Cultural coexistence in the creative sector The case of Berlin

Cultural coexistence in the creative sector
The case of Berlin
Anne Sonnleitner
889354
Supervisor: dr. A. Nugteren
Second reader: dr. A.C.J. de Ruiter
School of Humanities, Tilburg University
Master Management of Cultural Diversity
December, 2014
Preface
Whereas most students aspire to study abroad for a while do so during their Bachelor I only felt this
urge to move during my master’s program Management of Cultural Diversity. Related to the concept
of culture which makes up a great part of the studies I have been following in addition to hearing
about the exciting city scape of Berlin, I became motivated to go abroad for a few months. The goal
became to write my master’s thesis based on a field-research conducted in Berlin. Diving into the
combination of Berlin and culture made me wonder about the dynamics between urban government
and creative artists ? This is how the subject of my research came into existence.
I have enjoyed my time being away from the Netherlands, more concrete, being away from
Schijf, the Netherlands, a village with about 1600 inhabitants. I was inspired by the vibrant city of
Berlin and very grateful to have been given the opportunity to follow courses there and gather data for
my research. Berlin can truly be named a cultural capital on the one hand but it may at times come
across as a harsh consumption driven space on the other hand. Thanks to the academic reason for my
stay in Berlin, I had a unique urban experience which I would have otherwise missed out on.
Also, I would like to hereby thank the supervisors who supported me in writing this thesis.
Firstly, dr. A. Nugteren that helped me clarify my own research objectives at times and with whom I
stayed in contact during my period abroad. Secondly, I would like to thank my second reader dr.
A.C.J. de Ruiter. Who had more of an outsider view on the writing and reminded me of the need to
explicitly justify the notions being used.
Furthermore, I am grateful to all the respondents who cooperated with me. They did so on a
voluntary basis but without them I would have been unable to conduct the study in total. Now I would
like to conclude with saying thanks to my family for giving me the opportunity to stay abroad for over
four months and even now, in the ending phase of the writing giving me all the time I need to finish
my work.
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Abstract
The effects that cultural coexistence within an urban setting or during an artistic event may have on
individual artists are explored by zooming in on one particular case in the city of Berlin. The same
case will be investigated from a management perspective as well, in order to gain insights into the
various factors cultural agencies take into consideration when they invite, facilitate and evaluate artists
from abroad. The main research question ‘What motivations do artists in the creative sector have
for cultural coexistence and what are the consequences of this for the managers representing
various management levels involved? ’ is answered using qualitative methods and additional on-site
observation. Qualitative data are analysed by coding each interview transcript and categorising its
main outcomes. The entire data-set is used to describe, analyse and discuss the main question on what
may be the added value of cultural coexistence for both the participating artists and the art agencies
involved in international collaborations.
Findings of the research revealed what features related to Berlin specific led the respondents to
make the decision to move there. Also, it explains what they experience as gains from the time in
Berlin. These are mostly the space and time one gets, but also the chance to experience cultural
coexistence in a way of collaborating and interacting with other artists. It appears that cultural
institutes are provided a pool of artists to choose from. It becomes a greater challenge to attract artists
when only space is offered as a counter payment but this also functions. The future of Berlin is what
raises most concerns.
Keywords
Event planning, creative sector, cultural coexistence, cultural industries, pull-factors Berlin, urban
development policies, creative city, management
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Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 3
1.
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 6
2.
Problem statement.......................................................................................................................... 8
2.1.
3.
Purpose of the study ............................................................................................................. 11
Berlin ............................................................................................................................................. 12
3.1.
The appeal of diversity .......................................................................................................... 15
4.
Research questions ....................................................................................................................... 16
5.
Conceptual framework .................................................................................................................. 17
5.1.
Creative cities ........................................................................................................................ 17
5.2.
Migration ............................................................................................................................... 20
5.3.
Attitudes towards migration in Europe ................................................................................. 22
5.4.
The complexity of migration ................................................................................................. 22
5.5.
The recent migration history of Germany ............................................................................. 23
5.6.
The creative industries .......................................................................................................... 25
5.7.
The cultural Industries ........................................................................................................... 26
5.8.
Artists .................................................................................................................................... 27
5.9.
The relation between creativity and the city ........................................................................ 28
5.10.
6.
7.
The case of Barcelona........................................................................................................ 30
Research strategy and methods applied ....................................................................................... 31
6.1.
Sample strategy ..................................................................................................................... 31
6.2.
Data collection....................................................................................................................... 32
6.3.
Participants............................................................................................................................ 34
6.4.
Types of artists ...................................................................................................................... 35
6.5.
Management ......................................................................................................................... 36
6.6.
Field Research ....................................................................................................................... 37
6.7.
Research quality indicators ................................................................................................... 38
Results ........................................................................................................................................... 39
7.1.
Artists .................................................................................................................................... 39
7.1.1.
What has motivated the artist respondents to come to Berlin? .................................. 39
7.1.2.
How do the artist respondents experience/perceive their work in Berlin? .................. 43
7.1.3.
How do artists look back at the experience? (Evaluation) ............................................ 45
7.2.
Management ......................................................................................................................... 47
7.2.1.
What motivates cultural managers to attract international artists? ............................ 47
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7.2.2.
How do cultural managers select artists that are allowed to enter your
organization/participate in the project/event? ............................................................................ 50
7.2.3.
What do cultural managers do, in terms of management, in order to facilitate the
artists’ stay?................................................................................................................................... 52
7.2.4.
8.
How do cultural managers evaluate the project? ......................................................... 54
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 59
8.1.
Motivations ........................................................................................................................... 59
8.2.
Experiences............................................................................................................................ 61
8.3.
Evaluation .............................................................................................................................. 62
9.
Discussion ...................................................................................................................................... 64
10.
Limitations & directions for future research ............................................................................. 67
11.
Literature ................................................................................................................................... 68
Appendix 1: Transcripts of interviews ................................................................................................... 72
Appendix 2: Social security benefits office for artists document........................................................ 102
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1. Introduction
Creativity is perhaps the most valuable characteristic in human beings and therefore should be
cherished. Human creativity is becoming the most wanted source for businesses (Florida, 2006).
Industries permanently aim to innovate, and innovation comes from creativity, exploring new ways of
thinking. Therefore, finding out what really enhances creativity is worth the discussion. Richard
Florida (2003) is a scholar who has conducted a great deal of research on urban development, claims
that cities are true hubs for creativity. In an online article for the New York Times, Florida (2013)
explains that they have been so all along. The presence of other creative people is the most valid
criterion to achieve more creativity. In cities where creative people cluster, there is the biggest chance
for creative breakthroughs because these come when people learn from, collaborate and compete with
other individuals. Several examples of the past that have been given are Classical Athens, Renaissance
Florence and Vienna and Paris the end of the 19th century. These cities all experienced a tremendous
up rise of genius in diverse fields, they sparked and catalyzed new ideas. This was promoted by
diverse populations, dense social networks and a large amount of public space. Also, their
infrastructure regarding finance, organization and trade allowed for new ideas to be put to practice
rapidly.
A term more often used for the type of cities mentioned above is the term ‘creative cities’
(Comunian, 2010). This term will be explored throughout the thesis. Creative cities are in relation with
and depend on the creative sector and the cultural industries. Cities may attract all kinds of individuals
for a multitude of various reasons. Nowadays many cities in the world enter the news due to the
problems they are facing. Like for example: pollution, crime or an unequal social structure. At the
same time other cities come across as shining and as head on success stories. Diversity might even
play a supporting role there where it would lead to problems in other cities. Some cities remain
attractive over the years, whilst other cities lose their force of attraction and appeal. It is obvious to
state that the features of a city that are attractive to a businessman possibly repel a creative artist.
However, there are cities in the world that pull on both these types of people, holding their different
agendas. Studying these processes has become an academic field of its own, and falls under disciplines
such as urban studies, urban geographies, urban ecologies, urban management and mobility studies.
