Im Gespräch:
Susanne Brandherm und Hannah Stüber

Sara Bertsche: Your drawings show cylinders of different heights and widths, fastened to a ceiling. What happens when I walk along beneath them?

Susanne Brandherm: Well, first up you’ll get wet (laughs). Out of the cylinders water drips, rains, flows, drops and crashes down on visitors. Meaning the water encounters the body in very different ways, triggering all manner of sensations. Precisely this feeling by and through water is what we wish to create with our proposal for “ReAct”.

Hannah Stüber: The height and width of the cylinder determines how the water hits you. And the water temperature will differ, too. Copper, for example, is something you associate with warm, chrome more with cold water. In other words, the different types of metal are meant to subtly convey to the visitor what state the water has that will exit the cylinders.

But how does the visitor steer the water? The visualizations didn’t hint at any levers or mixers …

Hanna Stüber: Controls will be via motion sensors. That’s what’s special about the idea: I can move around the installation and experience different water scenarios without having to do anything, such as move a lever.

The plan is to realize one of the three winning projects. I’m imagining “ReAct” as an installation at a trade fair: Who would walk around it in such a setting?

Hannah Stüber: Anyone not wanting to get wet will be able to experience the different states of water visually. And that is a fascinating performance, too.

Susanne Brandherm: “ReAct” could be a special experience in public or private spas.

To what extent has the staging of water played a role in your company’s projects to date?

Susanne Brandherm: With our company we also plan wellness zones and hotel pools. Precisely there, staging and experiencing water plays a key role in the design. The shower experience, to mention but one example, is a critical factor for hotel guests today. They want power showers and an additional hand set. And if the shower experience is pleasing then they’ll have fond memories of the hotel. We see the same pattern when planning private bathrooms; clients often want a private spa suite.

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