co-LIZA 2.0

Authors’ Comment

co-LIZA 2.0 was developed during a research residency organized by The Jakab Toffler House Association in the Fabric neighbourhood of Timișoara. The project follows a similar approach to the first prototype that was produced in 2022 during the "We Are Here To Stay" project.
The project aims to help civic groups that are active in the neighbourhood to organize cultural and social events for the community with the help of a resource-object that is co-managed between different organizations.
The object is intended as a community activation kit in the form of mobile equipment, easy to transport over relatively short distances in the neighbourhood and can be assembled in different instances suitable for various community activities carried out by organizations.
The push-cart, a standard element used for the transport of goods, is integrated as a structure within the piece of furniture, which supports its movement both inside and outside. All three positions of the object (vertical, horizontal, oblique) are used in the project to generate different instances of use at multiple levels, depending on the people using the object and the activities that are carried out. The uses can be diverse, from exhibitions and workshops, to play, sports, parties and cooking.
The object is made of plywood and has a series of perforations that make it possible to add metal accessories (hooks, hangers, different holders for pencils, cutlery, paper rolls, etc.). The contact surfaces are covered with aluminium sheets and can be used as tables or benches, depending on the height at which they are displayed.
This version of the object is equipped with a vertical element that works as a mast with a height of over three meters. Different elements can be attached to this and hold cables to support various activities on a wider perimeter in public or communal spaces (from badminton and volleyball games to exhibitions and signal objects).
co-LIZA 2.0 is a community activation tool that helps organizations and neighbours to co-produce civic scenarios of (re)imagining and (re)engaging with neighbourhood spaces and practices. The collective activities, which are often invisible and informal, have the role of mobilizing the community and showing the hidden value of collaboration and neighbourhood solidarity. This can inspire new roles for architecture, art and activist practices and can reorient the discussions related to abandoned or under-development spaces in relation to the needs and aspirations of a community.