OPEN MIND PLACES

In many western countries, the material living standard of most people has reached an unprecedented height. Parallel to nearly unlimited consumption possibilities, digital media promises a golden future through an unlimited exchange of contacts and information. This status quo is accompanied by the fact that the majority of us are experiencing the longest period of humanity in peace - what a gift! Nevertheless, the price of this success, with its undisputedly fascinating only exploits the planet unrestrainedly but at the same time exhausts its actors. All of us are aware of the consequences of uninterrupted "faster, higher, further": the overabundance of digital information mutates into constant manipulative bombardment, the high number of "friends" constant availability leads to a depletive permanent presence. Last but not least, many people perceive the increasing alienation from nature as a substantial loss. Christoph Hesse caught this process as an opportunity to develop the "Open Mind Places" project for his hometown Referinghausen. It consists of 9 near-natural follies that invite visitors and hikers alike to pause, life, respect for fellow human beings and mindfulness towards nature. Since it is a low-budget project, Hesse designed the follies as simple constructions made from locally available materials that has been erected on a voluntary basis with the help of his family, local residents, and craftsmen friends. For the gallery, the exhibition represents an important facet of the debate on the role and tasks that contemporary architecture has. Besides the market-oriented tendencies shaped by global architecture are extremely important. They in fact show the presence not only of other ideas and lifestyles, but that commitment to them is worthwhile. Especially when they lead to an architecture that perfectly balances the relationship between art and nature.