A Discourse Programme In Seven Parts
The experience of the internet challenges our concept of community. It is necessary to find out how networks are organizing themselves today – in arts, politics, economy and living spaces. A series of talks, presentations and experimental set-ups. Artists, activists and scientists from various fields of society meet up with the private expertise of the international festival community to produce common knowledge.
Knowledge Sharing
The organization and sharing of knowledge is one of the most basic cultural and social actions. By preserving valuable knowledge, it creates bonds between the generations. The fight against oblivion provided the starting point for our discourse programme.
Designing Urban Spaces
Traditionally cities are perceived as places of separation and anonymity: Their inhabitants seek for individuality and independence. Good neighborly relations lose their importance and make room for temporary networks. In contrast we go on a quest for fostering moments of communities in urban environments.
Commemoration for the European Union
Europe is a federation of states without citizens and with a ruined image. Democracy deficit, beaurocracy monster, debt crisis – the European idea became a concept rather than conviction. Between politicians and citizens a gap has established.
Bankquet for Festival Research
In modern cities festivals create temporary meeting places that reflect the urban co-existance. We turn transeuropa2012 into an object of investigation and explore community-creating formats within festivals. How do festivals stage communities? Where are social spaces established through the architecture of a festival? How do festivals relate to local contexts?
Global Economic Change
While the markets fall from one crisis into the next, we discuss a change in the system: Could the mechanisms behind Wikipedia and Firefox serve as a blueprint for a new economic system in the material world aswell? Regionally producing and consuming communities are to play a crucial role and shall bestow a happier world without greed of gain upon us.
The Neverending Story of Mashup
The virus remix has messed up artistic implicitnesses. Aside from the desperate attempts of the cultural industry to rescue their yields, we go out in search of models far beyond the concept of genius that encourage processes of collective authorship but guarantee existence nevertheless.
Promises of Community
On the last day, transeuropa2012 was waiting to dissolve again. In these last hours we invited Sebastian Vehlken (University of Lüneburg) and Carolin Wiedemann (University of Hamburg) to persevere with us.Do you know the image of the African tree of life? It keeps coming back to me when I reflect on the topic of “community”. This Makonde carving depicts a symbolic tree stem, formed by living human beings. A group of people joined to each other as in a circle forms the foundation and on their shoulders yet another group is intertwined, while on their shoulders another circle is formed. Thus the tree stem grows in height – endlessly. It has a safe foundation only … read more
2012 will be a genuine garbage-year. Lars Pistasj and Astrid Bruun Arnesen will, as usual, be eating “garbage” as far as possible. The food will be collected/scavenged from supermarkets in Tromsø, and everything we find will be photographed and documented in a facebook group to everyone’s pleasure, amusement and, hopefully, inspiration.
Here you can see the results so far:
One way to survive in the world’s most expensive country is to dumpsterdive.
One night I followed my flatmate, Sophie, while she went and searched the dumpsters of a supermarket near our house in Tromsø, northern Norway. It’s really amazing what is thrown out by the supermarkets. Sometimes it has expired the same day (and is good to eat for a week after that) but often it’s not even close to expire date. The reason that these fine products are thrown out is unknown to … read more
As individuals we are spending our life in groups and institutions that are designed for communities: In families, kindergartens, schools. In our jobs we often work in teams. History books teach us that humans are social beings and have cooperated ever since. Today I read in the newspaper: The Pirate Party declared „collective intelligence“ regarding their electors. I made use of this observation and started to interview my dad, who works as a groupanalyst and psychoanalyst, in order to figure out: Why seem groups and … read more
>>we swarm is everywhere. We are happening. We keep on reminding everybody to join our network, to share their stories with us, to think about “community”. So we had to become visible in the city where the most of the core group live – Hildesheim, Germany.
Sunday was the day when some of us got in old clothes, packed their cans, paint rollers and a music box and went to the most frequented bicycle tunnel in here where street-art is allowed and everybody could spray … read more
