Deep Mapping Berlin

We will consciously counteract the overwhelming amount of on and off screen information we are daily exposed to. We apply ‘deep mapping’ as method to dive into Berlin's urban space to explore it from multiple perspectives and media.

We are constantly exposed to an overwhelming amount of new information in our daily lives, to the extent that we only perceive most of it superficially and are barely able to process it. In our four-day workshop, we want to consciously counteract this. We will take the time to stay in two places in Berlin and get to know and explore them in depth together. Through strolls in the university’s neighbourhood we’ll dive into the diversity of the urban and the green spots, which will be our testing grounds. ENOUGH will serve as our guiding principle: when we immerse ourselves in something, we are able to (re)discover the richness in the simple and everyday, decipher the hidden and realise that the smallest things are ENOUGH to stimulate and sharpen our senses and thoughts when we give them space.

We will use ‘deep mapping’ and ‘counter mapping’ as methods in Berlin's urban space and explore and record it from multiple perspectives and using multiple media. This can include historical research, personal experiences, associative and hands-on explorations, and many more. We will use analogue and digital design tools such as 3D scanning, sound recordings, sketches, models and frottage. As a final step, we will analyse our results and jointly formulate desirable futures for our cities.

The workshop offers thematic and practical points of access and an easy introduction for anyone interested in learning about ‘deep mapping’ as a design method and in Berlin's urban space.

Julia Wolf
I’m a designer, researcher and educator working on a variety of material-based topics including new material technologies and bio-based materials as the means for a sustainable future, as well as traditional craft materials and the exploration of the same through design methodologies.

Due to the complex and specialised nature of the material world, the process of collaborating with experts from other fields forms an important aspect of my work. I strongly believe that sharing knowledge and creating a common ground for different perspectives is key to tackling the urgent topics of our times; to (re)discover in order to reveal something new.

I am currently working as an artistic researcher at the Institute for Transmedia Design at the University of the Arts Berlin on the project »Material-digital Entanglements – situated and implicit Material Knowledge in a post-digital World«. I explore cobalt, wood and AI-generated materials, including their social, political and technological interdependencies within digitality and cultural practices. The project is funded by the TU Berlin Graduate Programme »DiGiTal«.

www.julia-wolf.com