A Final Farewell to BI Annual
On July 10th, Whitecliffe University of Applied Sciences hosted the opening of the final BI Annual Exhibition under that name, along with a fun student mixer celebrating the end of another year of creativity, innovation and dedication.
This annual event that began in 2019 took on a new life this time around in how it became not only a chance to display the hard work and talent our students have demonstrated over the last year, but also a commemoration of the end of an era for our beloved institution as we continue to evolve under the new direction of Whitecliffe University Berlin. This was also the first time in BI Annual history that the faculty awarded prizes for the best graduating projects from each of the five architecture and design programs.
The exhibition began in our lobby with displays of this year's graduating projects and then sprawled throughout our Berlin campus featuring a wide array of dozens of fascinating architecture and design projects from both Master's and Bachelor's level courses. Meanwhile, students, faculty and visitors came together on the terrace outside to enjoy the final moments of the semester relaxing in the evening sun with drinks, snacks and music.
Prof. Javier Martín started off the event with opening remarks recognizing the significance of BI Annual to our school since its inception and thanking everyone who played a part in bringing the event to life throughout the past several years. He then went on to announce the five prize-winning graduating students and awarded them for their remarkable final projects.
Congratulations again to our outstanding future graduates for their winning projects:
BA Architecture: Micaeel Saleem Khan – "The Homely" – a community centre on the island of Helgoland, chosen for his holistic work ranging from deep theoretical and conceptual thinking to the creation of well-considered spaces, construction processes and their materiality.
BA Graphic Design and Visual Communication: Apollinariya Dzardanova – "Archive to Life: A Porcelain Journey" – an interactive installation exploring how contemporary digital technologies can make archival materials more accessible and engaging, chosen for her work integrating research into the Königliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (KPM) archive into every single decision of the design process.
BA Interior Architecture / Interior Design: Ekaterina Bogacheva – "Vessel of Memory" – an adaptation of the historic Prenzlauer Berg water reservoir into a contemporary non-religious space for grief and contemplation that preserves the existing spatial character of the structure with thoughtful intentionality, chosen for her extensive research into environments for mourning and remembrance and the integration of water and light into the space that respects both the building's history and the emotional needs of its new purpose.
MA Architecture & Spatial Practices: Antonio Marcos Juan Ojeda – "Between Shifts – Worker's Infrastructure at PMI Airport" – a careful architectural transformation of an abandoned structure, chosen for his thoughtful efforts creating nuanced spaces for recovery, encounter, and care that give visibility to the unseen workers and routines keeping the vast system of one of the busiest European airports in motion.
MA Interior Design: Catalina Chaves Posada – "Raum B" – a reimagining of the abandoned Rummelsburg power station into a space built around techno club atmospheres informed by extensive field research, chosen for her playful yet academically rigorous approach to translating the social and sensory dynamics of nightlife, particularly the cycles of compression and release, into a complex interiors framework at every scale.
We were so pleased by the level of attendance and engagement at the event, and we'd like to extend our gratitude to everyone who participated and gave BI Annual the final send-off it deserved!
Though this final BI Annual event served as the end of one chapter for our university, a new chapter has already begun to be written in collaboration with our faculty and students who have been directly involved with reworking and adapting the annual exhibition for next year under the Whitecliffe name.
We're excited to announce after faculty deliberation, the official new name replacing BI Annual next year will be Whitecliffe Works!
We have also enlisted students' participation in a design contest for the first "Whitecliffe Works" poster that a jury will vote on to select the final poster design, so stay tuned for the next edition!
Whitecliffe University Berlin, Whitecliffe University and Whitecliffe are trading names of the state-recognised Whitecliffe University of Applied Sciences, formerly Berlin International University of Applied Sciences.