Ramina Habibollah is a multidisciplinary artist born in Tehran and currently living and working in Espoo. In her work she touches upon the notions of ecology, feminism and cyborg anthropology. She explores alternative ways of co-existing with non-human bodies and other dimensions.
The Map of Passive Design Guidelines
The Map of Passive Design Guidelines was conceived in response to the notion of ‘Active Design Guidelines’ in the urban planning for Espoon Keskus 2030. This map questions whether it is possible to be an active participant in a city when the very infrastructure surrounding you seeks to regulate and direct that activeness.
Passivity is simultaneously accepting and rejecting. Through following the passive lines on the map, one may take a different route, stumble upon something unseen, look differently at a non-place, or be asked to pause in a space one normally only passes through. Familiarity is of course subjective, both locals and visitors will bring their own histories onto the path, but this gesture could be viewed as using the city itself to see the same city differently.
In a time when wellness can manifest as institutions exerting subtle forms of control through the design and architecture of spaces, could a quiet resistance through passivity actually lead us to find new ways of moving or being in space? Ultimately, The Map of Passive Design Guidelines is merely a suggestion, unlike in Active Design, the walker may still choose whether or not to follow the route.
The map is accessible online through www.passivelines.net, as a printed copy, and as a spatial text installation at Espoon Silta.