TEAM: JANIN WALTER, ILKIN AKPINAR, TAE WOON HUR, BERIT HUMMEL, AARON LANG

FUNDED BY DFG

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The research project „Space Migration and Tourism“ investigated two phenomena of spatial construction under conditions of mobility, namely migration and tourism. They share not only the fact that movements across the globe have become more numerous in recent decades, but also that they are accompanied by numerous, loudly articulated social conflicts. What was original here was that the overlapping phenomena of migration and tourism were examined in the process of spatial formation. The research focus was on the structural similarity between the initially very different movements in tourism and migration. The physical spatialization and visual readability of the placements were examined. The spatial effects on the urban context were the focus of the subproject.

 

In the first funding phase, the project was able to demonstrate spatial changes with cross-scale overlays of migration and tourism space figures through empirical case studies in South Korea and Berlin. Using various qualitative methodological approaches (interviews, photography, videography), the project conducted its own empirical investigation following an artistic/urban planning research approach.

 

The work focused on the translocation of places through migration processes, the polycontextuality of spatial experiences, and the sometimes very similar role of migration and tourism as drivers of new urban developments. These themes were explored using two examples: the Vietnamese wholesale center Dong Xuan Center in Berlin Lichtenberg and the German village Dogil Maeul in South Korea.

 

The project particularly developed an exhibition plus accompanying program that engaged the public beyond the involved academic disciplines and the scientific community. 

 

Additionally, we realized the publication „MigraTouriSpace,“ which was published by Jovis Verlag.