Architecture and Society 2021
The program section Architecture and Society curated by Lotte Schreiber gathers documentaries that focus on different models of social coexistence in interaction with architecture.
“By and in himself a man can accomplish very little; he is like Robinson Crusoe on a desert island. It is only in society that a man’s powers can be called into full activity,” the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once said. It is a matter of fact that collective action can be found throughout the entire evolution of our species. Community is considered the most natural form of coexistence and constitutes the basic element of society. It occurs in countless manifestations and is defined by a strong feeling of belonging – to a family, a village, a religion. While in earlier times, communities tended to be more longlasting, and, in terms of securing one’s livelihood, arose from a certain necessity, far more liberal alliances can be found since the modern age. For about fifteen years now, it has been possible to detect a growing worldwide social movement promoting community and participation. Following the global financial crisis, there emerged an economy of sharing, enjoying ever greater popularity in the form of food co-operatives, car-sharing initiatives, or communal living projects. The twelfth edition of the program section Architecture and Society in co-operation with afo architekturforum oberösterreich takes this backdrop to bring together four documentary films that focus on very different models of community across Europe.
