Ma(r)king Neighborhoods: Integrating art in urban research

The interdisciplinary research project ma(r)king neighborhoods combines urban research with artistic techniques to make the experiences, relationships and power relations that shape neighborhoods more tangible. The aim of the project is to explore and visualize the social, cultural and spatial dynamics of urban neighborhoods through creative research methods and printing techniques. The concept of neighborhood is at the heart of the project and describes both a (socio-)spatial unit and an ideologically charged term that defines a place and its social relationships. The neighborhood is characterized by public spaces in which histories, identities and communities unfold and in which different social realities collide on a daily basis. Rather than conceiving the neighbourhood as a singular and cohesive entity, we conceptualise it as an assemblage of overlapping and mutually constitutive experiences which, akin to layering stencils, collectively form a comprehensive mosaic. With the ma(r)king neighborhoods project, we use artistic methods to (1) expand the methodological toolkit of urban research and include voices that are often underrepresented in research and (2) unravel the complexity of the microcosm of the neighborhood. The starting point for the project is the Lorenz-Bayer-Park quarter in Vienna`s 16th district. The typical Viennese park is not only surrounded by a lively residential area, but also borders a brewery, a factory, several schools, kindergartens, restaurants and small local businesses. The project addresses various local stakeholders, from young children and the elderly to inhabitants of residential buildings, entrepreneurs, workers and employees as well as park visitors. In three different types of neighborhood labs, the themes past (memories and experiences), present (perceptions and observations) and future (visions and ideas) will be explored, integrating artistic and social science methods. In cartographic workshops, we will think OFF THE MAP, enquiring about paths, people, infrastructures, power relations, and experiences that are (not) represented in maps using various printing techniques. In neighborhood walks & talks, we will bring the findings from the workshops TO THE STREETS by exploring the neighborhood together with different groups and discussing various themes from the workshops. In a third step, we will carry out on-site interventions in public space and bring the research results TO THE PUBLIC by implementing and printing the ideas of research participants directly in public space using street chalk. By leaving traces in the neighborhood, it is transformed into a dynamic canvas that allows passers-by to engage with the research results in a low- threshold way.