ECHOES IN TRANSITION
Echoes In Transition
Memory walls of Lusatia
A participatory earth-building installation exploring memory, belonging and transformation in Lusatia.
Built collectively through a four-day community workshop, the installation is now on view at Strombad Cottbus.
An art project by Khandoker Upama Kabir
Technical Development & Production Coordination
Arvid Ruddigkeit, Lehmbau e.V.
Presented as part of the
OpenArt Lausitz Biennale 2026
With support from BTU Cottbus–Senftenberg
On view · 13–20 September 2026 · Strombad Cottbus
A participatory earth-building installation exploring memory, belonging and transformation through traditional building techniques and collective making.
Inspired by the displaced villages and traditional Umgebindehäuser of Lusatia, Echoes in Transition brought people together to build with earth, straw and memory. Over four days of collective making, reused wooden laths for woven infill and reused clay-and-straw wrapped laths were incorporated into the newly built timber structure, while clay recovered from unfired bricks was reprocessed and worked again by hand. Handprints, drawings, textures and personal objects gradually accumulated across the walls, transforming the installation into a physical archive of belonging and shared memory.
The Project
From Research to Reality
Every part of Echoes in Transition grew from months of research into Lusatia's architectural heritage, earth-building traditions, and participatory design. From the first sketches to material experiments and construction planning, the project evolved through an ongoing dialogue between research, making, and community — eventually taking form through a newly built timber structure, reused building elements, and clay recovered from unfired bricks and worked again by hand.
Why It Matters
The Lusatia region is undergoing a profound transformation. As coal-mining landscapes change and traditional villages and buildings disappear, questions of memory, identity, and belonging become increasingly important. Echoes in Transition responded to this moment by bringing people together to build—not only with earth, straw, and timber, but also with shared experiences and stories.
Inspired by the region's Umgebindehäuser and traditional earth-building techniques, the project reimagines cultural heritage as something living and participatory rather than something preserved behind glass. Every handprint, impression, personal object, and contribution became part of a collective archive that reflects both the past and the future of Lusatia.
The installation was shaped collectively rather than produced as a finished artwork by a single author. Over four days, participants wove, wrapped, mixed, plastered, carved and worked the material by hand. Personal objects, handprints, drawings and textures accumulated across its surfaces, turning the finished work into both an installation and a physical record of the people who helped create it. Through this shared process, the project explored how making, remembering and building together can strengthen connections between people, place and material in a region experiencing continuous change.
Visit the
Installation
Echoes in Transition is now on view at Strombad Cottbus
from 13–20 September 2026.
Strombad is a volunteer-run community and cultural space shaped by and for the people of Cottbus. Its open, green setting provides space for workshops, cultural projects and collective initiatives — making it a fitting home for an installation centred on memory, participation and belonging.
During the workshop, this connection became unexpectedly tangible. Older visitors stopped by, recognised traditional clay-building techniques and shared memories of learning to swim at Strombad decades ago — some reaching back to the 1950s. Their stories added another layer of local memory to the work as it was being built.
On view at a glance:
📍 Location : Strombad Cottbus
📅 Workshop Dates : 13–20 September 2026
👥 Public Access: 08:00 -23:00
💶 Admission : Free of charge
🌍Getting there : Approx. 15 minutes on foot from Cottbus Hauptbahnhof