‘The pipes workshop’ was organized in collaboration with activist and engineer Michael Reinders at the cultural association Niehler Freiheit in Cologne. We delved into the question: ‘What is a pipe?’, applying abstract, poetic thinking and engaging with a more emotional approach to the topic of pipe infrastructure. The workshop also intended to  raise the question of whether pipes have a rightful place within ecosystems provoking the reflection on environmental ethics.

Many of Niehler Freiheit’s facilities are full of visible pipes, which made it a perfect setting for discussing the aesthetic and the issue of pipe visibility. Over the course of this workshop we also  worked with the activity book created for the workshop, and engaged our senses by listening to pipes, making sounds and sensing vibrations to finally construct a human-pipe machine. The exercises were designed with a playful and humorous approach to facilitate conceptual thinking.