Cities that have been studied in the past related to their rise and decline are for example London, New
York and Barcelona. Despite their overall still high status these cities have experienced certain curves
of popularity.
In this thesis, one city that is presently rated as being highly attractive, in particular because it
is regarded as a good place for the creative sector to bloom, will be zoomed in on. In the following
sections the criteria that have been found in the literature (both assumed and evidence-based) to make
a city more appealing to the creative sector will be discussed. In recent times a particular example of a
city becoming attractive once again has come up: Berlin. By giving a short overview of the history of
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the City of Berlin the intrinsic factors that influence a city’s enduring appeal will be shown. Think for
instance of the location, centrality, climate, access and historical status. Also, the variables that shift
through extrinsic variables such as, becoming the seat of government or becoming the capital will be
mentioned. Not to forget the political shifts that have taken place there, a city being divided or as a
city being at war for example.
The study reported in this thesis aims to unravel the motivations artists have for their
participation in cultural co-existence projects in Berlin. In addition, different levels of management are
addressed and the relation between the two groups is examined. First of all, the problem statement will
be presented in chapter two, followed by an elaboration on the setting where the research takes place.
Hereafter, the research questions shall be presented. After which, in chapter five the most important
key concepts related to the research will be discussed. Chapter six will explain the research strategy
and methods applied. Followed by presenting the results in chapter seven. The conclusion will be
shown in chapter eight and thereafter, the discussion in chapter nine. To end with the limitations of the
current study and to suggest directions for future research.
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2. Problem statement
The research at hand concerns the increase in international artists working and living (temporarily or
permanently) in Berlin. This research has been carried out by monitoring one or more artist colonies
and/or additional cultural events. The distinguishing feature of this type of research is that it takes into
consideration both parties involved: the individual artists and the management of creative projects and
events. By doing so, a multilevel perspective is obtained and the dynamics between streams of artists,
their production, the city scape, and the role cultural managers play within this become more clear.
This research proposal is triggered by a more general question about the dynamics of emerging
cityscapes in which cultural creativity appears to blossom: what makes such places attractive to artists,
what do artists gain from a ‘Berlin’ experience and how do municipality officers, cultural agencies and
property owners meet these dynamics? The increase in international events and artists has been studied
whilst also paying attention to stakeholders who experience a downside of the Berlin success story.
First of all, in order to clarify the notion of ‘management’ – this term will be used often in this
research proposal because it is an important aspect of the master program Management of Cultural
Diversity - a few sentences are devoted to explaining what management is and what it is specifically
aimed at. When referring to management in this research, all management parties are taken into
account. We could consider, for example, the management of the local arts agencies, neighborhood
management, real estate owners, the district government, city council (Berlin tourism), and national
government policies. If there are other levels involved in decision making at the location of the casestudy these will be looked into also.
Some research on the combination of artists and events in Berlin has been conducted
previously. The research by Lee (2012) evaluated art programs concerning how these programs
managed to decrease ethnic tensions in Neukölln, a district in the South of the city. It is interesting to
research the district of Neukölln, Berlin because it is a highly ethnically diverse area. Neukölln is a
district that had companies move away after the reunification of Germany in 1990 which led to an
increase in unemployment. Various art programs have been developed in the district in order to
address diversity and democracy in Neukölln. As Lee (2012, p. 13) mentions, 40% of the inhabitants
are immigrants and there are 160 different ethnicities in this Berlin district. These numbers were
retrieved from a survey by the city council of Berlin-Neukölln in 2009. One of the conclusions was
that the art programs researched in this investigation were highly assertive about approaching ethnic
issues. Another outcome that Lee (2012) found was that there was a clear emphasis on diversity in all
art programs and that stereotypes and prejudices were openly challenged. Recommendations for future
research that Lee (2012, p. 75) mentions relate to the topic of cultural coexistence within communities,
because this lacks empirical research. Cultural coexistence as mentioned in Lee (2012) related to
ethnic tensions in communities, and is therefore seen as a ‘problem’. However, in this research the
term cultural coexistence is used in a wider sense. It refers to the cultural diversity among artists and
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managers operating together in an artist colony. Also, cultural coexistence can refer to the cultural
diversity within artists and managers operating in the same city scape. Cultural coexistence may also
be the cultural diversity among neighbourhoods in one city.
It appears that even though seen as a ‘problem’ by Lee (2012) this cultural coexistence
functions as a force of attraction in practice for a city. In contrast to Lee’s findings on Neukölln, the
research by Jakob (2010) investigated an artist colony in Wedding, a district in the centre of Berlin. He
came to the conclusion that there was little to no interaction between the artists and the local
population. Instead of leading to a breaking of ethnic or social boundaries the artist colony brought
about an actual increase in exclusion (Jakob, 2010, p. 197). Outside Berlin, there may be a relevant
case study by Borén & Young (2013). They studied creative migration in the case of artists who
moved to Stockholm, Sweden. This research has been innovative in that it considers the impact that
life-cycle events and reliance on professional networks had on their mobility. Moreover, it
demonstrated the link between openness and tolerance in cities which have low entry barriers for
individuals with ‘creative’ occupations. Borén & Young’s (2013) research consisted of analyzing
policy documents devoted to culture and creativity and urban policy strategies in Stockholm. In
addition they analyzed the qualitative interviews they took from the various urban authorities (at
regional, city and district level) and one type of artists that they identified as “social artists”, whose
purpose it is to create new material and symbolic spaces that encourage reflection on the nature of
urban life in order to provoke new practices and ways of thinking (Borén & Young, 2013, p. 201). Of
those interviews, 31 were semi-structured, of which 10 with authorities at different levels of
governance, and 21 with artists. The interviews explored issues around the practice and attitudes of
artists in relation to creative city policy. The results of the research were complicated because the
decision to migrate turned out to be caused by a complex set of push and pull factors of which the
importance varies across the life cycle. These factors will be complicated even more depending on the
different occupational dynamics and urban and national contexts. As a final remark Borén & Young
(2013) advise that strategies to understand migration dynamics should be based on an understanding of
the occupational dynamics of the group concerned and the local factors that might be important to
support the attraction and retention of key occupational groups.
Schüßler & Sydow (2012) wrote about events in German cities that are intentionally set-up
temporally and spatially bounded to social arenas at which individuals from different organizations
come together and interact with potential impacts on wider organizational fields. As an example of
successful collaboration they mention the alliance between the three major national music cities in
Germany, Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg to coordinate their activities. Different facets of these events
have been discussed by them but most important in the context of this research is their
acknowledgement that if an event is successful it does not only provide unique experiences to the
participants but it also lends symbolic and economic value to their host location. This would help
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explaining why it is interesting for an organization to host an event more often. So far, there seems to
be a lack of concrete data on how successful artistic projects turn out to be for a specific location and
the individuals involved. Therefore, the main academic contributions I envisage in this research is that
I aim to unravel what the motivations, experiences and perceptions of the individual artists involved in
the artistic projects actually are, and find out what drives all the different management levels to get
involved in such projects.
The choice to conduct a research related to culture in Berlin to me, has been supported by the
possibility to participate in an ERASMUS exchange with the Freie Universität Berlin. Due to this
exchange, a stay of approximately four and a half months in Berlin was made possible. Berlin is a very
good example of a city that has embraced creative industry activities, using derelict buildings to create
studio spaces and possessing a vibrant cultural sector. In 2012 the city received almost 11 million
visitors. Berlin stands in the third place as a European tourist destination, right behind London and
Paris and ahead of Rome. They thus very much support the cultural sector. For artists Berlin is
attractive because it allows them to achieve a bit of ‘Berlin identity’, which is status enhancing for
them. There is a tremendous growth and activity in the cultural sector, and international artists want to
gain status by working in Berlin. According to Bader & Scharenberg (2010, p. 88) Berlin has achieved
a first rank status within the global cultural economy thanks to its strong subcultural basis. This
subcultural basis has been achieved by the fights for free space by urban movements in the 1980s and
1990s.
