The Situational Drive.
A Weekend Conference at Cooper Union, New York.

Urban Shelter by Annett Zinsmeister / searching for an ideal urbanity, contribution

Every dwelling is a construction of defense. Architectural spaces were made from the beginning as shelter; a horizontal sheet as awning and a vertical enclosure as protection from corporal threat. A vertical shield, first as a border to houses, then growing towns, needed to be transformed and adapted in its dimensions and shape to guarantee protection against an aggressive force. Due to the generated surpluses by urban co- production, towns have been an objective of aggression and armed raids since their very beginning.

The rapid development of war technology in the 20th century generated new dimensions of warfare. This fact leads to the question of urban defense today and in future times (even facing the use of conventional weaponry).

In Searching for an Ideal Urbanity, my installation shows elements of a research and design project starting in Sarajevo in 1996 (directly after the end of the siege). The installation contains the film „A trip to Sarajevo“ (1996, 8 mm), a screening of panoramic views and a presentation of spatial research and architectural design for an area at the former frontline in the city center of Sarajevo.

The research project is about the magnitude of urban destruction due to the use of specific weaponry and questions the spatial possibilities of urban shelters today.

In using different media, the installation reflects upon and demonstrates the impact of visual media and the customization of perception.