The Art of Survival
20 Jan - 31 Dec 2010
Initiative for Culture And Sustainability
The Kulturstiftung des Bundes and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt are jointly launching a two-year program entitled THE ART OF SURVIVAL. Together with partners from all over the world, they have set themselves the goal of developing and testing new approaches to the art of survival in the 21st century.
The program takes up the “ecological revolution”, called for in many different quarters, as an individ-ual and cultural challenge. It proceeds from the thesis that fundamental cultural change can only be achieved if new alliances are sought within the domains of civil society, science, business, politics, education and culture. If we are to have a secure energy supply in the future, for example, we must profoundly consider issues such as global justice and the limits of growth. THE ART OF SURVIVAL wants to conceive and test new individual lifestyles that signify neither capitulation in the face of the ecological catastrophe nor the adoption of an approach based on pure renunciation. It also raises the central questions: How can recognition of the need for social changes in a global context be translated into joint activity? And if we are to respond to the ecological challenge, what kind of lifestyle is appro-priate – and in which parts of the world?
We are looking for ideas, people and projects that seek to create and test ecologically sustainable and globally equitable lifestyles. These new approaches can be developed within the arts, culture, everyday life, the business world, education, architecture, design and social practice. We are inter-ested in practical proposals for implementing these approaches, as well as in project ideas and uto-pian concepts. Central to THE ART OF SURVIVAL is the conviction that spaces must be created which are both close to people’s everyday realities and generate a “global awareness” for researching and practicing sustainable activities. To this end, the project is inviting outstanding international actors from the fields of art and culture, the sciences, social practice, politics, civil society, the business world and the sphere of education who have not previously co-operated in such a constellation to examine individuals’ experience of the ecological crisis and the sustainability of our civilization. How can we bring about exchanges and co-operation between the arts, science, civil society and education in a way that stimulates the emergence of new conceptions of an ecological art of survival, as well as a different form of social practice?
THE ART OF SURVIVAL begins in summer 2010 with a preliminary workshop that will prepare a pub-lic theme festival to be held in summer 2011 at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. In artistic installa-tions, discussion forums, literature and theater performances, the program will address a broad cul-tural and academic public. With its thematic orientation, it will also reach out to actors within civil soci-ety. At the same time, the festival will be directed at a broad public, offering it the opportunity to ex-perience and test new spaces for thought and action for an ecologically sustainable and globally equitable art of survival for the future. An elementary aspect of THE ART OF SURVIVAL is to devise an educational program for sustainable cultural and educational projects. In the process, a moderator program will be created for artists and cultural mediators who wish to acquire competence in working with educational programs for sustainable development. Schools from all over Germany are invited to participate in the planned school competition.
Within the sphere of competence of the Federal Government, the Kulturstiftung des Bundes initiates and promotes cultural projects of nationwide interest within Germany which are also of international significance. Among other things, it develops comprehensive programs on themes dealing with topical questions concerning the development of our society and its cultural dimension. The consequences of climate change, the global environmental crisis and the search for a form of global development that is both just and sustainable count among the most urgent social themes that permanently occupy our attention. For this reason, the Stiftungsrat (Board of Trustees) advocates that the Kulturstiftung des Bundes launch a major initiative on climate change and its cultural aspects. It is providing 3.5 m euro to this end.
The Haus der Kulturen der Welt is an experimental center for international contemporary art. It also takes up central social themes such as migration and cultural diversity. During the past twenty years, it has developed and initiated international co-operation projects in the fields of art, film, music, perform-ance, literature and the production of knowledge. Its name is programmatic, suggesting that the ques-tions of culture and justice triggered by ecological crises can be grasped and solved only in global contexts. The Haus der Kulturen der Welt is located in the centre of Berlin, not far from the city’s lakes and forests, the River Spree and the Tiergarten. For the theme festival it will be transformed into an exhibition, learning and play center designed to provide sensual access to the theme.
The Kulturstiftung des Bundes and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt are jointly launching a two-year program entitled THE ART OF SURVIVAL. Together with partners from all over the world, they have set themselves the goal of developing and testing new approaches to the art of survival in the 21st century.
The program takes up the “ecological revolution”, called for in many different quarters, as an individ-ual and cultural challenge. It proceeds from the thesis that fundamental cultural change can only be achieved if new alliances are sought within the domains of civil society, science, business, politics, education and culture. If we are to have a secure energy supply in the future, for example, we must profoundly consider issues such as global justice and the limits of growth. THE ART OF SURVIVAL wants to conceive and test new individual lifestyles that signify neither capitulation in the face of the ecological catastrophe nor the adoption of an approach based on pure renunciation. It also raises the central questions: How can recognition of the need for social changes in a global context be translated into joint activity? And if we are to respond to the ecological challenge, what kind of lifestyle is appro-priate – and in which parts of the world?
We are looking for ideas, people and projects that seek to create and test ecologically sustainable and globally equitable lifestyles. These new approaches can be developed within the arts, culture, everyday life, the business world, education, architecture, design and social practice. We are inter-ested in practical proposals for implementing these approaches, as well as in project ideas and uto-pian concepts. Central to THE ART OF SURVIVAL is the conviction that spaces must be created which are both close to people’s everyday realities and generate a “global awareness” for researching and practicing sustainable activities. To this end, the project is inviting outstanding international actors from the fields of art and culture, the sciences, social practice, politics, civil society, the business world and the sphere of education who have not previously co-operated in such a constellation to examine individuals’ experience of the ecological crisis and the sustainability of our civilization. How can we bring about exchanges and co-operation between the arts, science, civil society and education in a way that stimulates the emergence of new conceptions of an ecological art of survival, as well as a different form of social practice?
THE ART OF SURVIVAL begins in summer 2010 with a preliminary workshop that will prepare a pub-lic theme festival to be held in summer 2011 at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. In artistic installa-tions, discussion forums, literature and theater performances, the program will address a broad cul-tural and academic public. With its thematic orientation, it will also reach out to actors within civil soci-ety. At the same time, the festival will be directed at a broad public, offering it the opportunity to ex-perience and test new spaces for thought and action for an ecologically sustainable and globally equitable art of survival for the future. An elementary aspect of THE ART OF SURVIVAL is to devise an educational program for sustainable cultural and educational projects. In the process, a moderator program will be created for artists and cultural mediators who wish to acquire competence in working with educational programs for sustainable development. Schools from all over Germany are invited to participate in the planned school competition.
Within the sphere of competence of the Federal Government, the Kulturstiftung des Bundes initiates and promotes cultural projects of nationwide interest within Germany which are also of international significance. Among other things, it develops comprehensive programs on themes dealing with topical questions concerning the development of our society and its cultural dimension. The consequences of climate change, the global environmental crisis and the search for a form of global development that is both just and sustainable count among the most urgent social themes that permanently occupy our attention. For this reason, the Stiftungsrat (Board of Trustees) advocates that the Kulturstiftung des Bundes launch a major initiative on climate change and its cultural aspects. It is providing 3.5 m euro to this end.
The Haus der Kulturen der Welt is an experimental center for international contemporary art. It also takes up central social themes such as migration and cultural diversity. During the past twenty years, it has developed and initiated international co-operation projects in the fields of art, film, music, perform-ance, literature and the production of knowledge. Its name is programmatic, suggesting that the ques-tions of culture and justice triggered by ecological crises can be grasped and solved only in global contexts. The Haus der Kulturen der Welt is located in the centre of Berlin, not far from the city’s lakes and forests, the River Spree and the Tiergarten. For the theme festival it will be transformed into an exhibition, learning and play center designed to provide sensual access to the theme.