CITYSCAPES – TALES FROM THE INVISIBLE CITY
A. OUTLINE
The cities of South‐East Asia/Australia/New Zealand and of Europe are as diverse as they are fascinating. They share more common features than one might expect, but each and every one of them has to face their own challenges. They demonstrate their own styles, in terms of individual and common lifestyles, fashion and the arts ‐ and in tackling perceived “global” problems, to which many of them are finding their individual answers and responses.
While each and every one of those cities may have its own public or even glossy reputation there may be different stories to tell: What is the untold story of this city? What does not become easily visible? Where do our perceptions of life in this city diverge?
B. OBJECTIVES
Cityscapes aims to make visible, what unites us and what may divide us; it wants to create an awareness for the necessity to local action in response to global issues. It endeavours to research the human condition of the young urban dweller of the 21st century. And it aims to create a network of contacts for future opinion makers in the cities involved. It will be a public platform for a cultural exchange through ideas, images and personal encounters. And it aims to make
1. To create a Web 2.0 project with editorial content, images, comment functions
2. To establish a network for young, emerging journalists in Asia and Europe
3. To organize an international public conference on urban issues with emerging journalists from Europe and SE Asia/Aus/NZ
4. To create a touring photo exhibition from the Web project
C. PARTICIPANTS
We are seeking to establish a network of young (18‐32 year old) journalists from the participating cities, who are willing to engage in a one‐year journalistic project, investigating the state of affairs in their cities as they perceive them in the year 2011. There will be three journalists/bloggers working in each participating city and together forming a city team:
1. One of each city’s journalists will be a local, who has grown up in the city and has an insider view into the making and shaking of the urban structure and politics, its day to day life and its responses to urging issues such as climate change, congestion, over population etc etc
2. The second journalist for each city will be chosen with an outside perspective in mind (f.i. a young British writer in Bangkok etc): Phenomena become more clearly defined from a bird’s eye view, the strangeness of a place will be accentuated, the seemingly familiar will be questioned.
3. The third journalist will have the task to illustrate his/her observations through a camera, documenting what strikes him/her most on any given subject.
Language: It has been suggested that the project be conducted in English only, to facilitate the process.
Ideally the city team will be recruited with the help or from a media organization in the participating city, such as leading newspaper, a media school. This will open up opportunities for local media partnerships and cross links with the project.
D. PARTNERS
1. The network of the Goethe‐Instituts in South East Asia/ Australia and New Zealand as well as selected Goethe‐Instituts in Europe will coordinate their local “Cityteams”
2. They may work closely with media or media schools in their cities to find journalists/bloggers and to possibly create media partnerships. (For a list of media contacts in those cities, see attached at bottom of document).
3. The Goethe‐Institut is currently investigating interest on the side of other European National Institutes of Culture.
E. COORDINATORS
1. Project Leader: klaus.krischok@sydney.goethe.org
2. Project Coordinator: dagmar.pysik@sydney.goethe.org
3. Moderator: jochen.gutsch@sydney.goethe.org
F. FORMAT
Through one central moderator, overseeing the project for the duration of one year, each city team will be given a monthly topic and task. The team will be required to hand in one essay/blog entry per month and one series of images relating to the topic.
1. The results will be posted on monthly blogs on a dedicated website, such as www.goethe.de/cityscapes. Throughout the year this will create a kaleidoscope of opinions and comments, of research and impressions on any given topic. It will accentuate differences in response to the topics – and of course allow the participating wider audience/the readers to access valuable and interesting cross cultural information.
2. All participating journalists will be invited to a final meeting in one of the cities (we suggest Berlin), where they will meet each other and experts from the field of urban studies, architecture and other topic‐related fields.
3. The photo entries may be used to produce a multiples exhibition.
G. TARGET GROUPS
We will set an age limit of 32 years for participating journalists and hope to attract both in style and in content the group of young future decision and opinion makers, who are invited to read, comment and upload their own content on the developing website. We will also be aiming for a similar age group as users and commentators on the site. We will investigate some academic comment or input in due course.
H. SUGGESTED TOPICS
The list of topics should reflect both the reality of the lives of young urban dwellers and the wider socio‐economic, ecological and political issues which cities face in the 21st century. Here are some suggestions for the monthly topics.
