CITYMAKERS

Deutsch

This participatory project explores youth identity, sense of belonging, and the imaginative, hopeful futures envisioned by young people in Berlin and Sofia.

We chose tram line 10 — present in both capitals — as our thread of connection. A tram connects places within a city, brings strangers together, and here becomes a metaphorical line stretching between Berlin and Sofia.

Along this line, we approached ten young people in each city. We invited them into conversation and asked to capture their portraits. After each interview, participants were asked to respond to a question left by the previous person — and to pose a new one for the next — creating in this way a living chain of questions and answers that moved along the tram line and time, initiating a written conversation between two strangers.

Our questions to the young people touched on public space, identity, hope, and visions of the future. The aim of the project was to record personal stories of the participants navigating urban life — grappling with challenges, shortages, and barriers, but also recognizing the value of places and connections with others.

The result is a zine that gathers their portraits, excerpts from the interviews, a playlist with songs that are meaningful to them and the evolving question–answer chain — a moving record of youth voices carried across two cities, two tram lines, and many encounters.

INSPIRATION

Tram lines are very practical, and for people living in cities where they operate, they often feel quite ordinary. At the same time, they carry something nostalgic — especially when old carriages run alongside the new ones. Taking one of those older wagons can feel like a little time travel. So when we learned that Sofia also has a tram line 10, we kept it in mind while developing our idea, which initially started as participatory zine workshops with young people. We thought it was an interesting idea then to connect young people moving around the city with this way of transportation.

PROCESS

The first idea was very vague, but we remember brainstorming and thinking about using something loud and sparkly to attract young people to our project. During this process, we both realized that what truly drives us to make art is connection. We love meeting people and feeling that sense of connection. The real sparkles are on the inside. That is exactly what we felt when we spoke with the first person we interviewed. Until then, we thought of the project mostly as a trial — the questions, the photos, the question–answer chain. But when our first conversation went so smoothly, what struck us most was that this young person, whom we probably never would have spoken to otherwise, seemed to genuinely enjoy it. At that moment, everything fell into place.

Of course, there were also challenges. After one very spirited conversation and some strong portraits, a participant later told us they did not wish to be part of the project. We felt set back, but soon realized that this was actually one of the most important principles of the project: willing participation. Our methodology was, in many ways, intuitive rather than objective — and that is something important to acknowledge. We chose people based on instinct, not statistics. Perhaps that is also why the project brought us joy: talking to people outside of our usual bubbles, who, at first glance, seemed open and sympathetic.

COLLABORATION

Our group was very small, and it had already existed in the same setup before. We study together and had already worked on projects as a team. The funny thing is that we applied to the Urban Storytelling School separately, but then found each other again within this project. Working together has been very rewarding. We often say that the project couldn’t have been done without both of us. Going out alone and talking to strangers is not something we usually do in our free time. Being together — and dividing roles and tasks — was essential for us as a duo. This also continued into the making of the zine: one of us focused on the visual elements, while the other worked with the texts.

LEARNINGS

Through this project we learned that young people in the city care about many of the same things everyone else does — cleaner streets, friendlier people, more parks and spaces to come together. But what stood out most was their strong desire for self-expression: they want the freedom to find themselves without being judged. We were amazed at how openly they shared their dreams and wishes for the future. The conversations moved us, inspired us, and left us feeling hopeful about what’s ahead.

THE SCHOOL

We think our project connects really naturally to the themes of the Urban Storytelling School. We invited young people in two European countries to have conversations with us, and they could choose the questions they liked. That gave them a sense of agency, and many of them told us little stories — about the city they live in, the parks and spaces where they hang out, but also about places that feel unsafe. It was powerful to hear how honestly they shared what they like and don’t like about their urban environment. The exchange was not just between us and them, but also between the young people themselves — because once their answers are shared in the zine, they will read what others said. They will see how their voices connected with others. For us, it feels like we’re contributing to a bigger narrative. It’s not just about individual stories, but about building bridges between young people in different countries — like Germany and Bulgaria — and showing how their hopes and questions overlap. In a way, it becomes a collective story about what it means to grow up in European cities today.

Maria Fallada Llandrich completed a BA in Arts and Design at Eina University in Barcelona, where she studied a mix of graphic and editorial design, design culture, illustration, and photography. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Raumstrategien (Spatial Strategies) at Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin, exploring artistic approaches to urban spaces and community engagement. 

Ksenia Lapina studied literature and social pedagogy and is currently pursuing an MA in Spatial Strategies at Kunsthochschule Weißensee. Born in the former USSR, she has been based in Berlin since 2015 and works at the intersection of art and community practice. Her creative work combines photography, text and textiles, and her background as a social worker shapes projects that facilitate dialogue and connection in urban and social spaces.