Rio+20: Ideas for culture

From the 4th until the 6th of June 2012 the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development or Rio+20 will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has been 20 years since the first Earth Summit took place and the international community’s attention towards the Rio+20 Summit is growing steadily. In order to influence the… Continue reading Rio+20: Ideas for culture

Films about Myanmar and India

November 21st, 2011 MIT (USA) “The Indian artist and well-known filmmaker Amar Kanwar creates documentary-based multi-channel installations that deal with the politics of power, violence, sexuality, and justice. In “The Torn First Pages”, Kanwar unfolds the struggle for democracy in Myanmar. The eight-chanel video piece “The Lightning Testimonies” reflects upon a history of conflict in… Continue reading Films about Myanmar and India

“MIT japan 3/11 initiative”

November 14th, 2011 MIT (USA) “In the aftermath of the disaster suffered in Japan, MIT launched the MIT Japan 3/11 Initiative, a multi-year collaborative project focused on disaster-resilient planning, design and reconstruction. Back from the first MIT Japan 3/11 workshop which took place this summer, Shun Kanda and Jim Wescoat will discuss the process and… Continue reading “MIT japan 3/11 initiative”

International Conference on Degrowth in the Americas

Montreal, Quebec, Canada May 14th-20th, 2012 “This conference will focus on the particular situations and dynamics of the Americas. What does degrowth mean for our Hemisphere with its rich geographical, cultural, social and economic diversity? How can degrowth models apply to different contexts from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego? What does degrowth mean for… Continue reading International Conference on Degrowth in the Americas

Review of the Cultura21 event “Can Artists Change China?”

On June 16th, Cultura21 – together with partners – invited panelists with broad experience and knowledge concerning the art sector and the human rights situation in China for a discussion around the arrest of Ai Weiwei. The event was attended by more than a hundred people of all ages. See also: Press articles on the… Continue reading Review of the Cultura21 event “Can Artists Change China?”

“Can Artists Change China?” Lecture, film and panel debate around the arrest of Ai Weiwei

Since April 3rd 2011, world-renowned contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei is detained by the police in China, sparking worldwide protests from governments, human rights groups and art insti-tutions, among others, calling for his release. How far can artists contribute to social transformations towards sustainability in contemporary China? On June 16th 2011, a special evening… Continue reading “Can Artists Change China?” Lecture, film and panel debate around the arrest of Ai Weiwei

Congress: “Right to the City”

June 2nd to 5th 2011 in Hamburg “The urban is defined as the place where people walk around, find themselves standing before and inside piles of objects, experience the intertwining of the threads of their activities until they become unrecognizable, entangle situations in such a way that they engender unexpected situations.” (Henri Lefèbvre: La révolution urbaine)… Continue reading Congress: “Right to the City”

Living as Form – Public Talks in New York City

The public talks aim at furthering the discussions surrounding socially engaged practices. They are free and open to the public. All talks will be held from 6:30–8:00pm in the Rose Auditorium at 41 Cooper Square, New York City. The first talk “Considering Useful Art” will take place on May 18th 2011 with Claire Bishop, who is an Associate Professor… Continue reading Living as Form – Public Talks in New York City

Rethinking the Creative City

An article on the role of complexity, networks and interactions in the urban creative economy In this article, Dr. Roberta Comunian argues that complexity theory and its associated principles can provide a new understanding of the connection between the urban space and the systems of local cultural production and consumption. Drawing on interviews with creative… Continue reading Rethinking the Creative City

Call for Proposals of Wishful Thinking

Write a proposal to a US government agency – Deadline: 1st of May. As self-declared Artists in Residence for the US Government, the Institute for Wishful Thinking (IWT) believes that the community of artists and designers possesses untapped creative and conceptual resources that could be applied to solving social problems. With this in mind they invite… Continue reading Call for Proposals of Wishful Thinking