In line with the research at hand, the cultural events that are held in the summer time in Berlin
have been looked into. Based on this buzzing cultural offer many organizations have been approached.
Participant observation of multiple cultural activities had been planned to be a part of the data
gathering process. After informing and requesting participation over email contact, the organization
‘Künstlerhaus Bethanien’, agreed on cooperating with the research. Several other events have been
attended in order to acquire data. For example, 48 Stunden Neukölln, an event that is located in
Neukölln, which is an interesting district to conduct research in because it is an ethnically diverse
district and research has been conducted there before. The event ‘Karneval der Kulturen’
(http://www.karneval-berlin.de/en/) has been attended along with several other intitiatives.
Künstlerhaus Bethanien not only provided access to the artists who had been working with them in the
past, as far as they were accessible during this research in Berlin. Also, the contact details of artists
who participated in their program during this research in Berlin have been made available by them for
approach.
Künstlerhaus Bethanien is located in a neighbouring district of Neukölln, namely in
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg. This pool of international artists has been the main data set available for the
research. However, starting from these, other artists have been approached who were not directly
linked to Bethanien. The artists who have been a part of the research all participated voluntarily.
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The artistic director at the organization had been the starting point to access the management
levels involved. The levels depend on who are involved in decision making. As mentioned earlier,
possible levels are: management of the local arts agencies, neighborhood management, real estate
owners, the district government, city council (Berlin tourism), and national government policies. Not
all of these management levels have been successfully approached. What would be achieved was a
combination of insights of private institutions with or without governmental support, a festival at the
district level and an initiative at the city level. Furthermore, artists from various nationalities and
cultural backgrounds have been interviewed. More on them will follow in the section on participants.
2.1. Purpose of the study
The outcomes of the research are expected to contribute to the academic field, first, by exploring the
factors that make a city attractive for individual artists. By gaining insights in these factors the reason
why certain cities attract creative individuals and projects becomes more clear. Related to this
research, there are two ways in which the results are expected to contribute to the academic field as
well. Firstly, the experiences and perceptions of individual artists who work in artistic projects or
colonies will have been explored. Insights resulting from this exploration can be beneficial for both
artists and local arts agencies that set up artistic projects. Artists may thus gain insight into experiences
of other artists through a scholarly investigation, based on which they can make their own decisions. A
total of 10 qualitative interviews have been conducted with 10 artists living and working in Berlin.
One of the interviews has taken place on two moments, therefore, in the end a total of 11 recordings ot
interviews with artists have been gathered. They have been given the space to speak freely on their
motivations, experiences and evaluations of and on Berlin. Their personal experiences in their career
choice are discussed in depth also.
For the local arts agencies it can be a marketing tool if the artists demonstrate to have
experienced positive feelings at their location or event. The second part of the research includes an
exploration of the force that has driven the management levels to attract international artists. The
impact of international events on all stakeholders involved have been studied. This is expected to be
useful because literature so far has shown that sometimes the urban development policies can lead to
an exclusive society (Jakob, 2010). This is in contrast with the more common goal of the creative city
which represents an ethical, just and inclusionary urban development (Jakob, 2010, p. 193). On the
managerial level, 5 different respondents from 5 organizations have been contacted successfully and
they have cooperated in the qualitative interviews. The interviews have focused on the aspects of
motivations, selection criteria, facilitation and evaluation of working with artists and international
artists in particular. Furthermore, relevant experiences in the field have been discussed with them.
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3. Berlin
In view of the fact that the location where the research takes place is Berlin, it is appropriate to provide
an outline of Germany’s history. Based on the website One World Nations Online a brief summary of
the history of Germany will be provided (http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/History/Germanyhistory.htm). Germany, in its long history has rarely been united. The area that we know as Germany
today had been divided into hundreds of states for most of recorded history. Even the Romans could
not unite Germania under one government. This division lasted throughout millennia, also medieval
Germany was under the influence of it. The Protestant Reformation even caused Germany to lose its
religious unity, hereafter, the population was divided between Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Calvinist
religions. The religious diversity led to an intensification of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1684).
In 1648 The Peace of Westphalia left German-speaking Europe divided into a hundred states.
In the following few centuries there were two large states more or less dominant over all other federal
states: Prussia and Austria. After Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 he was
driven out of German territory. By then Napoleon’s officials had abolished many small states. After
the Congress of Vienna, that lasted from September 1814 to June 1815 and had as a main aim longterm peace for Europe, Germany was made up of approximately 40 states. The desire for German
unification was highly present during the next half-century. There were revolutions but the king of
Prussia rejected the offer to be given the crown of a united Germany because he felt threatened. Like
other rulers over German kingdoms he was afraid to lose power, because in a democratic society the
old aristocrats could not keep their privileged position. Over two decades later, Germany was unified
into an empire under Emperor Wilhelm I, king of Prussia. Otto von Bismarck managed to achieve a
united Germany but lost Austria. Because Berlin was already the capital of Prussia, the leading state of
the new unified Germany it became the capital of the entire nation in 1871.
Governance through the empire’s conservative leadership was hard by 1912, because socialists
had become the largest number represented in the Reichstag. In the first World War Germany hoped to
enlarge, thus compensating previous loss of lands to France. However, they were not successful. Even
more territory was lost, and financial reparations had to be made to the victors. Several years later
(1919-1933) the Weimar Republic was constituted. It had a parliamentary democracy that made the
government responsible over the people. It seemed Germany would finally join the other democratic
nations of Europe, yet, this dream got destroyed by the rise of Adolf Hitler. The public was divided
because it was disappointed by the Weimar Republic, since government policies had mostly failed to
solve social and economic problems. In January 1933, Hitler became a chancellor and wanted to reach
the aim of replacing the republic with an authoritarian government. A few months later, he had
established a totalitarian regime only to come to an end in 1945 after an enormity of atrocities known
as the Holocaust. As Berlin was occupied by the allies, Berlin ceased to be the capital, Bonn replaced
the capital for some decades. After World War II, Germany consisted of two states. East Germany,
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that was never seen as legitimate by its citizens and thus fell far behind economically and West
Germany, which was much more successful.
Several decades later Germany had become one of the world’s richest nations, a true
‘Wirtschaftswunder’. Several million foreigners came to West Germany to find a job. Finally, in 1990,
German unification was completed by overcoming the separation of the two German states. The Berlin
wall between West and East had come down in 1989. In 1990, with the reunification of Germany,
Berlin became the capital again. Even though the government remained seated in Bonn until 1999.
Hitler consistently had a relationship with art. Adolf Hitler applied his experimental ideas of
urban planning to the city of Berlin, these ideas and actions still receive great interest by for example
Thomas Friedrich in his book ‘Hitler’s Berlin. Abused City.’, recently published in 2012. As discussed
in a review of this book on the webpage of the newspaper ‘the Guardian’
(http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jun/08/hitlers-berlin-thomas-friedrich-review) Hitler used
the city as if it were a “lab rat on which he could try out his architectural experiments and ideas on
urban planning”.
