Initiated by Topotek 1 together with Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine, in occasion of Topoptek 1’s 30th anniversary, the film takes Superkilen — the park in Nørrebro conceived over ten years ago as a civic hub for Denmark’s most socially and ethnically diverse neighbourhood — as its main stage, while also featuring Downtown Høje Taastrup and the nomadic Inflatables installations, opening up to the wider body of work and thinking that has shaped the practice of TOPOTEK 1 over the last 30 years.
Iman, Peter, Johanne, Kala, and Elisa seem to have little in common at first glance. A political activist, an astronomer, a tattoo artist, a cook, and a babysitter rarely cross paths. What connects them is that they all live in Nørrebro, Denmark’s most socially and ethnically diverse neighbourhood. Over ten years ago, a park was built at its heart to bring the community together. Like a village square where the world converges, Superkilen quickly became both a landmark and a vibrant civic hub.
Over the course of one summer, Bêka & Lemoine settled in the park to observe this global microcosm from within. Throughout the film, they explore how the neighbourhood is shaped by migration, religion, and politics — a diversity that can often generate tensions and contradictions, but also unexpected encounters. The film questions how a context-specific intervention on public space can foster co-existence and enable people to collectively inhabit and redefine a shared place.
The World in a Square unfolds as a choral portrait of a community shaped by contrasts and constant transformation, revealing how the design of public space can act as a catalyst for interaction.