Open Hertzlab: Crisis Knowledge

Networks are essential to urban life — but they’re also prone to failure. When major infrastructures like electricity, water, or the internet go down, we feel the effects immediately: nothing works. But there’s one network that always holds — community. Only together can we navigate crises.

On September 19, we invite you to explore how we can build autonomous networks, preserve and share analog knowledge, and learn to improvise.

In an open lab atmosphere with three interactive stations, we offer hands-on knowledge you can take with you:

• What alternative ways of staying in touch exist in a high-tech world?
• What information is truly essential in a crisis — and what do we actually know when the internet is no longer available?
• What role do technology, neighborhood ties, and self-organization play in such moments?

Concretely, we’ll be crafting analog zines — small handmade booklets filled with useful knowledge and personal contributions that can be shared without electricity. At the same time, we’ll be building solar-powered offline servers using Raspberry Pi, designed to be placed in local public book boxes. In the event of a crisis, these servers can provide maps, PDFs, and local updates — completely independent of digital networks.

OpenHertzlab is a space for critical thinking, hands-on making, and experimentation — everyone is welcome.

Free admission – no prior knowledge required.