Save Berlin Fest 09
This coming weekend, SLAB Magazine is participating in the Save Berlin Fest 09. We’ll be presenting a set of posters which question the motives behind the event itself. What remains to be seen, is whether the Save Berlin Fest is really up to tackling such important issues as city planning politics, gentrification and pritvatisation in a coherent and constructive mannar.
SLAB remains quietly sceptical: a recent interview with curator Dan Borden goes only halfway to clarify what needs saving in Berlin, and completely fails to explain from whom. In place of an analysis of the complex web of political and financial interests which are currently shaping the city, we are instead repeatedly referred to “bankers and bureaucrats” who are intent on “destroying” the “intangible” aspect of Berlin which makes it so special. But what has made Berlin so special since the fall of the Wall is very tangible: it’s full of gaps, for example, and it’s (still fairly) cheap. The so called “bureaucrats” are just convenient bogeymen. This is distracting: it tells us nothing about how a city is run.
Whilst the concerns of Save Berlin are totally legitimate, there is a sloppiness in the way they are being voiced. This is dangerous. Downright careless are statements such as: “This is a city that’s been a canvas for brilliant schemes, for utopian schemes. After the Wall came down, that died.” Which city is meant here? West Berlin or East Berlin? Let’s not forget that the former was a state-subsidised island incapable of financing itself (employees were payed a 7% bonus to encourage them to live there). And which brilliant utopian schemes are meant? No answer is given: does he mean Germania, or IBA? So far, we are left speculating in the dark.
A further question, hopefully answered by the Fest, is that of the “creatives” themselves who are now encouraged to save the city. Is it not the same creative scene which has made Berlin such an attractive place for developers in the first place? This needs to be addressed in an honest manner.
The worst thing that could happen is that Save Berlin remains the isolated voice of a small circle of Anglo-American ex-pat “creatives”, worried that their beloved Berlin of the 1990s is being taken away from them by The Man. SLAB sincerely hopes that a larger dialog is the result, even resulting in some kind of coordinated movement a la Not in Our Name in Hamburg.
From the newswire:
Join EXBERLINER’s Save Berlin Fest 09!
Friday Nov 13 – Sunday Nov 15, Stattbad Wedding, Gerichtstrasse 65, www.stattbad.net
Save Berlin is a three-day extravaganza of art, music, film and performance in and around the disused swimming pool of Stattbad Wedding. There will be three floors of exhibitions, live performances, installations, films, food and drinks, and even a Souk-style market.
Inspired by the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, architects, artists, performers, musicians, and other imaginative Berliners will present their ideas and visions. They’ll be revisiting the past, challenging the present and showing their alternatives for the future – in the form of concrete proposals and artistic works. The exhibition will show drawings, models, photographs and installations of the people’s vision for 21st Century Berlin, while each night we’ll also have a varied programme of performances, films, music and discussions.
Full list of participating artists and projects here.
We’ll be serving delicious, affordable food and cheap drinks all weekend long…
Yeah, it would be insane if the event is entirely expat-centric.
In my expereince the vast majority of them hardly speak German, a large minority hardly try, and hardly any go the distance and stay in the city for more than a couple of years. So whats’ the beef?
I was thinking this thing could be better named “Save Poor Berlin”…because that’s really what they mean, right? Keep it edgy and broke and with high unemployment. Although “poor” could be meant figuratively as well as literally, I guess, and the word “save” can mean to rescueas well as to preserve.
yes, it would be insane if the event is entirely expat-centric given the fact that it was organized by an expat magazine run by expats.
some fairly good points made about the event, though you’ve clearly overlooked
the french / romanian / german founders and publishers, as well as the chilean, peruvian, chinese, danish, italian, and british involvement in the magazine when you label it “anglo american”
there was ample german involvement, from organization to performances to artists – and the event itself didn’t intend to produce concrete solutions – it was to give a platform for other creatives to voice what their vision of berlin could be, should be and to rejuvenate that messy, do-it-yourself spirit that berlin was known for
Hi Teddy,
sincere thanks for your words of criticism.
To my defence, my article was very clear in articulating a worst-case-scenario for the festival, based on some of the statements made by Dan Borden in the interview on the Save Berlin website, which I considered badly formulated. The article was writted three days prior to the event.
Also, I used the term “Anglo-American” to describe what I feared might be a typical participant profile (myself included), and not as a “label” for ExBerliner magazine, which is vigorously international.
And at no point in the article did I question the lack of German involvement in the festival.
One of many conclusions which can be drawn from the lively panel discussion on Saturday evening, is that Berlin doesn‘t need “saving”, a word which comes precariously close to a conservate form of preservation.
I intend to write a series of summaries of my impressions of the event, which will offer a more faceted view of Save Berlin. My thorough respect for the hard work and energy invested by so many people in organising Save Berlin is one thing. An unapologetically subjective, critical review is another.
message just emailed to the saveberlincrew:
hallo this is a germanic/ chilean with an australian infested heart/ just having been a hopeful visitor at the event / clearly must have misunderstood something stated in the promotion about the fest but they certainly got me ticking/ would love to leave a message here: http://creat-ures.blogspot.com/2009/11/sav-ory.html / looking forward to talk to someone in that SERVE BERLIN mood later on/ when the time is ripe/ urging to do some research first/… all the best
I should make a more thoughtful comment, having gone along and witnessed the film, debate and exhibition, but instead something trivial…
I notice your image depicts quite a different pool to the one we sat in. Were there more?
catch up soon
Jim
The image is ripped from the Save Berlin website. I was also intrigued to find that it didn’t match up with the pool everyone was sat in at the event. But I did read somewhere that the Stadtbad has two or more baths …
yeah yeah yeah, there’s another pool that I was able to check out when I previewed the situation beofre the show went up. It was a bit kinder, but maybe just because empty pools seem to look best when they’re empty. Whatev.
Otherwise Karen’s supposed to quiz us on our impressions of the event, should appear a bit later this week.