January:
“My year in the city ‐ Work, Play and get out of here!”
What do I expect from this year? How do I structure it? Where do I find myself at work? How much free time does work allow me? How do I spend my free time? And with whom do I spend it?
February:
“Going Local ‐ Neighbourhood, Kiez and Suburb in my city”
Do I take advantage of what my city offers? Or am I rather a local who only sometimes
ventures out of his suburb? Is my city really just an agglomeration of villages? And may this turn out to be an advantage for our citizens?
March:
“Sex in my City ‐ How prudish are we? How much do you dare?”
How do people of my age meet, court or otherwise get ‘engaged’? What are the rules of the game? Which role do they play? And what does the family, our religion and tradition say? Which role do my city’s media play here?
April:
“Bin it ‐ Trash, Müll and Recycling in my City”
Some of our cities are drowning in trash, others fine their dwellers for not recycling properly. How do we as consumers and citizens react to the trash crisis so obvious in our cities? Which social implications are connected to the issue?
May:
“Built up ‐ Heritage and International Style in my City”
We may be proud of our historic city centres, of monuments from the past. And yet, we see an ever more identical international style of architecture mushrooming everywhere. We may also chose convenience over heritage when we choose our own urban abode. Where is all this leading and how does it transform our way of life?
June:
“Us and Them ‐ How does my city integrate?”
Most international cities are a patchwork of cultures. Some of those cultural groups may live peacefully side by side or with each other, others perceive tensions. Income and education, rights and privileges – are issues that determine the ongoing debate about what multicultural cities may constitute.
July:
“Culture and my City ‐ What goes up and what comes down?”
While some cities perceive the arts and culture as their unique selling point and an important factor in the definition of quality of life, other cities and their inhabitants seem to largely neglect them. What is it that my city sees as its own culture and how do the urban dwellers participate?
August:
“Green Issues ‐ Where is my city’s garden?”
Concrete, roads and high rises are largely associated with most cities. But we all enjoy the ‘green’ in our cities. Where can it be found, is it planned and can it be defended? How do we claim back what may have been lost? Where does my city get its food from? And which issues are invlolved in this?
September:
“Cents and Sensibilities ‐ Money makes the place go round!”
Money, finance and the strive for prosperity are essential parts of urban life anywhere in the world. Which role does the need to make ends meet play in my city? How do different income levels define our social lives, the way we live individually, the way our city is put together? Is money really the ultimate factor for a happy life?
October:
“High Heels and tight jeans ‐ What is my city’s style?”
Long gone are the days when distinct or traditional clothing made our cultures recognizable. Fashion seems to have gone global and is being dictated by brands, media and role models. Is this so – or can a local fashion accent be seen and heard in my city?
November:
“Jam it ‐ Moving about in my city!
Cars, trams, subways – or the bicycle? What is my city’s answer to the clogging up of the urban arteries? Will our own mobility be granted in the future?
December:
“Rites and rituals ‐ How does my city celebrate?”
Far beyond traditional religious and cultural festivities, how do people in my city come together and create that ‘us’ feeling? Do we celebrate with friends, family, the city or the entire nation? And what may make us happy?
I. Participating Cities
Bangkok
Thailand’s Capital of 14 million has long been seen as a haven of tolerance, a major international tourist attraction, albeit with a somewhat notorious reputation. The Buddhist tradition of the Royal city still breathes great charm to outsiders and yet it faces social and political upheaval.
Hanoi
Hanoi is 1000 years old and about to reinvent itself. The capital of still communist Vietnam lives through a period of change where international trade and the rules of a market economy meet traditional lifestyles and strict political ideals.
Jakarta
The capital of the largest Muslim nation remains largely unknown to the outside world. The enormous influx of population from rural areas has changed the traditional village structure of kampungs. The economic miracle of recent years has benefited some and left others behind.
Manila
Dominated by its catholic and colonial traditions, the city has seen tumultuous times. A patchwork of the varying Philippine cultures, it is here, that environmental concerns are rapidly becoming the uniting and worrying factor for all.
Singapore
The city state is the economic power house of SE Asia and one of the great turnstiles of the world. Cultures and religions live peacefully side by side, and yet, the city begins to realize that its ‘clean, controlled, commercial and chaste’ image may only be only one side of the medal.
