Written by Zsof on Berlin, 06.06.2024
We embarked on the journey of creating a four-month scholarship program for independent artists within the broader context of a post-COVID cultural landscape. In this landscape, the stability and sustainability of funding and the life of an artist were becoming increasingly challenging. The four-month duration of the program was intended to provide a breathing space from the stress of constant hustle and to foster creative explorations. Moreover, the program was explicitly designed to encourage and facilitate co-creation and collective decision-making regarding the trajectory of the group and the final exhibition through 13 weekly in-person meetings of three hours each.
From the outset, our vision was to create a program centered around co-creation, valuing the collective process, embracing the unknown, and responding to emerging needs rather than adhering to a predefined route. We sought to establish a practical approach and a philosophical foundation for cooperative creation, transcending the celebration of individualist culture.
We curated a truly multicultural group of participants, where "culture" encompasses not only different geographical localities but also diverse ways of doing things. From anarchist organizers to professionally trained musicians and dancers, from climate activists to somatic practitioners, each participant brought their unique perspective on how to approach tasks, with varying habits and expectations surrounding communication, interaction structure, and cooperation. We invited them on a journey intended to challenge their preexisting habits, fostering shared experiences through sharing, listening, debating, and dining together—sitting and moving with individuals we might not typically encounter in the same space.
While our intention was to prioritize responsiveness to emerging needs over rigidity, as organizers, we occasionally found ourselves reverting to old habits and anxieties. These months also served as a learning curve for us, as we navigated the balance between collective decision-making and maintaining playfulness amidst serious discussions. We grappled with determining which decision-making points should be open to participants and which inevitably fell within our purview. We aimed to create possibilities without succumbing to the tyranny of structurelessness, striving for horizontal relations while respecting distinct roles and responsibilities.
We endeavored to foreground the somatic dimension of togetherness both during our meetings through facilitated games and in the exhibition pieces, exploring how our embodied experiences as humans are influenced by technologically mediated life and where our agency lies in deciding how to interact with this landscape.
Regarding the exhibition, our aspiration is to foster interaction and create a space where people can gather, reflect, and engage in play. Each artwork serves as a fragment of a life story connected by the shared space of present-day Berlin—an urban jungle where we had the fortune to cross paths, share experiences, cook together, experience nervousness, and learn to truly see one another in person.