Yellow Palace workshop

Common Yellow.

Mellow yellow. Smell of a touch. Chamomile afternoon. Taste of a sight. Touch of a bite.

Lemon zest. Sonic blue eyes. Sky fabric. Rose butterflies. Birds of a feather. Flock together.

Common clouds. Sunshine skies.

Come on, fellow.

APATHY... “...eliminates alternatives to itself. It does not make them illegal. It does not make them immoral. It does not even make them unpopular. It makes them invisible and therefore irrelevant.”1

1. By communication theorist Neil Postman describing the term “Technopoly” while quoting Aldous Huxley in “Brave New World”.

Sou-Fujimoto-Ishinomaki-City-Cultural-Center-Drawings

COMMUNITY The feeling of togetherness, that can be generated in a group of individuals, allowing them to escape the realities and struggles of the ordinary society life.The human craving for belonging and worshiping, is one of the motivations behind the creation of communities. Historically though, there were certain practicalities and benefits that came with communal activities. In the beggining of times, it was survival that made people come together. “The medieval society was rich in concrete communities. Central power was weak, with the result that human desires and needs had to be fullfilled through cooperation and mutual aid.”2 The present society however functions differently. Capitalism and globalisation have lead to the dissolution of locality. _____________ 2. Robert Nisbet, Prejudices, a philosophical dictionary

The social foundation of the community has been destroyed. Villages and towns, the former manifestations of communities, are now left emty,separated and indiferent.

Furthermore, a part of the blame goes to modern architecture as well, which often decides against design that offers togetherness. As the so called “provider state” has offered many practical solutions, modern communities concentrate on adressing the less material and more psychic side of humans. This can be productive as it can be destructive. Ultimately, “what it is a community of is what matters.”2

VALGA/VALKA This town is a good example of damaged locality and lack of concrete community. The hard facts are that people don’t care about the infrastructure. There is a general state of non action that has left locals numb. It doesn’t matter if buildings get renovated or destroyed as long as there is something happening.

But even if action is taken, how can a reaction be assured?

“Even if you could argue that the crumbling structure has architectural value, it has little or no value for the people living around it. Who is it protected for?”3 Except for the weakening of local communities another modern society phanomenon, noticed in Valga as well, is the obsession of property ownership. On some level, the safety that home ownership offers can explain this obssesion. But what comes with this is an indiference for whatever else is outside of ownership, the public. People own their homes, but do they own their cities?

___________

3. EASA Apathy Booklet , INCM Vitosha 2018

With the realization that ownership is an important factor for caring in modern society, questions were formed. What exactly is it that makes humans identify something as their own?

What is so sacral about objects/ spaces/intelect we privately possess?

Philosopher Alain de Botton explains “Material objects can often be said to play a positive psychological or spiritual role in our lives when higher more positive ideals are materialised in them.”

Thinking about Valga/Valka, we started wondering if we could awaken the locals interest for abandoned public space again by altering what it stands for. By introducing new ideals in the form of a public space, there is a chance that a stronger sense of ownership and connection with a specific location could reocurr.

Often simply by opening a space and letting people go in, is already enough to awaken some interest.

But in order for short term interest to turn into long term care, locals need to take the role of the owners.

Valga, November 2019, Private vs Public property

THE ACTORS

THE YELLOW PALACE5

As it was quoted before “what it is a community of is what matters.”

Tackling the question of who could take upon the responsibility of ownership, we turned to an already exisitng community.

“The Valga County Chamber of Disabled People is an umbrella organization for 11 different organizations of people with disabilities. It currently has 876 members across the county. The main purpose of the Chamber’s activities is to be the county coordinator of work on disability.”4 During discussions with our cultural translator Marika Ein, the chairwoman of the management board of the Chamber, we agreed that it would be benefitial for this specific community to come out of isolation, take ownership of a certain centraly located public space, and give that space new meaning. ___________

“Kesk street 17/19. A building that the municipality owns, in a horrible condition. No useful function has been thought of for this building and the municipality does not wish to demolish it currently since it frames the town square.”6 This problematic building, has been a matter of conflict between the municipality and the locals. As we were informed it’s interior architectural value has been keeping it from being torn down, but to the locals it’s just another empty and ugly building with no value.