An overview of Hitler and his own experiences with art can be read on the page of the
International Campaign for Real History
(http://www.fpp.co.uk/Hitler/artist/Price/WashingtonPost210402b.html). Adolf Hitler, as a young
man, applied to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, with the idea that he would become an artist in the
future. He got rejected on the basis of a drawing test and instead the rector told him to focus on
architecture. So, in 1920, Adolf Hitler, 20 years old, was working in Vienna as a draftsman and a
painter of watercolors. He produced and sold quite some works, without obtaining a specific talent as
an artist. According to many historians, the rejection by the Art Academy remained a key moment in
his life. In 1935 Adolf Hitler, then chancellor, ordered the Nazi Party to find and retrieve as many of
his own paintings as they could. The pictures were then stored in bunkers under the ground. U.S.
soldiers found them there in 1945. It took five years before anyone would decide where to leave the
artworks. Finally they were sent to Washington, along with thousands of other Nazi art pieces. The
U.S. government subsequently never really figured out what to do with the pieces of art, which were
considered a hazard and potentially dangerous. After long discussion and involvement of many
parties, the U.S. army kept about 200 so-called Nazi works and four paintings by Adolf Hitler, the
other approximately 8000 works were delivered to the Germans who wanted them back. The pieces of
art made by Hitler has been hidden from the world because people had the idea it might bring back
Nazi ideas. Now, his artwork is mostly scattered around the world, mostly not open for public
viewing, stored in vaults. Adolf Hitler had influenced the entire art world in his years of power, mostly
as a result of what he considered ‘good’ art and what he considered ‘degenerate’ art (Nicholas,2007).
On March 20th in 1939, 1004 paintings and sculptures and 3825 drawings, watercolors and
graphics had been burned in the courtyard of the Berlin Fire Department’s headquarters. The
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underlying idea was to ‘purify’ the German art world of the so-called ‘Entartete Kunst’. This event
functioned as a preview of the events that would come in the following years. Alfred Barr, in 1933
while on a sabbatical in Europe wrote three articles on the National Socialist art phenomenon. Barr
was one of the first to hear the new regime’s cultural ideas. All expressions of life were said to spring
from a specific blood and from a specific race. Art was considered as not international, only German
art was to be strengthened. In Germany itself there had already ruled a long anti-modern tradition, ever
since Kaiser Wilhelm fired the director of the Nationalgalerie, who had bought Impressionist paintings
in 1909. Hitler’s regime fashionably fitted in a particular type of art. In October 1933 a few months
after becoming chancellor, Hitler placed the cornerstone of the Haus der Deutschen Kunst in Munich.
Countless new organizations were funded that were all connected to art and alongside these new
organizations the old Ministry of Culture remained. After four years of ‘refining’ the arts it turned out
that the Nazi art criteria were merely based on whatever Hitler himself liked and whatever could be
used for the government as propaganda. Only forms as seen in nature were allowed to be used in
paintings. Nothing else was tolerated (Nicholas, 2007).
In addition to this heritage of Nazi art, the two cities Munich and Berlin show other traces of
this period in German history, such as in city planning, government buildings, and avenues. But
especially Berlin stands out as a witness to a past that is present by its absence, its silence, its black
holes. Whereas the city began to flourish through the post-war reconstruction activities, the rift formed
by the Berlin Wall cast a long shadow. After the Fall of the Wall in 1989 the city became a vibrant hub
for commerce, politics, art and science. Currently, 25 years after the Fall of the Wall, Berlin is under
great pressure again. This time the force of globalization is making it harder for the social-market
economy to continue.
The current line of thinking on Berlin specifically, can be best worded using the following
phrase: ‘’Berlin is the center of political power in Germany, but it's also a creative, colorful, diverse
and tolerant metropolis that many people from all over the world have made their adopted home.’’
(http://www.be.berlin.de/campaign/city-of-opportunities). The ‘bbk’, Berlin (berufsverband bildende
künstler) protects the needs of international artists in Berlin (http://www.bbkberlin.de/con/bbk/front_content.php/idcat.34) . Citizens that do not come from the EU and wish to
work and live for a period longer than three months in Germany have to apply for a visa. One unique
service that the ‘bbk’ offers is that of ‘the Kulturwerk’ facilities. These facilities are workspaces, set
up to serve the needs of international artists in Berlin. This initiative receives support from the federal
state of Berlin.
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3.1. The appeal of diversity
The term ‘diversity’ has been dropped numerous times already related to cities. An overview of
Fainstein’s (2005) article gives an insight of how diversity and cities can mutually affect each other.
We start off with the explanation what is actually meant with diversity in an urban context.
According to Fainstein (2005), who has written numerous book chapters and articles in
scholarly journals and formerly was a professor of urban planning at Harvard, at the core, the term
diversity in a city refers to a mix of building types, streetscapes in which several architectural styles
are present. As an example, she gives the city of Amsterdam. In the new residential developments in
the Amsterdam harbor, a combination of apartment buildings and townhouses can be found according
to Fainstein (2005). The townhouses do not present a uniform image of traditional Amsterdam but
incorporate a mix of design motifs. Alongside urban diversity, social diversity exists in Amsterdam.
Due to the substantial subsidies that the Dutch state provides, rents are brought down and households
are supported in living spaces they could otherwise never afford. In all parts of the city there is a mix
of ethnicities and social classes (Musterd and Salet, in Fainstein, 2005). Difference in economic
situation is limited thanks to the Dutch welfare state. Other examples, like New York and London
reveal other scenarios. There, great inequality exists between neighborhoods based on both income
and ethnic differences (Fainstein, 2005).
What can diversity bring for a city? Diversity may be what draws individuals to a an urban
space. Diversity enhances creativity and tolerance is what Fainstein (2005) found. Also, lifestyles that
remained unnoticed or underappreciated might be seen as valuable by city officials once they are out
in the open. An example of this is the attitude towards gays, once targeted by mocking or even attacks,
now they are often found to nurture innovative industries and they make specific city areas more
popular.
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4. Research questions
In order to contribute to the academic field in the ways that have been mentioned above, the central
research question that has been formulated is: ‘What motivations do artists in the creative sector have
for cultural coexistence and what are the consequences of this for the managers representing various
management levels involved? ’. In addition, the impact on the community will be taken into
consideration when talking to management and local artists. In order to answer this multi-layered
research question, the following sub-questions are posed.
The sub questions to gain insight into the artists point of view, are the following:
1. What has motivated artists to come to Berlin?
2. How do artists experience/perceive their work in Berlin?
3. How do artists look back at the experience? (Evaluation)
The sub questions to gain insight into the role of management, are the following:
1. What motivates cultural managers to attract international artists?
2. How do cultural managers select artists that are allowed to enter their organization/participate in the
project/event?
3. What do cultural managers do, in terms of management, in order to facilitate the artists’ stay?
4. How do cultural managers evaluate their project(s)? (Financially, Artist experiences, Marketing,
effects on city district, side-effects)
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5. Conceptual framework
5.1. Creative cities
After discussing in a general way the life of certain cities in specific periods of time as sources of
creativity in the previous chapter, the concept of the creative city shall now be introduced. The
creative city depends on a specific group of individuals, the creative class, who will be introduced
more broadly in the following paragraphs. As Zherdev (2014) discusses “The Rise of the Creative
Class: And How It’s Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life” by Richard Florida
published in 2002, he sums up that this book preludes the start of a new creative age. In this new
creative age there is only one main driving force to form a creative city paradigm: the creative class.
The creative class, according to Florida (2003), possesses certain typical characteristics. Though the
broad definition that is given implies that the members of this class have professions in which their
function is to “create meaningful new forms.” (p.8) At the core of the creative class, one finds, for
example, scientists, engineers, university professors, but also artists, actors and designers. An
attractive climate for the creative class, according to Borén & Young (2013, p. 196), is a strong
“people climate”. They define this climate as ruling in a city or a city-region where tolerance,
openness to diversity, inclusiveness and cultural supplies are in abundance. As Borén & Young (2013,
p.196) phrase: “Cities should be liberal, cosmopolitan, bohemian and multicultural.” Difference
should be accepted and the presence of cool communities for firms and for creative people is
important. These highly diverse types of cityscapes create space for cultural coexistence. A high
degree of diversity in a city can make one feel more confident to express his or her uniqueness as well
(Goldberg, Riordan & Schaffer, 2010). The role a city may play is multidirectional, attracting
individuals for many different reasons. Some specific features of the creative class shall be presented
in the following fragments. The first feature of the creative class is that it is very mobile. Florida (2007
in Borén & Young, 2013, p. 196) claims that “The mobility of people is perhaps the single greatest
fact of the modern global economy . . . people can move freely to places that offer opportunity,
freedom, and the ability to build the lives that they choose”. Research from the United States and
Sweden support this claim, according to Borén & Young (2013). Secondly, the mobility of the creative
class is triggered by city attractiveness. What Florida (2005, p. 218, referred to by Borén & Young,
2013) claims is that the creative class looks for: “abundant high-quality amenities and experiences, an
openness to diversity of all kinds, and above all else the opportunity to validate their identities as
creative people.”
