Open Library
Community Programme
Municipal Library of Tavros, Athens
March – July 2021
Open Library is a community programme aiming to encourage interaction between the local municipal library and the residents of Tavros neighbourhood through design. With a strong community engagement the project is developed by a group of practitioners with interdisciplinary background, inspired by the multicultural nature of the neighbourhood.
Along with addressing particular needs of the library space such as designing & building furniture, or resting infrastructures for the visitors; the project further aims to foster multivocality within the library’s collection and its public representation. For this, a special collection of books in the most spoken languages in Tavros - including Albanian, Urdu and Punjabi- has been gathered and promoted by a multilingual public campaign to bring focus on that the library is open, and there is a book for every reader.
Realised in collaboration between the Municipal Library of Tavros (Athens) and HFBK University of Fine Arts Hamburg design department*, Open Library provides a welcoming environment that appeals to a broad audience; creating encounters between neighbourhood residents.
Thank you: Olga Hatzidaki, Marianna Stivachta
*HFBK University of Fine Arts Hamburg / Design department: Prof. Valentina Karga, Seda Yıldız, Ronja Soopan, Jeanie Brell, Nele Oetjens, Maria Rincon, Irini Schwab, Josefina Dux, Mu-Heng Tsai
Supported by: Goethe-Institut Athen
Partners: University of Fine Arts Hamburg, The Municipality of Moschato-Tavros, Municipal Cultural Centre of Tavros
Photos: Alexandra Masmanidi