Surviving the Suburb:
The Climate Machine
at RIBA London
Exhibition 5 March–26 April 2008
Florence Hall, RIBA London
Design Climate Machines: Björn Ortfeld
This installation explores the urban dwelling of the future. Described as ‘an optimistic research machine',
it presents possibilities for day-today city life transformed by climate change and continuing globalisation. The elements
exhibited include adaptations of familiar domestic objects like a ‘shiitake' kitchen sink with a mushroom bed beneath, or other
more speculative ‘white goods' of the future such as an urban chicken house. It is not climate change itself but how society
reacts to it that is researched here: what effect will it have on how we live, on our urban structures and domestic space?
Ton Matton describes his practice as situated ‘somewhere between object-design, society-shape, ecological city planning and artistactivism'
exploring ‘the small Utopias and interruptions of daily life' and ‘connections between traditional countryside living and
contemporary mega-citylifestyle'. He founded MattonOffice in 2000 in Rotterdam as what he called a ‘free range office'
based in a mobile, self sufficient shed. Since 2001 he has been based in Germany (together with partner, the writer
Ellie Smolenaars) in the former GDR village-school of Wendorf between Hamburg and Berlin. Matton has previously worked on
projects with Atelier van Lieshout, MVRDV, Rem Koolhaas/OMA (Rotterdam), feld72 (Wien) and Raumlabor (Berlin) amongst
others. He has participated in Archilab (Orléans); Biennale Sao Paulo; Manifesta 2 (Ljubljana) and the Architekturbiennale
(Rotterdam).
Ton Matton in Conversation with Christopher Dell
Event Wednesday 19 March
18.30 Florence Hall
An evening of discussion and performance. Christopher Dell is a German philosopher and musician. He plays the jazz vibrophone.
Culinary Closing Event
Event Friday 25 April
18.30–23.00 Florence Hall
An evening of conversation, cooking and singing with Ton Matton and guests.
Family Workshop
Event Saturday 26 April
10.30–12.30 Florence Hall
All events are free but booking is essential as numbers are limited.
Supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and IFG Ulm.