More information here.
A. OUTLINE
The cities of South‐East Asia/Australia/New Zealand and of Europe are as diverse as they are fascinating. They share more common features than one might expect, but each and every one of them has to face their own challenges. They demonstrate their own styles, in terms of individual and common lifestyles, fashion and the arts ‐ and in tackling perceived “global” problems, to which many of them are finding their individual answers and responses.
While each and every one of those cities may have its own public or even glossy reputation there may be different stories to tell: What is the untold story of this city? What does not become easily visible? Where do our perceptions of life in this city diverge?
B. OBJECTIVES
Cityscapes aims to make visible, what unites us and what may divide us; it wants to create an awareness for the necessity to local action in response to global issues. It endeavours to research the human condition of the young urban dweller of the 21st century. And it aims to create a network of contacts for future opinion makers in the cities involved. It will be a public platform for a cultural exchange through ideas, images and personal encounters. And it aims to make
1. To create a Web 2.0 project with editorial content, images, comment functions
2. To establish a network for young, emerging journalists in Asia and Europe
3. To organize an international public conference on urban issues with emerging journalists from Europe and SE Asia/Aus/NZ
4. To create a touring photo exhibition from the Web project
C. PARTICIPANTS
We are seeking to establish a network of young (18‐32 year old) journalists from the participating cities, who are willing to engage in a one‐year journalistic project, investigating the state of affairs in their cities as they perceive them in the year 2011. There will be three journalists/bloggers working in each participating city and together forming a city team:
1. One of each city’s journalists will be a local, who has grown up in the city and has an insider view into the making and shaking of the urban structure and politics, its day to day life and its responses to urging issues such as climate change, congestion, over population etc etc
2. The second journalist for each city will be chosen with an outside perspective in mind (f.i. a young British writer in Bangkok etc): Phenomena become more clearly defined from a bird’s eye view, the strangeness of a place will be accentuated, the seemingly familiar will be questioned.
3. The third journalist will have the task to illustrate his/her observations through a camera, documenting what strikes him/her most on any given subject.
Language: It has been suggested that the project be conducted in English only, to facilitate the process.
Ideally the city team will be recruited with the help or from a media organization in the participating city, such as leading newspaper, a media school. This will open up opportunities for local media partnerships and cross links with the project.
D. PARTNERS
1. The network of the Goethe‐Instituts in South East Asia/ Australia and New Zealand as well as selected Goethe‐Instituts in Europe will coordinate their local “Cityteams”
2. They may work closely with media or media schools in their cities to find journalists/bloggers and to possibly create media partnerships. (For a list of media contacts in those cities, see attached at bottom of document).
3. The Goethe‐Institut is currently investigating interest on the side of other European National Institutes of Culture.
E. COORDINATORS
1. Project Leader: klaus.krischok@sydney.goethe.org
2. Project Coordinator: dagmar.pysik@sydney.goethe.org
3. Moderator: jochen.gutsch@sydney.goethe.org
F. FORMAT
Through one central moderator, overseeing the project for the duration of one year, each city team will be given a monthly topic and task. The team will be required to hand in one essay/blog entry per month and one series of images relating to the topic.
1. The results will be posted on monthly blogs on a dedicated website, such as www.goethe.de/cityscapes. Throughout the year this will create a kaleidoscope of opinions and comments, of research and impressions on any given topic. It will accentuate differences in response to the topics – and of course allow the participating wider audience/the readers to access valuable and interesting cross cultural information.
2. All participating journalists will be invited to a final meeting in one of the cities (we suggest Berlin), where they will meet each other and experts from the field of urban studies, architecture and other topic‐related fields.
3. The photo entries may be used to produce a multiples exhibition.
G. TARGET GROUPS
We will set an age limit of 32 years for participating journalists and hope to attract both in style and in content the group of young future decision and opinion makers, who are invited to read, comment and upload their own content on the developing website. We will also be aiming for a similar age group as users and commentators on the site. We will investigate some academic comment or input in due course.
H. SUGGESTED TOPICS
The list of topics should reflect both the reality of the lives of young urban dwellers and the wider socio‐economic, ecological and political issues which cities face in the 21st century. Here are some suggestions for the monthly topics.
