Emoji Spaces
Test walk of the prototype of a cooperative smartphone game for exploring your own city
© Alexandra Ivanciu
On 26 September 2025, we invited the public in Paunsdorf to the final action day (for now) of the art project Softer Paunsdorf!.
Despite the rain, participants explored the neighbourhood together during the app-based walk Emoji Spaces. Using digital maps and tasks, they observed places, listened to sounds, and recorded their impressions as emojis on an interactive map. This collective emotional cityscape opened up new perspectives on familiar surroundings.
As part of Softer Paunsdorf!, the Stadtkuratorin team developed Emoji Spaces, a digital and cooperative smartphone-based card game. With this new tool, you can discover public spaces from different angles together with a group. You’ll receive impulses for collaborative experiments and playful activities that you wouldn’t normally experience in everyday life, helping you see your environment with fresh eyes. All you need is a smartphone with internet access. You can start right away or select the sandbox mode to explore your surroundings from a specific perspective – for example, in terms of quiet spots, self-location and perception, accessibility, or comfort factors.
How can you tell that you are in a chill place? Discover five elements that show a place is welcoming to people.
Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you. What feels familiar? What is disturbing?
Choose an object or image nearby and imitate it with your body.
With each card, you can leave emoji-based reactions as a collective vote on an interactive map. This creates an ever-growing archive of shared emotions and reveals how differently spaces can be perceived depending on the circumstances.
The long-term project Softer Paunsdorf! focuses on community, exchange, and the reflection of urban spaces. It demonstrates that safe places are not given, but can be created and cared for collectively.
