Save the Date: Exhibtion – A SEAT AT THE TABLE! 

an exhibition by students from:
The Berlin International University of Applied Sciences

Opening: 28 January at 18:00

How can rural and urban spaces – both physical and virtual–be envisioned to cultivate democratic communities? How can we embody democracy spatially? In this course, we will explore the principles of democratic design, asking who designs, for whom, and how we can ensure that spaces and places are accessible, inclusive, and representative of diverse voices.

A Seat at the Table! engages with the topic through a multidisciplinary approach – combining graphic design, architecture, and interior architecture – and collaborates with Berlin- and Brandenburg-based organizations and local initiatives that represent marginalized groups, including both human and non-human communities. 

This exhibition is about power – its presence, absence and distribution. It is about space, both physical and metaphorical, and the barriers we create in it. The table is a metaphor: of assemblage, negotiation, inclusion, but also exclusion. 

The spatial and visual explorations gathered in this exhibition confront these contradictions. A Seat at the Table! is an invitation. To rethink, to remake, to rebuild. It reminds us that tables are not neutral – they are created, like the systems they represent, for a purpose. So who will you free up a seat for? 

Program

Tuesday, January 28

• 18:00: Doors open
• 18:30: Welcome words by Dr. h.c. Kristin Feireiss, Dunya Bouchi, Prof. Yüksel Pöğün‐Zander, Prof. Lukas Staudinger and the curatorial team. 
• 19:00: Guided tours by 5 interdisciplinary design teams:
  Inclusion in Rural Areas – in collaboration with Distelhof by Associata e.V., Kärstadt GT Sargleben, Brandenburg
• Sex Workers in Dialogue – in collaboration with Frauentreff Olga, Notdienst für Suchtgefährdete und – abhängige Berlin e.V., Berlin
• Migration, Diaspora and a Right to Stay – in collaboration with KuB: Kontakt- und Beratungsstelle für Flüchtlinge und Migrant:innen e.V., Berlin
• Shaping Your Own City – in collaboration with ParkourONE, Berlin
• Non-Human Perspectives and Cohabitation – in collaboration with BUND Berlin / Claudia Wegworth, Berlin
• Art Auction – organised by the team Migration, Diaspora and a Right to StayDJ Set, Drinks and Bar

Wednesday, January 29

• 12:00–22:00: Exhibition Open to the Public
• 13:00–20:00: Public Program – 30-minute sessions, including lectures and workshops, engaging with themes of inclusivity, empowerment, sustainability, and coexistence.

A SEAT AT THE TABLE! Designing Spaces of Assembly and Participation

Aedes Metropolitan Laboratory
Christinenstraße 18–19
10119 Berlin
28–29 January 2025

Updates on the program will be published via Instagram @seatatthetable.exhibition

The project team of A SEAT AT THE TABLE! is looking forward to welcoming you!

Artists:

Alina Vorozhtsova, Andrada Balutoiu, Anastasiia Shalagaeva, Andrei-Teodor Popa, Anna Orsolya Domokos, Anna Zolenko, Bassey Aycik, Carsten Spielmann, Celina Cruz Huayhua, Diana Gabriela Stancu, Ekaterina Vorobeva, Emmanuela Akaba, Fabian-Marian Pantelimon, Gloria Miljkovic, Hanna Lili Kovari, Heiða María Ásgeirsdóttir, Ilgin Ünsal, Julia Cortezze Nagahama, Kateryna Tovstyha, Leen Al Shemaly, Leonie Marieke Todd, Lily Hardy, Lára Björt Jóhannesdóttir, Lynn Kler, Maria Melo, Mariia Kotik, Micaeel Saleem Khan, Monika Bronowicz, Oana Petrescu, Shany Dang, Svea Miola, Svetlana Koroleva, Vasilii Kachanov, Veronica Melissari, Zehra Nur Ergüvenand, Prof. Lukas Staudinger, Jeannette Riedel, Barbora Demovič.

About:

“A Seat at the Table!” is a collaboration between Berlin International University of Applied Sciences, Aedes Metropolitan Lab and Democracy Next. Students from graphic design, architecture, and interior design have partnered with social initiatives based in Berlin and Brandenburg to design inclusive spaces for assembly and participation, addressing the real-world needs of these organizations. This interdisciplinary project was conceived and supervised by Prof. Lukas Staudinger, Jeannette Riedel, and Barbora Demovič.