Joanna Zabielska

Joanna Zabielska

Working on the intersection of art, design and architecture, Zabielska approaches the social and spatial issues of the transformation of the city. Using different media – from inflatable textile installations to cooking performance, she develops participatory, site- specific projects together with the local community. She is currently in charge of art and design space Die Labile Botschaft (the unstable embassy) in a former supermarket in the heart of Vienna, and working as a freelancer in field of exhibition design for various offices and museums.

c’mon_room

“First life, then spaces, then buildings – the other way around never works” Jan Gehl

Gldani district is, however, the result of the “other way around” approach. Constructed in a hurry to provide a predetermined number of flats, Gldani gives little consideration to the space in-between buildings. Additionally, built under an oppressive political regime, Gldani could not provide any outside space in the sense of free spaces. No wonder that any attempts for an independent life took place inside, in less controlled private spaces.

As a result, public space in the sense of commonly shared ground is hardly present in Gldani. The c’mon room is an attempt to create this public space and bring life back from private into public space. A wireframe installation based on the average floor plan of a Gldani flat provides a stage for social interactions. It offers the neighborhood a free and open space to express thoughts, ideas and critical reflections on Gldani’s physical and social  state.