This makes it the perfect candidate for the experiment we want to propose. With the help of this specific community we could solve this conflict and create a ground for them to take the owner-host role. _____________

4. https://www.valgakoda.ee/

5. Inspired by Cedric Price’s Fun Palace.

The Fun Palaces Manifesto is: We believe in the genius in everyone, in everyone an artist and everyone a scientist, and that creativity in community can change the world for the better. We believe we can do this together, locally, with radical fun – and that anyone, anywhere, can make a Fun Palace.

6. EASA Apathy TIP map.

Kesk 17/19, The Yellow Palace

THE SCENARIO In order to have a greater impact the process needs to be divided into two cross collaborating workshops. Like this the one can be concentrated on working with the community and the other with the location.

COMMON YELLOW PHASE 1 The location based workshop “common yellow” takes upon the task of preparing the space. This means clening up, repairing damages and making some initial space arrangements. At this point we will be accepting volunteers from the community to help us and the participants during this process. This means while our collaboratos will be at the existing base intergrating into the community, they will be sending us people who are motivated to do some heavy work. This circulation of volunteers makes sure that more people can be involved in the restoration process.

COME ON FELLOW PHASE 1 The location for phase one of Come on Fellow workshop is Valga’s County Chamber of Disabled People, Kungla street 15. We will start with the integration in the community. The workshop will push a strong collaboration with precise members of the Chamber. They will be our mentors for the whole time.

The first steps are meant to be in a safe and knows location. That will help to be concentrated on people. Our presence and activity onsite will stimulate other members of the community to join the Common yellow workshop for volunteering.

We will focus on the exterior part of the domain and start to inhabit the empty ground, turning it to a park, where people could stay, enjoying the sun, pick-nick and amazing flower smells.

As humans we are prone to marking our territory by decorating or arranging our homes, rooms, office desks, the way we like as an expression of our personalities.So in order to identify a space as our own, personalisation is important.

PHASE 2 The community’s involvement in the creation of the space is a vital aspect in creating a sense of ownership.

This phase starts with the relocation of the community from their existing base to yellow palace, where they take over the interior and together with our partner workshop work towards the personalisation of their new spaces. To make space for them, we move to the exterior of the yellow palace and start working on the buildings facade and it’s close lanscape. Simultaneously we try to interract with people passing by and awaken the interest of the rest of the town. There is a great part of humans that longs to live more collectivelly and is enthusiastic about being part of different communal activities.

PHASE 2 For our community the second phase will be an important turning point. From a safe place we will transit in the center of the urban environment. It will be the moment to come as a new strong force which wants to change the city. The workshop will move inside the yellow palace, diligently prepared by our partner workshop. During this time we will finish inhabiting the space according to our needs. If the program will still follow the community needs, we consider dividing the program into two activities. The yellow palace will perfectly propose the space for it. In one part of the building will appear a café, which will be run by members of the workshop and mentors. The second room will welcome pop-up ateliers and installations related to the topic of inclusive – exclusive design.

Phase 2

Often us architects become too concerned with designing and creating spaces rather than being concerned with how they will be inhabited. While sometimes problematic, this behaviour might also be for the best.

The thing is the user often does not care for or share the designers vision. The user uses, in whatever manner the user sees fit.

Based on need, will, imagination the user inhabits automatically. As if one is on autopilot and just reacts to space unconciously.

PHASE 3 In this final phase we want to make sure that the life the yellow palace could have is lived during EASA. We want this place to be inhabited by it’s “owners”, by easians and by locals, and for it’s transformation to be celebrated before we leave.

This we want to achieve by a variety of events7 that will try out some of it’s potential uses.

But as we said inhabitation is something that comes naturaly to the user.That is why this third phase is left, on some level, to spontaneity since we believe it is vital for the participants (of both workshops) and the community members, to autonomously decide on ways of inhabitation of the space.

PHASE 3 The phase three aims to prepare the ground for the local community and members of the Chamber to overtake the ownership and host role of the yellow palace. The building located in the most central position of the city will sensitize locals. The community of disabled people we hope will take a strong position for Valga as an important actor. They will be able to organize workshops and activities in the atelier. The project of café could be accepted by the municipality on the long-term base and included in the future project for the activation of the main square. This place will have the full potential to be run by the community built during EASA. ______________

7. These events could be anything from Yoga sessions to urban gardening or an Easa lunch served there.

Easians sleeping on workshop structures, RE:EASA

AFTERLIFE Our cultural translator Marika Ein,has agreed for the community to take upon the task of maintaining the yellow palace after we leave.

