Über Lebenskunst - Initiative for culture and sustainability
Is sustainability a cultural tool that
we can develop and integrate through practice? What form could sustainable
living take in the 21st century? ÜBER LEBENSKUNST, an initiative
project of the Federal Cultural Foundation in cooperation with the
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, aims to identify several different approaches
to this issue working together with partners from around the world.
Concepts for sustainable living have been
circulating for quite some time now but they still have yet to take
hold. Why is it taking so long to move from knowledge to action?
Could it be that we are lacking attractive models for action that
meet the demands of our daily lives? Carving out a future worth
living is going to take a lot more than just warnings and calls
for downscaling. It requires creativity, a new way of looking at
the world and individual options for taking action.
ÜBER LEBENSKUNST is breaking new ground
and bringing together actors from the realms of culture, science,
education, politics and civil society who have never worked together
in quite this constellation. The city of Berlin is the focus of
this multi-component program. It will be turned into a showcase
for ideas and initiatives that bring together culture and sustainability
and experiment with new models for thought and action.
The two-year program began on April 21 with the CALL
FOR FUTURE. The CALL FOR FUTURE aims to show the diversity of
artistic projects and social initiatives that are already testing
out new forms of sustainable living. At the same time, it is an
invitation to all of those who want to turn the seemingly possible
into a reality both in and for Berlin. The projects chosen will
receive both conceptual and financial support of up to EUR 20,000
for one year.
An international jury will invite a number
of participants to present their projects at a kick-off workshop
in September 2010 in the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin. International
protagonists from various disciplines will come together at this
kick-off event to present their own work, develop new ideas and
identify projects for collaboration. The resulting projects and
initiatives will invite visitors to experience and try out new models
for thought and action in the summer of 2011 at the ÜBER LEBENSKUNST
FESTIVAL. For this event, the Berlin Haus der Kulturen der Welt
will transform itself into a multifaceted space of encounters, exploration
and the practice of sustainable action and thought.
ÜBER LEBENSKUNST also wants to bring the themes of culture and sustainability to schools. The ÜBER LEBENSKUNST.Schule educational program, which was jointly developed with the Future Institute of Berlin's Free University, will prepare 18 selected artists and creative individuals from throughout Germany for their work with students. The 10-month program begins in September 2010.
