WAITT is a public object that reinforces random encounters through collaborative movement and sound.
With the Corona pandemic came a noticeable shift of interpersonal communication. Especially casual interactions with strangers have become much rarer due to lockdown, home office duties and pandemic-related fear of contact. Despite digital communication tools being a way to maintain social bonds, they represent no adequate replacement for direct, physical exchange. So, whilst numbers of people perceiving themselves as victims of loneliness are soaring and scientists keep pointing out its negative effect on emotional & physical health; we wondered: what kind of public interventions could facilitate communal interaction and thus act as a postpandemic catalyst for social “rehabilitation” of loneliness damaged individuals? Together with the observation of how lockdown was sweeping empty monocultural and privatized spaces of the city centre, interesting opportunities for intervention became manifest: WAITT invites us to take another view on public space. As a catalyst for communication and interaction, it opens up a field of dialogue away from consumption, in which the connection between movement and sound can be collectively explored. WAITT does not have a fixed location but can move freely through the city, solely its users’ ambitions and their ability to coordinate limit its path.
There is room for up to 5 people on WAITT. Arranged radially at a distance of 1.5m, it takes into account both the "5-person" and the "corona distance" rules and is therefore also suitable for lockdown.
Geometrically, WAITT is developed from a faceted cone. In its original position it is balanced. Only through use does the structure tilt, depending on the number of actors and the "rocking movement" they create. Each additional user automatically causes a shift in the overall structure due to his/her body weight which consequently directly influences all the others` positions.
WAITT is intuitive to use. The structure is made of welded tubular steel segments filled with an acoustically effective material and thus functions similar to a rainstick The inner ring is suspended from the base frame by tensioning straps that hold the seating net. Visually reminiscent of beach chairs, WAITT also acoustically plays with holiday motifs such as the sound of the sea it evokes while moving. By inviting curiosity and the joy of experimentation together, WAITT not only offers the possibility to unleash one´s inner child, but also creates an urban oasis of longing and memory.
