Reimagine your neighbours

Join us for a lecture and story evening, as part of Refugee week 2024 and LFA2024, featuring talks by Ievgeniia Gubkina, architect, historian, and author of ‘Being a Ukrainian Architect During Wartime’, and Mariia Rusanova, lecturer at the University of Kharkiv, discussing her research on Kharkiv. The event will include insights from workshop participants. Josh Gaillemin from ‘Whole Story’ will engage the audience in the art of storytelling using the dolls’ house installations. The evening is moderated by Catja de Haas.

We all have neighbours—some nearby, others further away. Neighbours can be friendly or annoying, but more often than not, they help each other out in times of need.

In our latest dolls'house installation, the participants imagine we are all neighbours to each other, including those who live far away and need our support. We know that we are different; we don’t need to agree on everything, but we are there for each other when needed.

Students from OM Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv have made dolls’ houses in a shoebox in a virtual workshop around the theme of reimagine your neighbour. We asked them what they want to tell the people in London about themselves, as their lives and neighbours have been profoundly changed over the past two years.

The results of the online workshop and the virtual dolls’ houses will be on display, as well as a dolls’ house installation with dolls’ houses made by students, children, and architects from the UK.

The Giant Dolls’ House Project is a social arts project that asks participants to make a dolls’ house in a shoebox. The project is run by Catja de Haas Architects and is the result of Catja’s research into the home and miniature. The project highlights the importance of a home for all and celebrates a united diversity.