back to the overview I deutschsprachige Version des Textes The housing shortage in Berlin is omnipresent. Posters are displayed in public spaces and in cafés. Conversations often revolve around the search for a flat, owner-occupancy terminations and rent increases. During her time in Berlin, the artist Katya Craftsova dedicated herself to the complex, sometimes impenetrable and bottomless field of flat hunting in Berlin. One result of her research is the publication of the interviews she conducted. With the help of interview partners, Craftsova sheds light on various aspects of the Berlin rental market. The interviews can be listened to on the website zuhause.brandcamp.com. Among other things, you can hear an artist’s account of the ping-pong between finding accommodation and registering with the citizens‘ registration office. A refugee from Ukraine describes his experiences in Berlin. Another interviewee talks about how difficult it is to get an appointment to view a flat. An artist and an architect describe their research into gentrification processes and the migration from the city centre to outside the S-Bahn ring or to the surrounding areas. Craftsova gives the perspectives of activists fighting for affordable housing and against speculation as well as interviewees who present the current legal situation. The work of the conceptual artist can be understood as an assessment of the current situation of the Berlin housing market or as an opportunity to exchange similar experiences. Other aspects that are illuminated are forms of housing in which the sharing of spaces is central, as well as expropriation initiatives that seek to return housing and rents to municipal ownership and see this as an opportunity to keep rents under tighter control throughout the city. Video: YES, AND… productions GmbH & Co. KG Another result of her artistic project is the transformation of the terms and central statements, the processes and procedures described in the interviews into a board game. In this way, individual stages on the way to a rented flat in Berlin can be experienced in a playful way. The aim of the visually consistent board game is to obtain a tenancy agreement for an affordable flat in Berlin. Using cards that specify the starting position, i.e. identity, income and status, the players can play out the journey in search of the required documents and available flats. A response card finally announces the result of the flat search. By the end of the game, the players are very familiar with key terms such as Anmeldung (registration), Schufa report, Gehaltsnachweis (proof of salary), Mietschuldenfreiheitsbescheinigung (certificate of landlord concerning non-arrears), deposit and WBS – Wohnberechtigungsschein (certificate of eligibility of subsidised housing). Craftsova’s work enables a playful approach to a multi-layered topic that combines the range of political decisions, global financial markets, urban development and individual experiences of what is ultimately also a very private space. On the abstract level of playing cards, the private and the public, political levels and individual experiences are thus intertwined. Text: Dr. Silke Förschler Photo: Diana-Elena Păun Photo: Diana-Elena Păun Photo: Diana-Elena Păun Photo: Diana-Elena Păun Photo: Katya Craftsova Photo: Diana-Elena Păun Photo: Diana-Elena Păun Photo: Katya Craftsova Katya Craftsova Katya Craftsova is a multidisciplinary artist with a background in painting (Odesa College of Art, Ukraine) and Graphic Arts and Design (Moscow University of Printing Arts, Russia). Since 2011, she has been doing socially engaged and site-specific projects in different countries, exploring local cultural codes. Instagram: @craftsova_katya Website: https://craftsova.com The residency at Fresh A.I.R. was supported by a special scholarship from the Hans und Charlotte Krull Foundation.
