The Open-Island project
Open-Islands are modular floating islands for different purposes, open-source.
This ongoing float project started as an art installation for the world-fair EXPO2000 in Hanover/Germany. Over time it developed into an international series of multi-purpose floats and initiated the Makers-For-Humanity collective for cooperative action for common benefits. Temporary interdisciplinary teams build floating islands for culture, education, ecology and social innovation on different water-bodies world-wide.
Open-Island activities and project range:
local
Our floating headquarter is the catamaran „ZuKunst“ in the town center of Hanover/GER.
The floating future lab serves for climate education and cultural events. It also is our office and coworking space.
> Details for ZuKunst
national
We cocreate floating islands at festivals and art-fairs and speak/perform at conferences.
Our floating islands can be temporary cultural happenings or permanent installations for education, art, ecology, social innovation or fun.
> Open-Island projects & actions
global
With partners on location, we build Open-Islands and other floats world-wide.
These floating prototypes lead to appropriate solutions, which we collect and spread online within an open float-collective.
> Join the Float Generator
„The demand for floating islands rises in line with the sea levels.“
In the coming age of climate change, floating platforms and islands will be one practical solution for people and regions in need at the coastlines and riverbanks, to adopt the changing conditions and raise their resilience. (We already see floating houses and farms, energy platforms and biospheres around the world and it´s just the beginning…) But the people and regions in need don´t have the money for high-tech constructions and depend on simple, cheap and robust solutions with local materials.
This in mind, we develop functional platforms for different purposes together with likeminded partners, that can be adjusted for local conditions and be combined to big productive Open-Islands.
But the waters are not only a mayor threat for humanity. At the same time, rivers and lakes, flood zones and the oceans contain huge potential for sustainable development and ecologic and even climatic restoration. Traditional wisdom from early civilizations and genius innovations from visionary inventors show, how humankind can live with and on water in sustainable, productive ways.
This is our field of interest, dedication and interdisciplinary actions. As we work with the social-capital of our team, volunteers and likeminded partners, we hope to inspire and network a bigger float-collective for common benefits for humankind and nature on our water-planet.
Our three Open-Island visions:
- Develop and spread a multifunctional system of modular floating islands for sustainable productive purposes on inland waters, low-tech and open-source.
- Use the narrative of a new, sharing-caring world on self-made floating islands for inspiring productions in the arts and education, for research and innovation, to help restore nature and accelerate the eco-social transformation of society.
- Expand and support the float-collective with likeminded makers and projects to improve, spread and implement the solutions, bottom-up. And eventually we´ll come up with an upscaled glocal project vision together.
If you make the world a better place, you´re already a Maker for Humanity.
Welcome aboard the Open-Island Float-Collective.