Architecture and design are natural organisms consisting of elements that are interdependent and subordinate to a greater whole: city, neighborhood, home, self. Relations are determined through use. Seen in this way, architecture and design are explicitly vital forms of expression, capable of provoking a broad range of thoughts, experiences, sensations, emotions and memories. Ooze applies itself to the practice of both. Ooze is an international practice based in Rotterdam working on art, architecture and urban projects in the Netherlands, France, Italy and India. We strive to create environments which can be perceived in various subjective ways. The different meanings that can be given to our interventions create openness and are able to integrate users. We want to give various users the freedom to occupy a room, a building or a piece of the city and to develop it further in their own way. We strive to start processes which lead to informal growth. We have been applying our strategy from large to small scale projects, such as high end residential villas refurbishment, Rotterdam, Residential neighbourhood in the suburb of Mumbai and Hyderabad, India, Dynamic urban plan for city mix use development in Geneva, Swizerland, an urban strategy for Amsterdam West, where we proposed initiatives to make informal economic activities visible, Cultural projects in Almere, art installation for Emscher Kunst (Rhur2010),Germany, and interior projects in Belgium and NL. We derive the drive for our projects from a thorough analysis of interpretations, narratives and inspirations of the users of the space. Ooze is [Eva Pfannes] and [Sylvain Hartenberg]. Ooze partners travel extensively, enriching how they think about design and cultivating opportunities to practice abroad. The exchange of expertise involved in collaborative international projects feeds directly into their practice: Introducing new ways of thinking about design, architecture and the ethics of craftsmanship, new methods of processing information, fabricating products, defining, delineating and, ultimately, utilizing space. The universal gives way to the personal, and vice versa. Ooze operates out of Rotterdam, Netherlands with a base in Paris, France
