Imagined Communities and the Scenography of the Everyday

KPTV visiting fellowship of UTS Sydney and TU Berlin

Prof. Stefanie Buerkle, TU Berlin, Prof. Thea Brejzek and Prof. Lawrence Wallen UTS Sydney are obtaining the call of proposals for the KPTV visiting fellowship. The title of their research project is: Imagined Communities and the Scenography of the Everyday – A Comparative analysis of the commercial interiors of the Vietnamese communities in Berlin and Sydney.

This research project in the framework of KPTV visiting fellowship scheme is a study of interior architecture. It looks at the way in which Vietnamese migrants to Berlin and Sydney design the interiors of their small businesses to create an ‘imagined community’ and a sense of belonging. This research reframes Vietnamese immigration history to Berlin and Sydney as a history of place-making through the choice of design strategies in their shops, small businesses and restaurants. The leading concept of ‘relational space’ employed in this research, is space that is defined through objects, symbolic goods and social interaction,  and allows for an integrated approach to the culture of the everyday. The comparison between Sydney and Berlin will contribute to a deeper understanding of how differing migration histories are reflected in the process of making ‘space’ and ‘place’ in the controlled environment of the interior of shop, restaurants and commercial environments.

Prof. Stefanie Buerkle, TU Berlin, Prof. Thea Brejzek and Prof. Lawrence Wallen, UTS Sydney