Talking House

Talking House was built in February and March 2020 in an apartment on Frishman Street in Tel Aviv. Unlike the other spatial apparatuses of Architectures of Proximity, the structure is mobile: it can be converted into a handcart, transported to different locations, and assembled within approximately 25 minutes.

The installation consists of two symmetrical seating niches within a lightweight timber structure. A partition wall separates the two compartments, which are entered through small double-leaf doors. While the exterior is painted white, the interiors are distinguished by red and blue surfaces, creating two separate but closely connected spaces.

Originally conceived for gatherings at different locations in Tel Aviv, the project changed with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of hosting guests, Talking House travelled through the city and its surroundings, appearing on beaches, in gardens and courtyards, on wastelands and ruins, and in the Negev desert. The changing locations became an unexpected part of the work, exploring how a small architecture can temporarily occupy and transform different environments.

After returning to Berlin, Talking House was activated through individual encounters with guests in gardens, parks, and along Karl-Marx-Allee. In 2022, it travelled by train to Delft for a presentation as part of the CA²RE Delft Colloquium.