This approach of turning a space into something of personal value to the community, we hope that will help with maintaining it after we are gone. We create it together, live it together and then pass it on to them. It’s now theirs to care for. A place to be whatever they need it or want it to be, as they are it’s creators.

Furthermore we hope that locals might get inspired to use this methodology on other empty spaces around Valga/ Valka and try to activate communal life as “cure to apathy”.

EASA SCALE For EASA the collaboration and exchange between students is the primary goal. We are trying always to bind workshops, to taste a tiny part of other ideas and actions.

While elaborating workshops many tutors work in small groups and develop concepts on their own. Afterwards, the fixed idea is combined with other possible collaborations.

With our proposal, we are pushing the earliest collaboration. We think that providing multiple approaches to one precise topic can make a bigger change and impact.

EASA in general and especially next INCM are asking questions about how we influence the local community. EASA Tourist raised questions on our behaviour and status, as nomads, tourists, locals. We think that EASA should go towards stronger collaboration with the local community. We think EASA should integrating.

We got a big chance to receive help from Valga’s County Chamber of Disabled People. They offer us their commodities and people who will integrate both workshops. Each workshop has own behaviour towards the community.

The Common Yellow located in the city centre will focus on receiving help from “volunteers” who will provide their abilities in different time according to special needs. This allows to communicate and work with a large amount of the Chamber members.

The Come on Fellow workshop works with a reduced amount of Chamber members, but from the beginning till the end. They will possibly be invited to EASA site and become members of EASA for some days. We will try to establish a deep friendship relation and share fully EASA vibe to these people.

ON SPATIAL APATHY Everyone should be able to participate equally, confidently and independently in everyday activities. In our modern society not everyone can.

Capitalism and unification lead to spatial segregation. Spatial segregation leads to social separation.

The modern society is divided in so many ways, that it is hard to count.

As the proverbial saying goes: “Birds of a feather flock together”. It is only natural for people with similar needs and desires to want to stick together. But where does that leave us? Apathetic and invisible to one another?

Different people have different needs. One of the most important tasks of an architect is to make sure that the spaces he/she creates overcome these modern obstacles both in plan and elevation. There are so many possible solutions to a problem, but which is the right one? The built environment is artificially made by human beings for human beings.

One of the biggest problems is that humans as creators of habitats do not always put the needs of the users of the habitats above their own selfish egos.

The desire to design, create and project one’s personality upon a material setting becomes a fixed idea.

Architects are in a way obliged to do the entrepreneur’s bidding. The needs of the end user often get left behind.

Truth of the matter is that we experience spaces in different ways and we can’t design for everyone individually but we can try to be as inclusive as possible. From that angle, research on social groups with different needs can be very helpful. That is one side of separation that can help us gain a better and deeper understanding of what each group needs. When data turns into a visual language only then can we start to make some real changes in our environment.

Everyone at some point will probably experience limited mobility.

at some e n o y r e v E “ obably point will pr limited experience mobility.”

LOGISTICS The list of materials is meant to be readapted according to the financial and workshops situations. Every tool and material will provide certain flexibility. However, the workshops can easily survive without these items. We consider people as our primary resource. We will be able to run both workshops, naked, with any tools, with close eyes but with huge smiles and pushed by the strong community of Valga’s Chamber of disabled people.

Construction Recycled materials such as: panels, wood and palettes construction wood Super adobe: bags, wire, earth plaster paint screws and nails Tools (not used always) Jigsaw (optimal 1+2) Circular saw (optional 1) Drill (optimal 2+2) Polisher (optimal 2) Hammer (optimal 2) Crow bar (optimal 2) Earth tampers (optimal 2) Shovels (optimal 2) Gun tacker (optiomal 1)

Decoration Flowers Aromas Old furniture Textile Commodities Light Water Participant needs Paper Recycled carboard Colors Chalk Protection Rope Events Projector Cables Speakers Camera Drone The full list will overload the budget, for these reasons we will start the search for sponsors. We hope to attract different companies or grants with the support of 11 organizations members of the Chamber.

TUTORS

COMMON YELLOW 1. Full Name: Angela Lulati 2. Date of birth: 06.10.1993 3. Nationality/ location : Albanian/ Austria 4. Your occupation : architect 5. Easa experience: RE:EASA, INCM Vitosha, EASA Tourist, INCM Jato, APATHY Conference.

6. Previous workshop experience in and outside easa as tutor/participant: EASA Tourist (Tutor: TouriTales) 7. Level of yellow :78% 8. Level of blue : 33% 9. My biggest apathy: Spiders webs on corners i can’t reach.