Richard Florida (2003), a scholar who has conducted significant research on urban
development, mentions a number of trends that relate to geography and creativity. A few of his
findings shall be discussed. Firstly, he states that the creative class is moving away from traditional
corporate communities, working class centers, and also many Sunbelt (popular area in the South of the
17
United States in the 60’s) regions to what he calls ‘creative centers’. According to Florida (2003),
these creative centers may be named the economic winners of this day and age. They not only have the
creative economic outcomes but also show signs of regional vitality such as an increase in
employment. Another trend, the reason why these creative centers are thriving is actually unrelated to
traditional economic reasons. The reason creative centers are flourishing is simply because creative
people want to live there. The question remains why creative people move to these geographical
locations. Creative people move to these places regardless of physical attractions but based on highquality experiences, openness to diversity of all kinds and most importantly the chance to legitimize
their identities as creative people (Florida, 2003). According to Zherdev (2014) economists,
sociologists, policy makers and municipal authorities see the notion of the creative city as a possible
solution to the economic crisis.
Cultural strategies to revitalize city centers were adopted several decades ago, Roberts (2006)
mentions in an article that focusses on the side-effects of these strategies. Manchester, inner areas of
London, Glasgow and Swansea are examples of cities which applied cultural strategies and 24-hour
city policies (that means that many businesses are open 24/7) in order to become more attractive. Their
music scenes blossomed and many individuals moved there also because of the growth of new creative
industries. This development was described by the Labour Prime Minister at the time in the phrase
‘cool Brittania’. After the year 2000, however, opinions started to change. In January 2005 the country
was facing a situation where binge drinking had become a real threat to the nation. Not only drinking
itself posed a problem, local authorities also reported that anti-social behavior like public urination,
shouting and swearing increased, according to Roberts (2005, in: Robberts, 2006). The transformation
of the atmosphere in the town centers has as a side effect that the centers become more segregated:
people over 30 do no longer like to come out at night or at least avoid so-called ‘drinking streets’
(Thomas and Bromley in: Roberts, 2006). Such shifts in British town and city centers have as a
consequence that central and local government are facing many policy and management issues. It is
important that planning for nightlife in a town center happens in a context where there is a thorough
understanding of the difference between creativity, cultural resources and alcohol abuse.
The added value of the creative class and the creative city has been reported on quite a bit,
therefore, some possible downside effects shall also be presented. Pratt (2011) points out that while a
creative city is to serve the creative class, the existing residents must make way. This has two aspects,
one of these is purely geographical, for the creative class relocates to the inner city; the other one is
economical, and connected to the effects of gentrification. This gentrification process, even though
based upon the “initial spark of cultural capital of art” as Pratt (2011 p. 127) phrases it, often manifests
as detrimental to the local art scene and cultural activities. This cultural contradiction of capitalism
reminds of an older state of urban redevelopment and the politics of economic development that was
named the ‘urban growth machine’. This urban development model was based on processes found in
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several US cities. There appeared to be a relationship between retail capital and urban politicians; this
influenced the decisions on land, alliances and social control. As suggested by Pratt (2011) one can
replace cultural consumption capital for retail capital, a concert hall or a museum, for example, and
this shows how cultural consumption directly influences economic investments. As examples of major
cities undergoing gentrification show, gentrification is supported by the context of an urban experience
economy. An urban experience economy thrives through a combination of shopping facilities and a
certain type of culture; this combination makes the city a perfect consumption space. When a city is
built for one specific audience, this audience is well served but others suffer. Namely, money that is to
be invested in cultural projects in cities do benefit real estate, yet, this money might come from other
budgets, such as social inclusion budgets.
Instead of focusing on the consumption spaces here, the role of cultural production in cities
should be looked into a little closer, thus following Pratt (2011). Policies must be developed to
encourage this cultural production. Both consumption and production should be supported by
policies. Firms that operate in the cultural and creative economy function in different ways than other
firms. There are several very notable differences. First, the organization of the firm tends to be small
and temporary. Furthermore, employees often work freelance and on short-term contacts. To conclude,
individual skills and expertise are most crucial to find a job, along with that, an employee should have
a good reputation, should be able to create a successful team and function as a member of such a team
(Pratt, 2011). Firms are very much in relation to one another. Whereas this image might seem an
attractive opposite to working for a corporate enterprise, the downside must be told as well. Work
conditions tend to be unreliable, as they lack social support, and training and social reproduction are
the individual’s responsibility (Christopherson; Christopherson & van Jaarsveld; Neff, Wissinger, &
Zukin in Pratt, 2011). Figures on percentages of different minorities working in the creative sector in
Pratt (2011) show that the new employment that has been created is very unstable. It strongly
reproduces regressive social and economic structures, and in this way is vulnerable to conjunctural
fluctuations. The example of London that Pratt (2011) presents, provides some numbers on how firms
in the creative industries differ from other industries. When examining all industries in London, less
than 15% of employees worked on self-employed basis, whereas, in the creative industries this number
was almost 30%. Not only was there a notable difference among industries, also a gender difference
was found. In all industries, almost 45% of the workers were female, in the creative industries, this
percentage was 35. The last figure reveals a difference in equality related to ethnicity. Spread over all
industries, the figure of black and ethnic minority workers in London was a bit more than 25%. In the
creative industries, this same group only made up 17% of the total. How liberal the creative city and
the creative worker really are is doubted by Pratt (2011).
Related to cultural strategies is the activity of urban planning. Boomkens (2013), a professor
of social and cultural philosophy has introduced a new way of approaching cities. Social-scientific
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disciplines have approached cities and urban culture in a one-sided manner in the past he says. Cities
should, however, be seen as a whole way of life, meaning they should be recognized as centers of
knowledge, power, imagination, ideology and fantasy in his perspective. His research has led to the
discovery that there are four major factors that can either function as a threat or an opportunity for
urban culture. The first factor is the ‘denationalization’ of culture. This is mostly seen as positive
because it enhances a global distribution and exchange of cultural information, experiences and
values, while at the same time diminishing the narrow-minded nationalism (Boomkens, 2013).
However, there are also fears related to denationalization, such as a fear of losing control over local
cultural practices. The second factor he discovered is that of ‘delocalization’, the cityscapes of for
example new megacities in Asia and Africa are different looking compared to the traditional urban
landscapes because of organized leisure and mobility. The third factor, and this one is most related to
this research, is ‘migration’. Migration is affecting urban culture all over the world, because people are
looking for new opportunities according to Boomkens (2013). Functioning urbanization is based on
the positive pull that employment in a wealthy city produces. There are also other stories, people that
leave the countryside because of starvation and deep poverty, this is a negative push. Massive
migration leads to a threat that is known as the ‘ecology of fear’, this is the fear that cities and urban
districts are being taken over by strangers and illegal migrants. The growing tendencies towards social
and ethnic segregations are another reason to fear the effects of migration. Migration will be discussed
more broadly in the next chapter. The last factor is the ‘discontinuity of digitalization’, the rise and
development of new media of information and communication. It offers countless possibilities for
people, for example: to organize their social life or to write and distribute their own stories. The real
urban public sphere that depends partially on physical embodiment sometimes is threatened by new
media that is in essence disembodies and virtual. A loss of sense of what is public or private life is
feared. The Internet might indirectly affect the relevance of the “real” according to Boomkens (2013).
