#WB: quoting Walter Benjamin

Eine mediale Inszenierung zur zeitgenössischen Relevanz Walter Benjamins

4., 5. und 6. Oktober 2011, 20:00
The Window /Jüdisches Theater Austria
1070 Wien, Kandlgasse 6

Gemeinsam gestaltet sich die analog-digitale Lesung, in der Menschen aus dem von Alexandra Reill Buchobjekt #WB: quoting Walter Benjamin lesen, das einem der wichtigsten Denker des XX. Jahrhunderts gewidmet ist. Menschen erheben ihre Stimme ebenso wie Media Stations, und es entsteht ein Wechselspiel zwischen medialen und menschlichen Stimmen. In einer Mischung zwischen Lesung, Diskussion und interaktiver Performance werden gemeinsam Zusammenhänge und Entwicklungs-möglichkeiten von Demokratie im Kontext von Informationszeitalter, Globalisierung, Marxismus und Kapitalismus anhand des Werks von Walter Benjamin reflektiert.

Eröffnende Worte
Ursula Berner / Thomas Blimlinger, Bezirksvorstehung 1070 Wien
Warren Rosenzweig, Jüdisches Theater Austria

Inhaltliche Einführung
Alexandra Reill, Herausgeberin

Analog agierende ModeratorInnen
Kazuko Kurosaki, Performerin
Agnes Peschta, Kulturarbeiterin
Alexandra Reill, Konzeptkünstlerin / Filmemacherin
Warren Rosenzweig, Autor / Regisseur / Produzent

Medial agierender Moderator
Peter Koger, Visualist

Dokumentatorisch agierende ModeratorInnen
Sascha Osaka, Fotograf
Lisa Sperber, Fotografin

Print Editing
Alexandra Reill(Hg.)

Video Editing
Peter Koger
Alexandra Reill
Charlotte Zott aka Sari

Konzept / Interactive Setting
Alexandra Reill

Veranstaltungsproduktion
kanonmedia

Eintritt
9,—/ 7,—für StudentInnen / 5,—für JTA Mitglieder / 0,—für Kulturpass

Pressekontakt
kanonmedia, ngo for new media
Alexandra Reill
Richtergasse 12
1070 Wien

Mehr Infos

[English]

The structure of facebook as a social networking tool and magazine with decentralized notes, essays and media publications, in a mixture of private and public statements coming from all kinds of content fields, enhances the concept of short daily updating and interactive communication.

Walter Benjamins essay Paris, die Hauptstadt des XIX. Jahrhunderts relates to interdependencies of media technologies coming up in XIX. century and having an influence of society and the arts in early XX. century. The essay is pioneering and many approaches of rethinking structures of society still seem to apply to the information age in its current states.

The concept of daily short quotes on the theme, afresh introducing the approaches of one of the most pioneering philosophers of the early XX. century on a social networking platform like facebook with its millions of members might be a socially effective contemporary approach to give new appreciation to the ouevre of Walter Benjamin in all its contemporary relevance.

The daily short notice creates different attention and ways of perception than reading a book. it will be interesting to experience actions and reactions on Walter Benjamin’s ideas and reflections today, in such an interactive framework as an online web 2.0 platform. #WB: quoting Walter Benjamin: Paris, die Hauptstadt des XIX. Jahrhunderts is a communication project applying a social networking tool to interactively discuss developments of European society in the early XXI. century while experimenting with new forms of perception.

Together, the designed analogue-digital reading is created by people reading from the book #WB: quoting Walter Benjamin, compiled by Alexandra Reill as editor and dedicated to one of the most important thinkers of the XX. Century. People raise their voice as well as media stations, and there is an interplay between media and human voices. In a mixture of reading, discussion and interactive performance correlations between relevant factors and opportunities for development of democracy in the context of the information age, globalization, Capitalism and Marxism are reflected together – on the basis of the work of Walter Benjamin. Wo/man learns options and limits of self-determination, options and limits of scopes of action. Technology serves wo/man, and only a framework, only a context is given, in which each of the three evenings is designed differently. Just by the people being there the experience at the moment is created – that realization that Walter Benjamin described as the Angelus Novus: the space where past and future coincide and where not ideas shape presence but where presence emerges.

Opening Words
Ursula Berner / Thomas Blimlinger
Municipality 1070 Vienna
Warren Rosenzweig
Jewish Theater of Austria

Introduction
Alexandra Reill, editor

Analog-active Moderators
Kazuko Kurosaki, performer
Agnes Peschta, cultural worker
Alexandra Reill, conceptual artist / filmmaker
Warren Rosenzweig, author / director / producer

Media-active Moderator
Peter Koger, visualist

Docu-active Moderators
Sascha Osaka, photographer
Lisa Sperber, photographer

Print Editing
Alexandra Reill
(Ed.)

Video Editing
Peter Koger
Alexandra Reill
Charlotte Zott aka Sari

Concept/Interactive Setting
Alexandra Reill

Production Event
kanonmedia

eopictureNight10+5
Monday, January 31, 2011, 7 PM
werkzeugH, Schönbrunnerstraße 61, A 1050 Vienna

The presentation of the interactive performance took place in a documentary way. 10 documentary images showing moments out of the original interactive performance are shown for two seconds each while Alexandra Reill introduces the structure of this reality TV format.

the original presentation of the publication took place in form of an interactive analog-digital reading on October 7, 2010 in the Jewish Theater of Austria in Vienna:
The audience and the moderators controlled the selection of the readings out of the publication and in a mixture of reading, discussion, and media performance contributed their own thoughts, thus reflecting together interweaving relationships and opportunities for developing democracy in the context of the rapid developments in the context of information technologies, economic crises, globalization, Marxism, Capitalism and Corporate Social Responsibilities – always in an associative analysis of Walter Benjamin’s reflections and a commemoration of his life and work.

Team 2010:

Opening Words/Introduction
Madeleine Reiser
Warren Rosenzweig
Alexandra Reill

Analog-active Moderators
Agnes Peschta
Alexandra Reill
Joe Remick
Warren Rosenzweig
Klaus Tauber
Media-active Moderators
Mustapha Alic
Starsky
Charlotte Zott aka Sari
Docu-active Moderators
Karin Gruber
Sascha Osaka
Lisa Sperber
Concept/Interactive Setting
Alexandra Reill

production
kanonmedia in cooperation with the Jewish Theater of Austria