10. Zodiac sign: libra

1. Full Name: Sturla Hrafn Sólveigarson 2. Date of birth: 30.09.1992 3. Nationality/ location : Icelandic/ Iceland 4. Your occupation : glacier guide 5. Easa experience: EASA Tourist, INCM Jato.

6. Previous workshop experience in and outside easa as tutor/participant: Tutor Newbie 7. Level of yellow : maybe a bit yellow in my shadow 8. Level of blue : sonic blue 9. My biggest apathy: singing 10. Zodiac sign: libra

1. Full Name: Tanya Peneva 2. Date of birth: 19.02.1995 3. Nationality/ location : Bulgaria/ Bulgarian 4. Your occupation : architecture student 5. Easa experience: RE:EASA, INCM Continuity, EASA Tourist, INCM Jato 6. Previous workshop experience in and outside easa as tutor/participant: Tutor Newbie 7. Level of yellow :the last yellow sunshine creeping through the pink clouds on a particularly crisp winter’s day 8. Level of blue : the darkest shade of the night 9. My biggest apathy: chipped nail polish 10. Zodiac sign: pisces-scorpio psychopath with a dash of dolphin

TUTORS

COME ON FELLOW

1. Full Name: Alexander Sokolov 2. Date of birth: 07.11.1989 3. Nationality/ location : Russian/ Swizerland 4. Your occupation : super architect 5. Easa experience: RE:EASA. EASA Tourist tutor. INCMs Impact-Intact; Continuity, Jato. NC Liechtenstein 6. Previous workshop experience in and outside easa as tutor/participant: EASA Tourist TOURI tales 7. Level of yellow :I think I’m yellow 8. Level of blue : blue is a new anti-yellow 9. My biggest apathy: is gone with EASA 10. Zodiac sign: scorpio

1. Full Name: Darina Lisitskaya 2. Date of birth: 11.01.1993 3. Nationality/ location : Ukrainian/Ukraine 4. Your occupation : architect/illustrator 5. Easa experience: EASA Tourist, SESAM Poliklinica organizer 6. Previous workshop experience in and outside easa as tutor/ participant: Tutor “How to make fancy architecture graphics” 7. Level of yellow : yellow dots in eyes 8. Level of blue : indigo 9. My biggest apathy: it’s not about me, Pardon 10. Zodiac sign: unicorn

1. Full Name: Alina Ocuneva 2. Date of birth: 20.08.1994 3. Nationality/ location : Moldova/Moldovan 4. Your occupation : Architect 5. Easa experience: participant at 2017,2018,2019 EASAs 6. Previous workshop experience in and outside easa as tutor/participant: Tutor/Organiser BEST (Board of European Students of Technology) 7. Level of yellow : yellowy-pink orange 8. Level of blue : as blue sky 9. My biggest apathy: the first 10 minutes after waking up 10. Zodiac sign: unicorn

TIME LINE thursday 23.07

friday 24.07

base activation

saturday 25.07

sunday 26.07

presentation and fair

from the first days, tutors will start to bring life to the yellow palace and make first hidden actions

community activation

presentation and fair

from the first days, tutors will get in contact with mentors and start to agitate the “home” location

monday 27.07

tuesday wednesday thursday 28.07 29.07 30.07

inside the yellow palace

after the workshop fair participants will establish contact with volunteers and start to revive the yellow palace from interior

home activation

after the workshop fair participants will start the integration into the community, by activating the “home”

inside the yellow palace

friday 31.07

inside-outside turning point

during the inside-outside turning point, participants will welcome the community in the yellow palace, pass the interior on to the them and move out to conentrate on facade and landscape

home activation

inside-outside turning point

during the inside-outside turning point, participants will move with mentors from home location to the city center, the yellow palace

saturday 1.08

sunday 02.08

monday 03.08

tuesday wednesday thursday 04.08 05.08 06.08

take over

outside the yellow palace

outside the yellow palace

after the take over weekend volunteers with participants will activate the outside of the yellow palace and the main square

take over

inside the yellow palace

inside the yellow palace

after the take over weekend mentors will start to bring the new breath to the yellow palace, with different events defined during the process

friday 07.08

symbiosis

saturday 08.08

suday 09..08

final activation

last days EASA will celebrate the full transformation of yellow palace towards the community by final activation

symbiosis

starting point

last days the symbiosis of community and the palace will create a ground for it’s new life