At the same time digital devices have proven to facilitate in processes of creating or maintaining
communal life. As one of the highly influential factors on urban development and since it is an
important aspect of this research, the term migration deserves some additional attention.
5.2. Migration
Castles (2010) mentions that according to several analysts the term migration, usually implying longterm movement from one nation to another nation, should be dropped. Castles (2010) explains that
migration as a linear movement, according to patterns of labor and settlement, was typical for the
nineteenth and twentieth century. However, the time and age we are living in now, the twenty-first
century, is characterized as an era of openness and flexibility. Fixed notions become rare, possibilities
are endless due to progress in transportation, technology and culture. Individuals can think and move
20
beyond boundaries constantly. Despite the opportunities that increasing mobility for reasons of study,
profession, marriage or other personal reasons offer, the odds to be mobile depend more and more on
class and other selective criteria (Bauman 1998 in Castles 2010). A borderless globalizing world has
not yet come into existence. In Castles’ (2010, p. 1567) wordings, it is still appropriate to focus on
migration as: ‘…a process based on inequality and discrimination, and controlled and limited by
states.’
There are different responses an economy can offer to various types of migration. First of all,
recruiting highly skilled personnel internationally is seen as an added value, professional mobility is
the catch phrase. Whereas the lower-skilled migrant workers are seen as unfitting in post-industrial
economies, unwanted migrants is the label they received (Castles, 2010). These are the differences
between so-called ‘good’ (open society) and ‘bad’ (invasion and displacement) mobility. Castles
(2010) mentions that at the moment political discourse tends to see migration as a bad thing that
should be prevented by the right policies, although this political discourse differs from country to
country. Historically migration has always been a daily social-life aspect; in the colonial period there
was both professional mobility (movement of administrators, traders and military personnel) and
migration based on inequality (slaves etc.). Despite the last example of forced migration, throughout
the years migrants experienced more positive consequences of migration than negative ones, people
could move to areas where there were more opportunities. Their place of origin might benefit as well
if technology, ideas and financial means are returned by the migrant.
The first ‘age of mass migration’ (Hatton and Williamson 1998, 2005 in Castles, 2010) was
from the nineteenth to the early twentieth century. In the last thirty years the migration numbers have
grown more than ever. This can be explained by the increasing speed of globalization. Certain cultures
of emigration have grown in specific origin areas, defined by both push and pull factors. As a
consequence the settlement of international flows of immigrants in developed countries and global
cities is a social fact. But what often remains below the radar of receiving countries is the fact that
internal migration within the country of origin far outweighs nation-to-nation mobility (King and
Skeldon, 2010 in Castles, 2010). Many migrants suffer under marginalization and exploitation, due to
specific conditions of inequality under which their migration takes place. As De Haas (2006, in
Castles, 2010) mentions, development in the home nation will not reduce migration. An attempt to
understand migration must not start out from normative evaluations of migration but it should start out
from the assumption that migration is a normal part of social relations (Castles, 2010). It should help
in analyzing the dynamics of migration (in- as well as out-migration) as a part of complicated diverse
processes of societal change.
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5.3. Attitudes towards migration in Europe
European policies mainly take into account costs and benefits for receiving societies and so-called
migration management (Castles, 2010). This perspective is reflected on the attempt to have individuals
assimilate. As Castles (2010) summarizes, in the 1970s and 1980s, most nations moved away from
assimilationist approaches, however, the positive approach towards multiculturalism or pluralism
stopped in the 1990s. Apparently, political and media claims of threats from migrants to national
identity and security influenced this. Recently, neo-assimilationist approaches claim that the solidarity
and cohesion of the nation-state is threatened by too much diversity. Approaches like these helped to
make the changes in national policies, like for example ‘integration contracts’ and citizenship tests,
more legitimate in for example France, Germany Britain, the Netherlands and Australia (Castles,
2010).
5.4. The complexity of migration
What makes the formation of theory on migration that difficult is the complexity and diversity of the
migration experiences. The neo-classical approach to migration that merely focuses on income
maximization based on rational economic decision-making, is not very useful in practice to analyze
and explain real- life migration experiences. The perspective of Collinson (2009) as found in Castles
(2010) is that there is a need to approach migration in a matter that connects the analysis of local-level
factors which influence individual’s decisions about migrations with political, economic and social
factors that influence the agency of the migrant. Economic factors play a role but not in a way that
helps understand specific experiences. The complexity of the factors involved means that context
plays a significant role. Castles (2010) explains that an historical understanding of societies and the
relationships between these societies is crucial. As an example he mentions that no analysis of
migration to Britain would be complete if the history of British colonialism and racism would not be
taken into account.
However, historical migration is not the main topic in this thesis. Here, the focus lies on
creative artists, they are a part of what Florida (2006, p.22 ) calls the “creative sector of the economy”.
Who completely make up this creative sector in his view are individuals involved in science,
technology, innovation, art, culture, music, design, entertainment and those involved in knowledge
based professions. Florida (2006) specifically researched a process in the United States, however, this
process can be found more widely. As he puts it, a transformation has taken place, the transformation
from an economy based on physical inputs to (land, capital, labor) to an economy based on intellectual
inputs (human creativity). So, this means that human creativity is becoming a more wanted source:
having the right people concentrated in one place leads to huge economic growth. Florida (2006)
mentions that when people cluster together, they make each other more productive and inventive, in
addition, they enhance each other’s skills and talents. Therefore, it makes sense that they prefer
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cultural coexistence as for example takes place in an artist colony. Knowing this, a different
perspective on migration is introduced. According to this perspective the migrant is seen as an asset,
something that cities or nations should compete about. The theory of economic growth that is
introduced by Florida (2006) is constructed around the ‘three T’s’: technology, talent and tolerance.
These aspects are doing well in all growing, exciting regions in the world. Technology is invested in,
exploited and utilized. Talent is attracted, utilized and retained. The specific feature talent has, is that it
is a flow. What he says about talent is the following: “It is not just born in the region, and it does not
necessarily stay there.” Florida (2006. p. 25). In Florida’s (2006) view, ‘tolerance’ attracts people
because it is found there where they can easily go to and they can live the lives they want to live there.
5.5. The recent migration history of Germany
Germany has been an exception in the EU related to their migration policy. Elsner & Zimmermann
(2013) studied the specificity of the German case, and some of their findings will be shared here.
When their article was written it was almost a decade ago that the European Union was enlarged (in
2004). Germany has been an exceptional case for two reasons at least. First of all, access to the5. labor
markets for workers from the new member states was restricted until 2011. Furthermore, the labor
market in Germany got through the recent recession without having experienced an increase in
unemployment. Both of these reasons changed the attractiveness of Germany as a destination for
immigrants. After 2004, due to the labor market restrictions Germany became less attractive for
migrants because it got less accessible than nations that did open their labor markets instantly.
However, the fact that the German labor market maintained stability during the economic crisis was
expected to have been a pull factor for migrants from the new member states to Germany (Elsner &
Zimmermann, 2013).
Migration flows to and from Germany have been sketched out in Elsner & Zimmermann
(2013). After the EU enlargement mainly the inflows to Germany changed. Even though the German
labor market issued restrictions, immigration did increase significantly after the enlargement of the EU
in 2004 and 2007. On the other hand, The Great Recession did not influence inflows but only
outflows, most of all regarding Polish migrants. In 2006 inflows coming from Poland outnumbered the
outflows by 50.000, in 2008, the inflows were as large as the outflows. On the basis of German census
data from 2000 to 2009 Elsner & Zimmermann (2013) are able to prove that migrants coming from the
new member states directly after the EU enlargement in 2004 had received less education than those
coming before. Whereas, the ones that came after 2008 had higher education than all flows of migrants
coming to Germany. Since labor market restrictions did not apply to self-employed workers it makes
sense that the amount of self-employed immigrants after 2004 was over 5 times higher than before the
enlargement. There have been income gaps between immigrants and natives. For example, compared
to Germans of the same age, immigrants who came from the new member states even with more
23
education earned less in practice. Elsner & Zimmermann (2013) state that they critically look at the
decision of the German government to restrict the access to its labor market until 2011. They also state
that it seems Germany would have been better off without these restrictions. Because by having
chosen for the transitional arrangements, they have shut out an inflow of young and well-educated
workers that went to the UK and Ireland instead then.
