Conference ÜBER LEBENSKUNST
with Arjun Appadurai, Nnimmo Bassey, Vandana Shiva, Juliet Schor, Jerome Ringo, Chandran Nair, Wilhelm Schmid, Tim Jackson, Harald Welzer, Elmar Altvater and many others
High Bandwidth / Quality (640x480 ~700 kbps)
Low Bandwidth / Quality (320x240 ~300 kbps)
24h Festivalstream (640x480 ~400 kbps)
Our planet‘s environmental crisis is already changing living conditions in many regions of the world. Whether the idea of a new art of living can create global perspectives for survival in the crisis and, if so, how, is the focus of the international conference ÜBER LEBENSKUNST which will take place from 18 to 21 August 2011 in the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. It will bring together experts, innovators, artists and pragmatists in a global discourse on-site in Berlin and via live stream from New Delhi, St. Petersburg, Nairobi and São Paulo. The installation of three screens in the auditorium of the HKW and similar satellite installations at four places around the world will make it possible to experience performances and discussions elsewhere in the world live as they happen. In a variety of different platforms including lectures and discussions, workshops and commentary, well-known thinkers will share their ideas about the issues surrounding sustainable development and how we can stimulate global action politically, socially and individually in light of our many differences and problems. Performances by artists and artist groups are incorporated into the conference. Performed live in Nairobi, St. Petersburg, São Paulo or New Delhi, they are broadcast simultaneously in the auditorium of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. They include playful commentary, activist interventions and refractions rich in perspective and are based in the social, political and environmental reality on site.
While the highly industrialised part of the world currently views the environmental crisis as calling into question an ideal lifestyle based on consumption and continuous growth, the climate change arising from advanced industrialisation in the western world poses an extreme threat to further social and economic as well as environmental development in the Global South.
What western efforts to establish a sustainable model for living and doing business mean for the countries of the South, which new kind of "art of living" the post-fossil era promises and how each individual can already contribute now to the future through their own personal action – you can discuss these issues not only with international experts and Festival artists but also with Berlin politicians and politicians at federal level. On the third day of the Festival, Saturday, 20 August, we will talk in the gardens of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt with, among others, Daniel Buchholz, Gregor Gysi, Katrin Lompscher and Michael Schäfer, about how Germany and Berlin will have to develop. How will we achieve energy reform and at what price? When and how can Berlin become a climate-neutral city? What do politicians and citizens have to do to reach this goal? What forms of transportation will we use? How can initiatives and creativity be encouraged more effectively among individuals and groups in civil society? How can our children be better prepared at school for the challenges of the environmental crisis?
Curator in New Delhi: Ravi Agarwal
Curator in St. Petersburg: Angelina Davydova
Curator in Sao Paulo: Laymert García dos Santos
Curator in Nairobi: Sam Hopkins
In cooperation with Goethe-Institut and Deutsch-Russischer Austausch e.V.
Kindly supported by
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
THURSDAY, 18 AUGUST 2011
On the link between art and technology – and how it can help us confront the crisis.
Conference opening by Bernd M. Scherer
Lecture
Arjun Appadurai, Goddard Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication, New York University (USA)
Talk
Man and machine
Kris Verdonck, artist (Belgium)
Discussion with Arjun Appadurai and Kris Verdonck
On the impossibility of and necessity for global action
Input
Jennifer Morgan, director of the Climate and Energy Program, World Resources Institute (USA)
Discussion
Jennifer Morgan
Nnimmo Bassey, chairman of Friends of the Earth International (Nigeria)
Daniel Klingenfeld, advisor to the Advisory Council to the Federal Government on Global Change (WBGU), Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (D)
Facilitation: Lili Fuhr, advisor on international environmental policy, Heinrich Böll Foundation (D)
On alliances
Input
Jerome Ringo, managing director of Synergy Global Development Group (USA)
Commentary
Antonella Battaglini, programme director of the Smart Energy for Europe Platform (SEFEP) and director of the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) (D)
Discussion
Antonella Battaglini
Jerome Ringo
Cornelia Coenen-Marx, member of the Church Council, Evangelical Church in Germany (D)
Tadzio Müller, gegenstromberlin (D)
Facilitation: Martina Taubenberger, Culture Manager (D)
Post-consumption lifestyles
Lecture
Juliet Schor, sociologist, Boston College and author of "Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth" (USA)
Followed by a discussion with Juliet Schor and Tina Gadow, head of the office "Vielfalt gestalten" (D)
Performance 7.30 p.m. – 8.30 p.m. in the theatre auditorium
Exit
Kris Verdonck, artist (Belgium)
Exit - Sleep as a way out. The importance of physical regeneration for creativity and innovative thinking.
