Multimedia Campaign | Das Geschichten-Automat

Overview

Despite their hyper-visibility in Berlin's public spaces, homeless individuals remain profoundly unheard. They are reduced to statistics or obstacles, and their life stories are overlooked. Meanwhile, mainstream maps of the city entirely obscure this hidden landscape of survival.

Inspired by Care Journalism, the mission was to combat this prejudice by giving Berlin's homeless community narrative control, shifting the focus away from the exploitation of trauma towards stories of resilience and self-healing.

The core idea, 'Care-tographies of Listening', combines physical and digital spaces to create a living archive of care. This was realised through repurposed vending machines selling pocket-sized zines containing curated life stories, with all proceeds going to the storytellers. These were paired with an interactive map linked via QR code, where people could collectively document places of safety and support across the city. This approach mapped Berlin through stories, not prejudice.