To elaborate a bit on the institutional and economic developments that influenced migration
flows to and from Germany, something more will be said about the effect of labor market restrictions.
One of the main institutional developments was the introduction of transitional arrangements after the
enlargement of the EU in 2004. This gave the old member states the ability to restrict the access to
their labor markets for workers from the new member states until 2011. Germany took this chance and
made use of it until 2011. Obviously these restrictions made Germany less attractive than countries
that opened their labor markets immediately for migrants. So much for the core principle of the
European Union, the ‘free movement of workers’. The German government feared a too great inflow
of low-skilled workers which would lead to an increase in unemployment. As a result, the transitional
arrangements caused migration flows to move away from Germany, especially towards the UK and
Ireland. Another development has been the worldwide economic crisis. It hit the German economy
after 2008 but left the German labor market mainly unaffected, according to Elsner & Zimmermann
(2013); only GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per person dropped. These labor market conditions
during the crisis in Germany were better when compared to most other European countries, which had
somehow been hit harder by the crisis. Who migrated to Germany? The statistics will be presented in
the following fragment.
Most recent immigrants in Germany come from Poland. Inflows from Romania and Bulgaria
have also increased notably since 2007. After EU enlargement rounds the inflows from Poland,
Romania and Bulgaria increased. The labor market restrictions did not actually prevent immigration
from the new member states to Germany. The effect of the economic crisis on migration to Germany
is rather unclear. Because on the one hand, there were less Polish immigrants. On the other hand, there
were more Romanians and Bulgarians who unlike Poles were not able to move to the UK freely. In
order to separate the increase in migration caused by the opening of the German labor marker from the
increase in migration due to the economic crisis Elsner & Zimmermann (2013) compared net flows
from the new member states with net flows from other EU countries that have been hit hard by the
crisis. They concluded that the increase in migration from countries that have been hit by the crisis
hard provides evidence that the stability of the German labor market is a pull factor for migrants.
Based on data from the German Statistical Office, Elsner & Zimmermann (2013) made some
statements about the demographic characteristics of migrants coming to Germany. Throughout the
2000’s immigrants coming to Germany were on average younger than Germans, men were a bit fewer
than women (60%). Education level of new immigrants fluctuated: first migrants were more educated
24
but over time after EU enlargement the education level of new migrants decreased, whereas it
increased again during the economic crisis that hit Germany after 2008. The employment patterns of
immigrants changed over the years, due to the fact that self-employed workers could move to
Germany freely after 2004, with the consequence that the number of self-employed immigrants
increased tremendously after that time. When comparing wages, it goes to say that immigrants earned
less monthly pay than Germans, however, this difference got smaller over time. An explanation for
this difference given by Elsner & Zimmermann (2013) is that there is a difference in work
experience.
Migration, not only in Germany but in the entire EU, can bring economic benefits. For
example, migration may lead to efficiency gains because workers can move to where they are most
effective (Elsner & Zimmermann, 2013). Another benefit is that migration can function as an
adjustment mechanism that helps to absorb asymmetric shocks, like the financial crisis. In this case,
migration from Spain to Germany could reduce the pressure on Spanish wages. Elsner &
Zimmermann (2013) were left with a pressing question now that the transitional arrangements have
come to an end in 2011: what makes the workers actually move? However, for the purpose of this
thesis it is not relevant to follow this line of investigation any further. In applying Germany’s labor
climate to our case study, situated in Berlin, further below, we will return to the pull the city of Berlin
has on people working (or seeking work) in the creative sector.
5.6. The creative industries
Colapinto & Porlezza (2012) examined the key role that knowledge and creativity have always played
in the economy. They do so by focusing on theoretical approaches from management and media
studies. The creative industries as noted by Cunningham et al. in Colapinto & Porlezza (2012) include
for instance advertising, design, film, music, television, radio and performing arts. These industries
have a positive influence on jobs and economic growth. Consumers have become more wealthy, more
demanding and more educated, therefore in the current knowledge economy the demand for cocreation with consumers is highly increasing. The concepts of creativity and innovation are
intertwined, since creativity is about bringing up new ideas. Colapinto & Porlezza (2012) regard the
creation of ideas, images, symbols, design and cultural expression as a national asset in more than one
way. The Work Foundation’s report (2007) as referred to in Colapinto & Porlezza (2012) covered the
economic performance of the UK's creative industries. Based on this, eight drivers of creative
industries have been identified. These were the following: demand, greater diversity, a level playing
field, education and skills, networks, public sector, intellectual property and building a greater
business capacity. Some of the driving forces can be influenced by governmental action and some by
the industries. In advanced economies such as the examples in their paper, the UK and the USA,
25
patterns of investment have changed. Investments in intangible assets such as human resources and
relational capital now equal or super cede the investments in physical assets like machines. As also
claimed by Florida (2006) before. Additionally they state that creative individuals with the will to
become entrepreneurs are becoming more and more important resources for companies.
Times changed, economic growth does no longer depend entirely on traditional production
factors such as land, labor and capital. Human capital as an input is becoming increasingly valuable
according to Lucas (1988) in Colapinto & Porlezza (2012). In the creative economy, innovation
systems are characterized by cross-sectoral links and interdependencies, such as between creative
industries, cultural institutions, content and applications production, government and also other
industries. There is however, a lack of working capital within the industry and for that reason
governments need to fund new initiatives and work on growth of the sector. Based on their research
Colapinto & Porlezza (2012) give the recommendation to include the usage of new media to engage
with people and as a connecting tool to spread innovation culture and knowledge. These days
traditional media are not one hundred percent capable to meet the needs of the globalized economy.
The success of creative industries depends very much on the ‘soft infrastructure’, like networking,
knowledge and human capital, yet also very much on the literally hard infrastructure. What Colapinto
& Porlezza (2012) define as valuable new features of the soft infrastructure are the new forms of
digital networking, all types of digital connections that are based on real interactions of physical
spaces.
5.7. The cultural Industries
With economic globalization increasing, the cultural industries have become a relevant part of the
global system and for this reason a new focus of globalization. In the top 10 exporters of cultural
goods worldwide of 2008, Germany stood on the third place with a market share of 8.5% (Che & Wu,
2012). Globalization has encouraged artists to exhibit internationally. Up to now, there has been only
little research conducted on all types (long term and short term) of migration of creative artists
(Houston et al. in Bennett, 2010). Even though it is known that an experience abroad can be crucial to
the development of a specialist creative artist (Bennett, 2010).
Curran & Saguy (2013) reviewed literature on gender and migration and the literature on
migration and networks. They have done so in order to clarify how those fields are connected in order
to come to a more complete understanding of migration and cultural change. Supported by the
sociology of culture Curran & Saguy (2013) were able to find that network ties are much more than
plain transmitters of information. Cultural forms of organization in specific gender relations are
challenged by the size, composition and the density of network ties according to Curran & Saguy
(2013). As they have proposed, in order to understand the unique behaviour of migrants keeping track
of their network charachteristics is important. Furthermore, they state that to complete existing
26
migration theories the meaning of ties between individuals within a network and also the motivational
effort to form network ties must be taken into consideration. They found that not all network ties are
the same across all migrants.
