Melissa Harrison (b. 1989 New Zealand) is a Berlin-based researcher and practitioner working across somatic, social, and spatial practice; transformative pedagogies; and urban performativity and justice. Her doctoral research and practice explored the choreographies of common(ing) space: (un)learning and (un)making the city. Amongst other things, she is a member of the >top project space and association, where she co-organised the project, Common(s)Lab; a member of the Urban Commons Research Collective; a board member of the transdisciplinary research collective, AoA; and a member of the Common Grounds association. She holds an MA in Architecture from the University of Auckland, New Zealand; spent several years working in the profession in both Christchurch and Auckland; and successfully defended her doctoral thesis at the National Technical University of Athens under the supervision of Stavros Stavrides (NTUA), Penny Koutrolikou (NTUA), and Jesko Fezer (HFBK).
Research Interests
Critical spatial practice; spaces of commoning; the politics of space and bodies; psychogeographic cartographies; psycho-somatic-socio-spatialities; postcapitalist praxis; transformative/situated pedagogies
Involvements
Co-initiator, Common(s)Lab: Nachbarschaftslabor
Member, top e.V
Member, Urban Commons Research Collective
Board member, Agents of Alternatives
Member, Common Grounds Association, Prinzessinnengarten
Melissa Harrison 