Presenting the team
We are an interdisciplinary team that is interested in a social and ecological change. Sustainability is an important part in our projects.
Team members:
- Eduardo Ferreira da Conceicao (Architect, Design)
- Bruno Goncalves (Architect, Design)
- Arno Sudermann (Filmproducer)
- Franziska Weidele (Scientist)
- Anoosh Werner (Initiator)
- Thomas Kowarik
- Dr. Petra Dobner (Political scientist)
- Marco Richter
About the idea
Whales are the largest mammals living in the ocean and occupy an important position in the food chain. They are essential for the balance of biodiversity in our oceans and our climate…
The plan is to build a solar-powered raft with an electric motor in the shape of a ten-meter-long whale, called plapla!The Whale Raft. Actors will use it as a free space and platform. Educational events and actions, small and larger events, from guided tours to lectures and workshops as well as concerts, dance performances, theatre and film can take place. Plapla! The Whale Raft is a floating transformation laboratory. It uses the example of water to make connections and cross-references visible and tangible by integrating the participation of various actors in the design process. A mobile, organic learning and exhibition space that takes visitors, young and old, on a journey into the future.
Goals
With the floating transformation laboratory Plapla! The whale raft, we want to show what a sustainable water culture can look like and that we as a society can initiate change. Art represents a central medium of communication, because a cultural change is only possible through the integration of art and science. We want to convey research findings in a creative, playful and easy way to include everyone in the process of transformation.
The exhibitions on the Whale will be organic and will change annually. The planned FestiWal will also offer an exciting program with a focus on various topics. In addition, actors and stakeholders will use the whale raft as a platform for their own actions.
With the project, we want to achieve a great impact and initiate social change. Therefore, it is very important to us to involve people in the design process from the outset. The whale will be stationed mainly in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte, Germany. As part of the FestiWal, it will travel to Berlin once a year for three months across the Havel. In addition, the whale can be borrowed for external events.
The core concern of the whale raft is to show what a sustainable water culture can look like. This requires utopias. We want to involve as many people as possible in the development of these utopias in order to achieve participation and a great impact. Initial ideas for the implementation of the participation process already exist. We would like to develop further ideas to enable participation.
What can we learn from the oceans, the water and how can we adapt their knowledge into our project? How can we translate natural laws in such a way that we, understand them even better and integrate this information into our own actions?
Stage of development
We have been working on this idea for almost a year and have written the concepts so far. We continuously try to acquire funding to finance the conception and planning period for the floating whale. In addition, we are constantly building up a network. An interdisciplinary approach to the project is very important to us. We are in the process of research and financing.
The planning and construction phase of the whale raft is a sub-project of the entire project. For this purpose, an exchange with a shipbuilder and/or expert who is familiar with floating architecture would be a great support. We want to integrate regional resources and, if possible, upcycling tools in the construction of the whale raft. How can we reuse waste and integrate it into the whale raft as a building material? How can we create a construction that can be built as sustainably and resource-saving as possible? These are just a few questions we want to deal with.
In order to advance the project, it would be helpful to further the financing of the project. How can we attract stakeholders to support the project? How can we build up the project in the long term in such a way that it operates according to the principle of the economy for the common good? Which conflicting goals arise in the project and how can they be kept as low as possible?
An exchange with scientists would be helpful in order to better understand where we currently stand as a society with regard to our oceans, to make connections more visible and to translate them in the form of positive narratives as exhibition formats. As we are still in the beginning of the development we are pretty open and flexible and grateful to get the opportunity to work intensively on our idea.
We welcome you!
We are open to others participating in the development of the idea. Anyone who feels called and inspired is welcome to share their input with us. Perhaps ideas can also be thought together and cooperations can arise. A core element of the whale raft is cooperation. Because we can only achieve social change collectively and by dissolving boundaries and collaborating with each other.
For more information:
https://www.instagram.com/anooshwerner/
If you want to meet this team to accelerate the idea – come and join us at the Ocean Future Lab Hackathon, Sept- 21-23, 2022.