[Reader-list] import-export

[Geert Lovink]

Import/Export

Cultural Transfer between India and Germany, Austria
A trans-disciplinary research and culture project by Werkleitz
Gesellschaft e.V. (Halle), Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), Majlis
(Mumbai) and DeEgo (Vienna)


Within the growing networks between India and the EU, Berlin and Vienna,
next to London, form increasingly noticeable spots on the map. A young
generation of artists, scientists and theorists is seeking an
interactive dialogue between the metropolitan cities of the North and
the South. On the one hand, the project intends to present the complex
images of today's multicultural India, from which we - as part of the
new multiethnic entity EU - might be able to learn by going beyond
fashionable trends and historical phantasies. On the other hand, it is 
important
to closely examine the marginal scenes of postcolonial discourses and 
to visualise
the living history of migration and representation in Germany and 
Austria.

One aim of Import/Export is to display the usually invisible screen
between India and German-speaking Europe, which both sides use to
project their mutual perception of the other as well as to reflect
self-images.

Romanticized ideas, exocitising phantasms of all kinds as well as 
economic
expectations will all be closely examined under the following headings:

Moving People
deals with the individual, incidental and uncontrollable forms of
cultural transfer under the heading of migration and travel.

Moving Concepts
examines the circulation of philosophical or political ideas, concepts
and theories, between India and German-speaking Europe.

Moving Goods
is concerned with the strategic forms of importing and exporting
material culture, both from economic and cultural viewpoints.

Import/Export is organised in four chapters: The Bombay Chapter will
take place from March 25th to 27th, 2005 in the Mohile Parikh Centre for
Contemporary Culture (MPC3) in Mumbai, the Vienna Chapter from May 20th
to 22nd, 2005 in the Künstlerhaus in Vienna, and the Berlin Chapter from
August 11th to 14th, 2005 in the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin.
Each chapter consists of the following parts: A symposium introducing
six independent research projects, an exhibition of commissioned
photographs and installations and a film series containing exemplary
historical and contemporary movies concerned with the ideas of  
Import/Export.
As a fourth and concluding chapter the publication of
Import Export - Atlas of Indo-German Fantasies will merge the basic
threads and topics of the local events. Three documentary film essays
will be produced by the Import/ Export network in the three
participating countries. The three films will be issued on DVD as part
of the publication to be released in August 2005.

supported by:
European Union-India Economic Cross Culture Programme, European Union,
Hauptstadt Kulturfonds.

Further Information at  http://www.im-export.net/