Open Dialogues: New Life Berlin - First Report

Open Dialogues: New Life Berlin workshop, Berlin, 31 May 2008. Photo (c) Viviana Druga. Courtesy Wooloo Productions

New Life Berlin is a festival of participatory art taking place in Berlin from 1st – 15th June 2008, curated by Wooloo Productions.

Open Dialogues: New Life Berlin is a writing programme that aims to meet the challenges of writing about art that is live, participatory and transformative.

Over the course of the New Life Berlin festival, Open Dialogues has created a community of writers to develop a new model for critical writing, in relation to the festival’s three themes:

• Transnational Communities
• Artistic Social Responsibility
• Participation and Intervention

We are pleased to report that 18 writers have joined Open Dialogues: New Life Berlin in Berlin, and three writers are joining us as 'distance participants' from abroad. The writers come from the UK, Europe, America and Australia, and the writers list in full is: Anga'aefonu Bain-Vete, Alfredo Cramerotti, Clare Carswell, Alexandria Clark, Mary Kate Connolly, Kathryn Fischer, Eleanor Hadley Kershaw, Christina Irrgang, Joanna Loveday, Cheree Mack, Matthew MacKisack, Carali McCall, Charlotte Morgan, Christin Niehoff, Ann Rapstoff, Valerie Palmer, Carrie Paterson, Kara Rooney, Heiko Schmid, Claire Louise Staunton and Eliza Tan.

You can read our writing on the project blog: www.wooloo.org/opendialoguesblog. If you're in Berlin, look out for our printed publication - Issue 1 is out on 7th June.

Open Dialogues: Live Review

Open Dialogues is holding a Live Review, also on 7th June. The event will be a showcase of, evaluation for and live critical response to Open Dialogues and New Life Berlin. Guests include:

• Martin Rosengaard and Sixten Kai Neilsen (Wooloo Productions)
• Doreen Mende (General Public)
• Tatjana Fell and Lisa Glauer (Arttransponder)
• Anonymous Representative (30 Days in New Life Berlin)

We are also expecting lively debate from the Open Dialogues writers and New Life Berlin artists.

Venue: Choriner Strasse 85, 10119 Berlin
Time: 17h - 19h (followed by drinks)
Date: Saturday 7th June 2008