festival über lebenskunst

Opening:
17 August 2011, 7 p.m.

Perspectives on a sustainable « art of living »
101 hours of conferences, workshops, installations, performances, concerts, films, excursions, discussions and readings

The crisis as an opportunity! Man-made climate change creates new perspectives on our local lifestyles and our understanding of global policy. Can a new « art of living » also ensure our survival? How do we define « good living » given the global ecological crisis? And how can we bring about a cultural change in habits and behaviour?

In cooperation with the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, the German Federal Cultural Foundation initiated the multi-part ÜBER LEBENSKUNST (the art of living) project which has been bringing together actors from widely varying disciplines to identify existing strategies and develop models of sustainable living fit for day-to-day life. During the Festival ÜBER LEBENSKUNST, which spans 101 hours, artists, scientists and activists will turn the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) into a place where visitors of all ages can try out the sustainable « art of living » around the clock.

The Haus der Kulturen der Welt is reinventing itself
Low-energy buildings, climate neutrality, improved energy efficiency—the switch to sustainable living doesn’t really sound all that exciting! But it can be done differently: for four summer days and nights, the HKW will showcase itself as well as the need to structure our lives differently, providing a space for experimentation in contemporary art and acting as a kind of « laboratory » for exploring new habits.Installations by international artists both in and around the HKW invite visitors to experience the building in a whole new way. Lettuce leaves sprout from the reflecting pool at the front of the HKW and the architecture of the house is enhanced by a sculpture by Folke Köbberling and Martin Kaltwasser which is made out of rubbish collected at large-scale events. Rikke Luthers’ parasitic heating unit on the terrace shows how organic waste can provide heat for our living space. Das Numen H2O provides a source of drinking water by purifying water from the Spree River while Adrian Lohmüller’s installation invites guests to take a shower with rainwater on the external façade of the exhibition hall. Christoph Keller lights up an interior room of the HKW with a helioflex sun reflector, letting visitors experience the interplay of natural daylight and architecture. In the lobby of the HKW,FAT KOEHL ARCHITECTS will place several wooden constructions next to and on top of one another to create a « city of the future » whose existence is just as important as its role in the festival. Visitors can take part in workshops that deal with themes like mobility, food, education, resource consumption as well as in discussions with experts, politicians and artists in the newly created rooms.

A « Vorratskammer » (larder) which contains different kinds of food added throughout the year by the artist group myvillages.org will be emptied out at the festival.

Berlin – « The city of tomorrow exists under the pavement »
The festival will be held throughout the city of Berlin where the 14 ÜBER LEBENSKUNST.Initiativesthat have received support since 2010—following a worldwide call for future—will be on display. Students at the Center for Metropolitan Studies at the Berlin Technical University will take people onexcursions to show them sustainable Berlin.

ÜBER LEBENSKUNST @ the world
ÜBER LEBENSKUNST establishes a link between local activities for sustainability and global discourse. The festival conference brings together five global regions in discourse and performance including the cities of St. Petersburg, New Delhi, Nairobi, São Paulo and Berlin. The auditorium of the HKW will be turned into a « Global Room » for this event where international experts from the realms of science, politics and economics as well as activists and artists give performances, present practical model projects, and discuss local problems and solutions for sustainable development from a global perspective. All debates can be followed live in the HKW and in partner institutes on other continents.

ÜBER LEBENSKUNST (the art of living) is a project initiated by the Federal Cultural Foundation in cooperation with the Haus der Kulturen der Welt

Direction:
Hortensia Völckers, Artistic Director, German Federal Cultural Foundation
Bernd M. Scherer, Director, Haus der Kulturen der Welt

Curators:
Detlef Diederichsen, Paula Marie Hildebrandt, Janek Müller, Valerie Smith, Susanne Stemmler, Florian Wüst

Haus der Kulturen der Welt
John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10
10557 Berlin
www.ueber-lebenskunst.org

Full program and further information: www.ueber-lebenskunst.org
Tickets can be reserved at www.hkw.de

Press Contact
Elena Kountidou
Press Officer
ÜBER LEBENSKUNST

T +49 (0)30 397.87.213
kountidou@ueber-lebenskunst.org