Disconnected by Susan Härtig: Especially in big-city areas, there are hardly any spaces that are not saturated by electromagnetic fields. Several mobile phone and WLAN networks are usually available. The human being is embedded into an invisible telematic network, and thus can itself link at any time with other humans over these available networks. By this data dispersion he/she can be increasingly topographically located… How can one escape the interference in a private space in spite of increasing mobility or create a private retreat place in its environment? Disconnected is a tent that is coated with the fabric called “e-blocker”, which means that it is nearly perfectly shielded against electromagnetic radiation, thus electromagnetic fields. They are caused by high voltage transmission lines, broadcasting stations, mobile radio and applications of radio e.g. WLAN, Blue tooth or RFID. Within the tent neither mobile phones nor WLAN services are available.

By this quality, the tent becomes a “non-space”, a white mark in the telecommunication topography. A detection of individuals who are within the tent is no longer possible. Furthermore, communication with other people can only take place in the interior of the tent and except for acoustic vibrations, words reach neither from the inside outward nor from the outside inward. Thus the tent functions as a shield or third skin that wraps around humans.

A tent is nomad architecture. Because of their light weight, the simplicity in construction and the reduction on the substantial, tents can be shifted again and again to new, just occasional centres of vital interests. It is a flexible architecture that adapts easily to changing life circumstances. Thus it particularly corresponds to our post-industrial nomadism and the demand for more mobility.

The tent is inspired by an “Alachigh” – the tent of the “Shah Savan” – nomad people who live in the northwest of Iran. It is a modified design of a Yurt, but has the advantage of providing the same space with less wood and guarantees a more simple transportation. [via VVORK]