City of Friendship

Friendships help combat anxiety and loneliness. They help combat xenophobia and fascism. New friendships broaden our horizons and open our minds to new ways of thinking. Are there even any spaces in the city where new friendships can be formed? What might a neighborhood look like where residents treat one another as friends?
In this workshop, we want to work with participants to identify where in Chemnitz there are key places for friendships to form, where such spaces are missing, and where new ones can emerge. In a fictional scenario, we’ll envision a neighborhood of friendship, loving interaction, and sustainable networks.
As an alternative to neoliberal and fascist structures—which thrive on loneliness, the stoking of fears, and a sense of powerlessness—we want to encourage people to understand friendship as a practice of diversity, learning, and intergenerational support.
After exploring the city and its hidden corners, participants will design posters expressing their wishes and demands, which will then be brought back into the urban space as an intervention.