The houses that…
A cooperation project by Berlin illustrator Jana Kreisl, Viennese artist Michael Heindl and the residents of Lichtenberg.
Financed by the Bezirkskulturfond Lichtenberg.
Made possible by the generous support of the George Orwell School in Lichtenberg.
Who owns the city? Who owns the public space? Who owns the apartment buildings? The people who live in them or the investors?
The idea for “Die Häuser denen…” developed as a reaction to the current housing and rent debate in Berlin. At the beginning of the work was our need to use the public space according to its meaning as a “place for all” in order to give expression to the stories and concerns of the users of the space. The aim of the project was to stimulate a reconquest of this urban environment through collective artistic work.
Based on conversations with residents discussing the above-mentioned questions on the one hand, and personal observations in the district on the other, we collected numerous stories and impressions.
Based on this mood, we developed a design for a mural in a further step. The coloured background of the painting is formed by the outlines of the lettering “Die Häuser denen”. The illustrations on top are based on the stories of the local residents.
The mural was realised in June 2021 on the 13 x 10 metre façade of the George Orwell School in Lichtenberg.
