Vienna Design Week's Stadtarbeit Showcases Social Design and Refugee Integration

During Vienna Design Week, the Stadtarbeit program curated by Marlene Leichtfried presents up to five projects selected by a jury for addressing social issues. Leichtfried describes social design as drawing attention to essentials at the interface with charitable institutions. Projects include Vebshtul, a giant loom in Margareten square recalling the district's productive past; Designing Locality, a social mapping to help foreigners and refugees become locals; and Transmigration by the collective Oh THAT Place, which features workshops, talks, lunches, and bike tours to foster integration and creative dialogue. The Bockwerk workshop brings together a multicultural team of apprentice designers to create simple functional objects. Co-founder Elaine Liu notes that Vienna is open and welcoming for creative social projects. The Erste Bank MoreVALUE Design award winner will be announced at the week's close. Last year's winner, Ebru Kurbak's Infrequently Asked Questions at the Museum of Ethnology in Vienna, analyzed integration as a two-way process by asking refugees about their skills and what they would like to teach, revealing diverse competencies introduced to Austria. The accompanying catalog includes essays and interviews to spread the idea.