Mailing Quartier
CONCEPT
Creating memories of MQ one postcard at a time
Connecting people by sharing memories we do not physically share
TEAM
Amnon Direktor is an architect, journalist, and urban researcher based in Brussels. Holding master’s degrees in both Architecture and Urban Studies, he has built a multidisciplinary career at the intersection of design, research, and storytelling. His work spans urban planning, architectural practice, and journalism, allowing him to explore the intricate relationship between cities, society, and the built environment. With a keen eye for detail and a research-driven approach, he translates complex urban dynamics into insightful designs and compelling narratives. Through his writing and architectural work, Amnon seeks to bridge theory and practice, shaping spaces and discussions that reflect the evolving nature of contemporary urban life.
Arthur Guilleminot is an ecodeviant artist and positive maverick who practices fertile and generative disobedience. Intersecting disciplines such as design, performance, fashion, and visual art, he creates provocative visuals and vulnerable semantics, casting transilient pleasureful futures for our world. He proposes radically regenerative approaches to meet our present and persistent need for change. After his studies at the Master Planetary Poetics, he is researching the entanglements of normative environmentalism and patriarchy. Invoking ecocritics, his work focuses on pollution as capitalism’s excess and how this can serve as a potential queer assembly for marginalized communities and the more-than-human, both suffering from petromasculine violence.
Born in 2003 in Lower Bavaria, Janine Kerscher grew up surrounded by nature. Early on, she fell in love with creative work—drawing, painting, crafting, writing. Her urge to create was accompanied by the goal of contributing to a better world. This led her to Cologne, where she studied Sustainable Design at the ecosign academy. In 2025, Janine graduated with a bachelor’s degree and working as a freelance communication designer and illustrator.
PROCESS
Connecting people by sharing memories we do not physically share
Our concept can be distilled into four simple steps:
- Entering the MQ — Visitors arrive through one of the “portals,” designed as a multisensory experience that captures attention and invites them to heighten their awareness of what they sense throughout their visit.
- Experiencing MQ — With that awareness, visitors continue with whatever brought them there: work, a museum visit, a coffee, or simply wandering through.
- Reflecting and Sharing — Before leaving, visitors are invited to design and write a postcard, expressing what MQ felt like to them — what they saw or heard, moments that stood out, or anything that comes to mind.
- Connecting — Each postcard is then sent to a random visitor from that same day. If both participants consent, they can exchange replies and begin an unexpected dialogue.
The impact we aim to create is a sense of togetherness and curiosity — discovering how a shared space can evoke different yet connected experiences. Through this exchange, strangers form a joint memory, a link between two people who might never have crossed paths otherwise.
EXPERIENCE
After allowing our first impressions to settle, we began ideating freely. We wanted to approach the assignment without constraints, guided only by a few key principles that felt essential to us. Gradually, our discussions led us toward a concrete concept. We explored the idea of entrances as portals — thresholds that mark the beginning of a conscious journey and serve as the first point of engagement. We agreed that we didn’t want to disrupt visitors’ routines at MQ; instead, we hoped to gently invite them to become more aware of their surroundings. We also reflected on the meaning of interaction — that it doesn’t always need to be physical. What matters most to us is fostering an emotional connection between strangers, allowing them to co-create a shared story with someone they might never meet in person..
Jury Statement
“Mailing Quartier” for its poetic and participatory approach to connection — transforming everyday visits to Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier into shared emotional experiences that link strangers through memory, curiosity, and place.”