if they were natural forces. But are they? Do we truly belong to such a system – or are we longing for something else? Working with reclaimed materials becomes a way to challenge conventional design practices and consumerist mindsets. We will embrace a bricolage approach, letting material availability and creative constraints shape our process. Imperfection, scarcity, and unpredictability will become design tools. Another key principle is design for disassembly : everything built during the workshop will be dismantled at the end, and materials returned to circulation,reinforcing a regenerative, circular approach.This topic resonates across all design disciplines. Different expertise and diverse perspectives of the students will enrich both the process and outcomes. Working in interdisciplinary teams, participants can either build on their strengths or explore unfamiliar roles. Reuse provokes reflection on aesthetics, spatial strategies, and storytelling, as well as on deeper questions of material history, immaterial value, and system change. In addition to building, theoretical inputs will be provided, introducing concepts from the degrowth movement. Through group discussions, we will explore how design can support more just, inclusive, and socioecological futures.This workshop is about designing – with our hands and our minds. It is an invitation to rethink, reimagine, and collectively shape the alternatives we long for.
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