On energy and life
Intro
Rikke Luther, artist (Denmark)
Input
Fritz Reusswig, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, research field transdisciplinary concepts and methods (D)
Discussion
Philipp Oswalt, director of the Bauhaus Foundation Dessau (D)
Stefan Rammler, Institute for Transportation Design, Braunschweig University of Art (D)
Fritz Reusswig
Facilitation: Andrea Thilo, journalist (D)
FRIDAY, 19 AUGUST 2011
Fossilising the fossil civilisation
Lecture
Nnimmo Bassey, chairman of Friends of the Earth International (Nigeria)
Facilitation: Silvia Fehrmann, Head of Communications, Haus der Kulturen der Welt
Sustainability: a concept to believe in, a word not to trust
Performance
Sam Hopkins, artist and activist (Kenya)
via live stream from Nairobi
Mega-Delhi Sublime
performance
Chris Green, artist (USA)
via live stream from New Delhi
On megacities
Introduction: Significance of the problem of urbanisation and megacities
Paola Alfaro d'Alençon, Habitat Unit, Technische Universität Berlin (D)
Film clips from Slum TV – Sam Hopkins
Discussion
Sam Hopkins, artist, Nairobi (Kenya), via live stream from Nairobi
Arthur Adeya, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi; Initiator of the “Kibera Public Space Project” (Kenya), via live stream from Nairobi
K.T. Ravindran, head of Urban Design, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi (India), via live stream from New Delhi
Rahul Srivastava, PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research) and co-founder of URBZ (India), via live stream from New Delhi
Input
Marussia Whately, coordinator of the Programa Mananciais, Instituto SocioAmbiental, São Paulo (Brazil), via live stream from São Paulo
Facilitation: Rahul Srivastava, PUKAR (Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research) and co-founder of URBZ (India), via live stream from New Delhi
Barking up the wrong tree
Discussion with
Serah Munguti, Communication and Advocacy Manager, Nature Kenya (Kenya), via live stream from Nairobi
Mauricio Torres, professor of geography, Universidade de São Paulo, author of "Amazônia revelada: Os descaminhos ao longo da BR-163" (Brazil), via live stream from São Paulo
Conclusion: What does this mean for us?
Christoph Bals, managing director of policy, Germanwatch (D)
Facilitation: Laymert García dos Santos, professor of philosophy and sociology, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, São Paulo (Brazil),via live stream from São Paulo
On sustainable action
Input
Robert Gifford, Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Environmental Psychology (Canada), via live stream from Vancouver
Discussion
Robert Gifford
Harald Welzer, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Memory Research (CMR), Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of Essen (D)
Arjun Appadurai, Goddard Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication, New York University (USA)
Conclusion
Laymert García dos Santos, professor of philosophy and sociology, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, São Paulo (Brazil), via live stream from São Paulo
Facilitation: Andrea Thilo, journalist (D)
SATURDAY, 20 AUGUST 2011
On prosperity that grows without growth
Lecture
Tim Jackson, head of the Research group on Lifestyles, Values and Environment (RESOLVE), Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey; author of "Prosperity without Growth - economics for a finite planet (Earthscan, London)"
Debate
Elmar Altvater, Prof. em. For political science, Otto-Suhr-Institut, Free University of Berlin and author of "Der große Krach oder die Jahrhundertkrise von Wirtschaft und Finanzen, von Politik und Natur" (D)
Ralf Krämer, ver.di trade union secretary, economic policy department; member of the programme committee of the LINKE party (D)
On the role of the individual
2 p.m. - 3.15 p.m.
On the Ecological Art of Living
Lecture
Wilhelm Schmid, free philosopher and author of "Ökologische Lebenskunst" (D)
What could an ecological art of living look like? How can we get there – how do we have to change our behaviour, what can we contribute as individuals? What new interpretations and concepts do we need?
On the limits of individual action
What role can and must individual changes in behaviour play in the transformation to a sustainable future? What limits do these contributions have in light of their individualised and apolitical character? Do we not need to instead change political institutions, don't we need political movements?
Debate
Wilhelm Schmid
Martin Unfried, expert for European environmental policy, European Institute of Public Administration and columnist for the taz newspaper ("Ökosex") (D)
Facilitation: Tilman Santarius, head of International Climate and Energy Policy, Heinrich Böll Foundation (D)
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
On bottom-up approaches
Discussion
Sebastian Sladek, managing director of the Elektritzitätswerke Schönau (Schönau municipal power works) (D)
Tatyana Kargina, Development Director, EcoWiki Project (Russia), via live stream from St. Petersburg
Sergio Prado, founder of Curadores da Terra (Brazil), via live stream from São Paulo
Facilitation: Tilman Santarius, head of International Climate and Energy Policy, Heinrich Böll Foundation (D)
Salto Mortale
With
Sunita Narain, director of the Centre for Science and Environment (India), via live stream from New Delhi
Chandran Nair, founder and CEO of the Global Institute For Tomorrow; author of "Consumptionomics. Asia's Role in Reshaping Capitalism and Saving the Planet" (Hong Kong)
Sergej Bobylev, economics department, Moscow State University (Russia), via live stream from St. Petersburg
Facilitation: Angelina Davydova, environmental journalist, expert with the Russian-German Environmental Information Centre (Russia), via live stream from St. Petersburg
Performance
Inder Salim, artist (India)
via live stream from New Delhi
On the good life
Intro
Benjamin Verdonck, artist (Belgium)
What makes us happy?
Discussion
Charles Seaford, director of the centre for well-being, new economics foundation (Great Britain)
Christoph Hochhäusler, film director ("Unter dir die Stadt") (D)
Stefan Klein, scientific author (“Die Glücksformel”) (D)
Facilitation: Andrea Thilo, journalist (D)
Alternative concepts for prosperity
Commons, solidarity economy and Buen Vivir.
Discussion
Candido Grzybowski, Instituto Brasileiro de Análises Sociais e Econômicas (Ibase) (Brazil), via live stream from São Paulo
Silke Helfrich, publicist and author ("Wem gehört die Welt? Zur Wiederentdeckung der Gemeingüter" (D)
Werner Landwehr, director of the GLS Bank Berlin (D)
Facilitation: Andrea Thilo, journalist (D)
Performance
Teatro de Narradores
via live stream from São Paulo
SUNDAY, 21 AUGUST 2011
Performance
Iguan Dance: Love in the supermarket
via live stream from St. Petersburg
Earth democracy
Lecture
Vandana Shiva, human rights and environmental activist (India)
Facilitation: Bernward Geier, agronomist and journalist (D)
What is the role of government in the environmental crisis?
Lecture
Chandran Nair, founder and CEO of the Global Institute For Tomorrow; author of "Consumptionomics. Asia's Role in Reshaping Capitalism and Saving the Planet" (Hong Kong)
