SOLANGE Machtpolitik unsere Lebens(t)räume zerstört, bin ich Feminist:in.
AS LONG AS power politics destroy the dreams and spaces we live in, I will be a feminist.
Following the invitation of ai nw, the women architects initiative NW, Katharina Cibulka and her team mounted a 300 m² scaffolding net on the facade of the St. John’s Church in Düsseldorf’s city center on June 25, 2025. This net marks the 33rd installment of the SOLANGE series.
The ai nw and SOLANGE take a stand against sexism and misogyny in the architectural field and beyond. The partnership with Lutheran St. John’s Church as a venue supports our shared cause of fostering connection, especially in light of the current political landscape. In the heart of Düsseldorf, we stand together and take a stand for equality and connection.
Based on around 400 submitted sentences, the SOLANGE team, in collaboration with ai nw, created a site-specific sentence containing elements from architecture and city planning while also giving space to multiple layers of interpretation.
Katharina Cibulka elaborates:
“For me, the collaboration with the women architects initiative NW is a beautiful example of what Swiss feminist Franziska Schutzbach describes as “The Revolution of Connectedness”: Dedicated women come together to build something new and take a stand against destructive power politics. We demand a different world: a world where we design perspectives that include dreams and visions; a world with space for connection and togetherness instead of exclusion and discrimination.
As long as living spaces are destroyed by wars or a lack of climate policies, we are destroying the livelihood and dreams of millions of people. Dreams of living life in peace, in safety and in an intact environment. Dreams of a self-determined life without patriarchal and destructive limitations. The more we succeed in living a “revolution of connectedness”, the more space we have for the dreams of many instead of the interests of those who put themselves first.”
The ai nw addresses the effects of power politics in architecture and planning. Women and queer people continue to leave the industry even though they have comprised the majority of graduates in the field for more than 20 years. They are not equally represented in leading positions, they are paid less and are generally undervalued and doubted.
Karin Hartmann, head of the women architect initiative NW explains:
“By focussing on power politics the debate on equal opportunity for women* has added a new dimension. It is no longer about nice-to-have, but about nothing less than our livelihood.
From the heart of Düsseldorf, our initiative sends a clear message for equality in these times of political change. Today it is more important than ever to signal to women* passing by on their daily routes: you are not alone, we stand together and we will not allow anyone to push back us or our rights.
In a remarkable effort of voluntary work, the ai nw has succeeded in realizing this sentence with Katharina Cibulka at the St. John’s Church. We have successfully shown that collective collaboration is possible – and effective!”
Cooperation partners:
Baukultur NRW, Areal Böhler, AIA AG, Heck + Schmiegel, Honak Architekten and the team of ai nr – Architektinnen Initiative NW
Fotocredits: Foto Laska, Katharina Cibulka
