WHAT - The Project
A large carpet is created by many people working together. Each person leaves a braid that becomes part of the carpet - and thus a trace in it. The time spent together opens up space for exchange and conversations.
The technique is simple and can be applied immediately.
Thrown-away clothes and textile waste are transformed into an object that offers space for everyone – to open the dialogue, listen and learn from each other.
COMMON GROUND is a participatory social practice project that brings together people from various social backgrounds and generations, with different origins, education and life experiences, in a low-threshold and equal way.
The braiding sessions create an open space for acting together, at the same time facilitating exchange and reflection on the question how living and learning together is possible in the first place. The constantly growing carpet tells the story of this shared practice in a very concrete sense and makes it possible to experience it sensually as an object.
WHO- A shared practice
We would like to thank everyone involved for braiding together, for the time spent with one another, and for the stories and thoughts shared.
Erika Farina and Johanna Preissler developed the idea for COMMON GROUND in 2022 as part of Klasse für Alle at the University of Applied Arts Vienna. The participation of ever larger and more diverse groups in the braiding sessions led to new questions, and the desire for a collective form of organization, reflection and work grew along with the carpet.
Since autumn 2023, a team is organizing, designing, and hosting the project together - currently:
MARIELUISA LENGLACHNER:
is a mixed media artist. Her work explores the relationships between human and non-human beings, as well as the diversity of materials and processes that shape these complex living environments. Her interactive installations combine textile objects, sculptures, photographs, painting, and moving images. Many works are exposed to elements such as water and light, causing them to change. This creates a practice that fosters participatory approaches and celebrates co-authorship with nature. With COMMON GROUND since 2023.
JOHANNA PREISSLER:
Works as a trainer, designer, and cultural worker. For over 20 years, she has developed scenic settings and commercial spaces. In recent years, she has become increasingly involved in collaborative and participatory practices and projects and explores possibilities for a resource-saving life- and work style. From 2021 to 2024, she was part of Klasse für Alle and has been involved with COMMON GROUND from the beginning.
CARINA RIEDL:
Develops transdisciplinary art projects in live contexts. After 20 years as director of theater and performance-projects (Burg, DT Berlin, Mülheimer Theatertage and many more, including international co-productions, e.g. in Kinshasa / DRC), she now creates frames and formats that explore spaces in-between and question boundaries. Emphasising sustainable and life-affirming principles, her key concerns are facilitating participation in artistic processes and creating spaces for encounter. With COMMON GROUND since 2023.
ELISABETH SMEJKAL:
Over 40 years of professional experience as a technical designer and draughtswoman in Vienna. Long-standing involvement in civil society, including the initiative Ehe ohne Grenzen, Sprachencafé of the association Station Wien and Protestant Church A.B. Simmering. Her goal is to create open spaces where encounters can take place and community can develop - as counterweight to exclusion and isolation and as a basis for overcoming current and future social challenges. With COMMON GROUND since 2023.
From 2023 to 2024 John Paul Ayodo, Ingrid Garschall, Erwin Hasiner, Janhavi Dhamankar, Paul Röttger, Dominika Svarc, and Barbara Ziegelböck accompanied and co-developed the project.