Summer Semester 2014,
We-Traders. Swapping Crisis for City
We-Traders. Swapping Crisis for City. Lisbon, Madrid, Torino, Toulouse, Berlin | A Project by the Goethe-Institute. On 8. 5. 2014, at 3:00pm Kurator Rose Epple introduces the project “We-Traders. Swapping Crisis for City” at Berlin-Weißensee School of Art for the Master program Spatial Strategies.
The project “We-Traders. Swapping Crisis for City” connects initiatives by artists, designers, activists and many other citizens from distinct urban contexts across five European countries. In Lisbon, Madrid, Turin, Toulouse and Berlin the current crisis manifests different facets from empty coffers and social polarisation to a lack of civic sense as a result of excessive growth.In times of such crisis We-Trading is particularly interesting because co-determination becomes co-authoring. We-Trade increases ecological, economic and social sustainability. Any citizen who is actively involved in development, production and exchange will also assume responsibility for the outcome.
The project “We-Traders. Swapping Crisis for City” creates a knowledge and production platform for current and future We-Traders. Which initiatives worked well in one context? What were the likely causes of success? Can such elements be replicated elsewhere? How does the relation between private initiative and public bodies work out in different contexts? By not only focusing the projects but also the people behind them, namely the “We-Traders”, the direct exchange of experiences is greatly facilitated.
Angelika Fitz und Rose Epple, curators