ESEL-COMPLAIN

FLORIAN BORN (based in Berlin)
CHRISTOPH FRAUNDORFER
ESEL-COMPLAIN, 2015

Urban space can be distinguished into many different types of spaces: living space, space to relax, space for interaction, or space for unexpected things to happen. Moreover, it is also a space of noise or lost places.

There is an intense connection between urban mobility and the quality of public spaces in cities. ESEL-Complain shows opportunities and the potential provided by the use of bicycles in public spaces. It connects two projects that are trying to make riding your bike in a city as pleasant as possible. Auto-Complain detects potholes by mounting your smartphone on the handlebar of your bike. These potholes are entered into an online database and marked with a spray can. myESEL develops bikes that can be adjusted to everybody needs because of its individual manufacturing process. With this flexibility it offers the perfect possibility to integrate the auto-complain system into a bike.

Artist biography

Christoph Fraundorfer form Upper Austria is architect, designer and founder of the bicylce-startup “myESEL“ located in Linz. During his studies of architecture in Vienna he focussed on product and furniture design – “Rocking Chair“, exhibition Zumtobel, 2010 – and realized various projects with “THUM architects“, “Atelier Löwy“ and “Querkraft architects“ – “Lichtbäume“, Technisches Museum Vienna, 2011. Since 2012 he runs his Company “Von Johann“ – design and prototype production (carbon & fiberglas composites). Projects: “Stretched Bench“; “Tree Pots“, Linz 2013.

Florian Born is an interaction designer, who is working between media arts and media design. His projects focus on connecting the virtual with the physical world. He works with new technologies, the field of creative coding and crafting things. In 2013 he graduated from the digital media program of the University of the Arts Bremen with a bachelor of arts. In 2015 he won a New Face Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival for his project Auto-Complain and the German Newcomer Award Gold for his work as a whole.  He currently lives in Berlin, where he studies new media in a master program at the University of the Arts Berlin. He also works for the German research agency Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.