„WHAT IF?“ constitutes a central question in the architectural design process. The symposium Superstadt! 2013 takes this question as the reason to narrate notional cities and lived environments. „WHAT IF?“ is followed by the questions „HOW?“, „WHO?“ and „FOR WHOM?“. How are these stories told, written, drawn, filmed or charted? How does one communicate content that is still largely unclear, or crazy, jinxed? Who narrates, who reads, who is involved, and how? Who are the story‘s protagonists, the novel‘s heroes, the horror movie‘s monsters? And how does this concern the future of the city? The question „WHAT IF?“ helps in describing possible futures, in weighing alternatives and assessing directions. It allows for the consideration of fictions in architecture and the creative handling of the inevitable at the same time.
Superstadt! 2013 brings together professionals from the disciplines of architecture, literature, design, film, art and performance, who in a variety of ways all deal with the narration of city. Architects write a novel, break into secret archives or invent the satirical show as a format. Illustrators draw monstrous things, Moonlighters’ Union turn the work system upside down and DJanes declare the party a soon-to-be city!
Symposium 22nd of November 2013, University of Art and Design, Linz
www.superstadt.at
„WHAT IF?“ beschreibt eine zentrale Frage im architektonischen Entwurfsprozess. Das Symposium Superstadt! 2013 nimmt die Frage als Anlass für das Erzählen von spekulativer Stadt und gelebter Umwelt. Dem „WHAT IF?“ folgen die Fragen „HOW?“, „WHO?“ und „FOR WHOM?“. Wie werden diese Geschichten erzählt, geschrieben, gezeichnet, gefilmt oder kartiert? Wie vermittelt man Inhalt, der noch weitgehend unklar ist, oder verrückt, verhext? Wer erzählt, wer liest, wer wird wie miteinbezogen? Wer sind die Handelnden der Geschichten, die HeldInnen des Romans, die Ungeheuer des Horrorfilms? Und was hat die Zukunft der Stadt damit zu tun? Die Frage „WHAT IF?“ hilft, mögliche Zukünfte zu beschreiben, Alternativen abzuwägen und Richtungen zu bewerten. Sie erlaubt das Andenken von Fiktionen in der Architektur und den kreativen Umgang mit Unvermeidbarem zugleich.
Das Symposium versammelt AkteurInnen aus Architektur, Literatur, Design, Film, Kunst und Performance, die sich auf unterschiedliche Art und Weise mit dem Erzählen von Stadt auseinandersetzen. ArchitektInnen schreiben einen Roman, steigen in geheime Archive ein oder erfinden das Kabarett als Format. ZeichnerInnen illustrieren Ungeheuerliches, Moonlighters’ Union stellen das Arbeitssystem auf den Kopf und DJs erklären die Party zur zukünftigen Stadt!
Symposium 22. November 2013, Kunstuniversität Linz.
www.superstadt.at
Kuratiert von Sabine Pollak und Matthias Böttger | Kunstuniversität Linz.
KooperativerRaum.at 
16. Juli 2015 um 15:19
I can well relate to the problems of situating the subject of future creation,our Semester Project that questioned Vienna in 3000, rather superficially ,opened as well similar questions. Once we engage oursleves in situations that yet do not exist we Encounter the Problems in also pragmatic Areas such as construction materials and means but also of the philosophical and social Kind. Who will use such a structure and how will that shape other behaviour? Will it Change the way we see the „ordinary“ surrounding? With preinvestigation in psyhcology and sociology we might have a clue how People would respond to certain shpaes and structures that host specific programms but we can never know for certain…
24. September 2015 um 16:41
These kind of contemprary symposiums which gathers interdisciplinary branches togerher under a roof, are useful to reflect the qualities of the todays conditions within the usage of media and technologies. in order to ask the question „what if “ in such an event , it would be way more exciting to invite scientics together with artist, as contemporary science eliminates the imposibilities of „what if „. And also for „for whom“ question , in respect to the whole society , such question must be asked to experties of the profession such as to historitian, psychologiest , sociologists becasue art and architecture will then find itself anyways when „how“ question will be asked. In my personal opinion, in the larger scale , design comes like a palimpsest in the city scale by the expected and unexpected multi-events in some periods of time. Again to empasize such events like superstadt are useful to bringtogether different generations and multi-disciplinary people because it is inevitable that cultivation and sharing is going to be there
24. September 2015 um 16:43
These kind of contemprary symposiums which gathers interdisciplinary branches togerher under a roof, are useful to reflect the qualities of the todays conditions within the usage of media and technologies. in order to ask the question “what if ” in such an event , it would be way more exciting to invite scientics together with artist, as contemporary science eliminates the imposibilities of “what if “. And also for “for whom” question , in respect to the whole society , such question must be asked to experties of the profession such as to historitian, psychologiest , sociologists becasue art and architecture will then find itself anyways when “how” question will be asked. In my personal opinion, in the larger scale , design comes like a palimpsest in the city scale by the expected and unexpected multi-events in some periods of time. Again to empasize such events like superstadt are useful to bringtogether different generations and multi-disciplinary people because it is inevitable that cultivation and sharing is going to be there
21. Januar 2016 um 17:20
When asking „what if“, we are probably at the same time subconsciously thinking about what and how could the things be changed in the future for the better. If the symposiums like this are meant to search for the right or in a sense different answers that could help us, then I agree with Cenk about including the scientist as they have no in between answers in their profession.
Since we are incorporating the technological advances also more and more in architecture, one still has to consider how to, at the same time, stay in balance with the environment, not only in a sense of ecology or sustainability, but from the aspect of the public and social space as well. So, including people from different professions and ages is a great start for getting the answers and finding the solution.