January:
“My year in the city ‐ Work, Play and get out of here!”
What do I expect from this year? How do I structure it? Where do I find myself at work? How much free time does work allow me? How do I spend my free time? And with whom do I spend it?
February:
“Going Local ‐ Neighbourhood, Kiez and Suburb in my city”
Do I take advantage of what my city offers? Or am I rather a local who only sometimes
ventures out of his suburb? Is my city really just an agglomeration of villages? And may this turn out to be an advantage for our citizens?
March:
“Sex in my City ‐ How prudish are we? How much do you dare?”
How do people of my age meet, court or otherwise get ‘engaged’? What are the rules of the game? Which role do they play? And what does the family, our religion and tradition say? Which role do my city’s media play here?
April:
“Bin it ‐ Trash, Müll and Recycling in my City”
Some of our cities are drowning in trash, others fine their dwellers for not recycling properly. How do we as consumers and citizens react to the trash crisis so obvious in our cities? Which social implications are connected to the issue?
May:
“Built up ‐ Heritage and International Style in my City”
We may be proud of our historic city centres, of monuments from the past. And yet, we see an ever more identical international style of architecture mushrooming everywhere. We may also chose convenience over heritage when we choose our own urban abode. Where is all this leading and how does it transform our way of life?
June:
“Us and Them ‐ How does my city integrate?”
Most international cities are a patchwork of cultures. Some of those cultural groups may live peacefully side by side or with each other, others perceive tensions. Income and education, rights and privileges – are issues that determine the ongoing debate about what multicultural cities may constitute.
July:
“Culture and my City ‐ What goes up and what comes down?”
While some cities perceive the arts and culture as their unique selling point and an important factor in the definition of quality of life, other cities and their inhabitants seem to largely neglect them. What is it that my city sees as its own culture and how do the urban dwellers participate?
August:
“Green Issues ‐ Where is my city’s garden?”
Concrete, roads and high rises are largely associated with most cities. But we all enjoy the ‘green’ in our cities. Where can it be found, is it planned and can it be defended? How do we claim back what may have been lost? Where does my city get its food from? And which issues are invlolved in this?
September:
“Cents and Sensibilities ‐ Money makes the place go round!”
Money, finance and the strive for prosperity are essential parts of urban life anywhere in the world. Which role does the need to make ends meet play in my city? How do different income levels define our social lives, the way we live individually, the way our city is put together? Is money really the ultimate factor for a happy life?
October:
“High Heels and tight jeans ‐ What is my city’s style?”
Long gone are the days when distinct or traditional clothing made our cultures recognizable. Fashion seems to have gone global and is being dictated by brands, media and role models. Is this so – or can a local fashion accent be seen and heard in my city?
November:
“Jam it ‐ Moving about in my city!
Cars, trams, subways – or the bicycle? What is my city’s answer to the clogging up of the urban arteries? Will our own mobility be granted in the future?
December:
“Rites and rituals ‐ How does my city celebrate?”
Far beyond traditional religious and cultural festivities, how do people in my city come together and create that ‘us’ feeling? Do we celebrate with friends, family, the city or the entire nation? And what may make us happy?
I. Participating Cities
Bangkok
Thailand’s Capital of 14 million has long been seen as a haven of tolerance, a major international tourist attraction, albeit with a somewhat notorious reputation. The Buddhist tradition of the Royal city still breathes great charm to outsiders and yet it faces social and political upheaval.
Hanoi
Hanoi is 1000 years old and about to reinvent itself. The capital of still communist Vietnam lives through a period of change where international trade and the rules of a market economy meet traditional lifestyles and strict political ideals.
Jakarta
The capital of the largest Muslim nation remains largely unknown to the outside world. The enormous influx of population from rural areas has changed the traditional village structure of kampungs. The economic miracle of recent years has benefited some and left others behind.
Manila
Dominated by its catholic and colonial traditions, the city has seen tumultuous times. A patchwork of the varying Philippine cultures, it is here, that environmental concerns are rapidly becoming the uniting and worrying factor for all.
Singapore
The city state is the economic power house of SE Asia and one of the great turnstiles of the world. Cultures and religions live peacefully side by side, and yet, the city begins to realize that its ‘clean, controlled, commercial and chaste’ image may only be only one side of the medal.
More information here.