Although much research has been done on specific flows, such as international students,
international traineeships, and international postings within multinational companies and governments,
the link between migration and the cultural industries is not taken into account in such studies. Yet
there is no denying that there is a transnational scene of artists who travel around, and even migrate to
a specific place, intending to stay there. That such movements of individual people have remained
mostly below the academic radar, even though this flow too is a part of an overarching globalization
process, may be related to the fact that such artists on the move all have their unique individual
motivations. The question that poses itself, is: what makes them move to a certain city, what do they
mean for the city to which they move, and what does this city mean for them? In letting internationaltransnational artists tell their stories we hope to make the chemistry between a particular urban
environment, cultural coexistence, and artistic production more explicit.
5.8. Artists
With all this focus on artists in this thesis, this specific group of human beings will be described more
in detail. Ravadrad (2009) examined the social characteristics of artists, starting from the assumption
that artists might have certain characteristics in common that lead to them becoming and being
artists. As found in his research artistic activity does not merely rely on creativity and genius, but there
are social and personal factors that influence their active engagement with the world of arts. Factors
that turned out to have an influence on artists were gender, birthplace, level of education, public or
private patrons, economic stratification and social class. These factors influence an individual in the
way that they do or do not succeed in becoming known as an artist. The different factors have different
effects within a society or between various societies. Basically, gender, birthplace, level of education,
public or private patrons, economic stratification and social class play a role but that specific role
depends on the specific case.
These previously mentioned factors, were all personal factors, the other factors are social.
Social factors contain social conditions and how the artist is positioned within them. This might
influence the style and the exact content of an artist’s work (Ravadrad, 2009). As an example, artists
belonging to the upper class are more likely to work with non-realistic styles and deal with topics
more on a macro-sociological level. However, if the artist would belong to the dominated class, the
chance is higher that he or she works with more realistic styles and pays more attention to microsociological topics in their work. In the end the ideological standpoint of the artist is a very important
factor that influences what kind of work the artist makes. Ravadrad (2009) states than in principle all
individuals are creative in some way. Yet, there are factors that enable a person to get involved in
27
artistic activities. A person with the will to break through as an artist will succeed only if he or she is
born at the right time at the appropriate place. Creativity itself turned out not to be a determining
factor in the process of becoming an artist. Fruitful social conditions, on the other hand, are found to
be the determining factor, as Ravadrad (2009) concludes.
What makes someone an artist? Is an important question that most likely pops up when
reading this thesis. Inspired by the definition adhered to by the German social insurance for artists
(Künstler Sozialkasse, http://www.kuenstlersozialkasse.de/), this thesis also sets as a condition that it
is by creative activities, either producing, performing or anything that an individual should make
money or at least ‘attempts’ to make money in order to support themselves. For also, individuals that
might not yet succeed in earning a living only by creative activities have been taken into account.
Throughout writings there are hundreds of different precise definitions of the term ‘artist’, however,
the specific type of artist that have contributed to this research will be labelled in the chapter that
introduces the main research question and the sub questions.
5.9. The relation between creativity and the city
This theme is explored by Peck (2012) who researched the creativity policies in Amsterdam. Related
to the question about artists as posed before: ‘what makes them move to a certain city, what do they
mean for the city to which they move, and what does this city mean for them?’
Peck (2012) stated that Amsterdam has been a ‘more-than-willing’ receptor of the creativity virus.
Seen from the perspective of management, this seems to suit the local ways of governing, which has a
reaffirmative effect instead of a transformative (revalidating instead of changing). Apparently the
city’s creativity policies have shifted towards entrepreneurial ways of city government. According to
Oudensampsen as quoted in Peck (2012) Amsterdam’s creativity policies may be seen as an:
“expression of a more general shift towards entrepreneurial modes
of city government . . . InAmsterdam . . . this creative branding may appear modest in its
budget but is actually extensive in its effects”. Meaning that the creative branding of the city of
Amsterdam seems to be modest but the effects reach very far. In Amsterdam creativity policies
contribute to the enlarging and consolidation of the culturally normalized neoliberal-urban rule (Peck,
2012). Creativity does not only fit the cultural context of cities like Amsterdam, it - generally speaking
- fits the political-economic setting of neoliberalizing cities. Creativity has gotten used to living with a
global sense of existential insecurity, or, as Peck (2012, p. 482) states it, “it has been fashioned to
coexist” with this feeling. Not only in Amsterdam creativity policies have been growing, it is a more
global phenomenon. Also in Berlin, Baltimore, Beijing, Montreal, Melbourne, Mumbai, Auckland and
Abu Dhabi the neoliberal, flexible policies are put to practice more. According to Peck (2012) this
global trend does not lie in the policy message itself but it can be explained because of the attraction of
the creativity fix for urban policymakers. The creativity fix comes down to soft-disciplinary modes of
28
creative governmentality based on 24/7 productivity, never ending innovation and prescribed
individualism (Peck, 2007). It can be regarded as a deliberate expansion of space and time for
creativity through policies.
Currid (2006) discussed benefits for the city in her research about New York. She states that
creative cities become more and more important for city economies nowadays. A fairly recent
developed framework that explains the dominance of certain global regions or cities over others is the
importance of creativity. She states that New York City’s diversity of creativity gives it the ability to
recreate and generate the ideas and innovation that drive its economy. The results of her research
reveal that what makes New York City really a unique, competitive global city is not the fact that the
financial sector is so great. It is the fact that New York City is a center of creativity. There is proof that
there are substantial economic and innovative benefits to bringing creativity to a city center. To have
artists involved in local urban and economic development can have positive effects and advantages in
the fields of education, civic participation and obtaining a more diverse local economy, according to
Jakob (2013). Artists and cities: it appears here, there is a reciprocal relation between them.
Obviously artists move to cities of which they think they will benefit. Creative artists’ migration
decisions are based on push and pull factors, as can be found in Bennett (2010). The push factors may
be: limited opportunities or geographical isolation. The pull factors may be: experience, identity,
networks and being drawn to more established industries or clusters of activity. Bennett (2010)
mentions that despite similarities, there is a difference between creative artists and the creative class in
general, for the creative class is drawn mostly towards friends and family. Whereas artists would move
away from them to find a location where they can produce work and enhance their artistic skills. A
short explanation of the distinction between the creative class and artists can be made by referring to
Alfken et al. (2013). First of all, artists are a subgroup of the creative class. Yet, they are
heterogeneous in their occupation, there is much variety within the group related to production and
consumption. As an example, visual artists or writers are more capable to move their work over long
distances without re-locating. On the opposite end, performing artists or musicians have to, to a certain
degree, co-locate to where the consumer is. More diversity within this group of artists is in their
preferences for working styles. Writers and visual artists regularly produce work alone, performing
artists and musicians often will need to collaborate to become successful. For these reasons it makes
sense that visual artists and writers have less factors to take into consideration when choosing a
location to live and work. Whereas musicians and performing artists would tend more towards
producing in close proximity to other artists. As mentioned before, a greater number of artists is
present in global cities today and this condition is another benefit for artists and another reason to
work and live in the setting of a big city. Disused industrial spaces are locations where artists like to
settle, a low-cost of living is what they need, and this can be found in bigger cities like for example
29
Barcelona in the 1990s (Martí-Costa & Miguel, 2012). More about Barcelona as a creative city in the
next item.
5.10.
The case of Barcelona
Florishing after the 1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona became an example for other cities across the
globe in the field of governance and management. After the games the city council focused on
encouraging efficiency and facilitating public-private partnerships in the development of planning
policies (Martí-Costa & Miguel, 2012). The side-effect was that private agents obtained an
increasingly large influence in the development of the city. The strategy for economic development at
that moment in time aimed mainly at tourism by increasing the cultural offers in the city. Culture
became huge for the city. For example, in 1995, the Cultural Institute of Barcelona was funded as an
institution that aimed to uncover and respond to the needs of the cultural life in the city. In practice, its
ability to act has proven to be limited and there were struggles of interests with other actors in the city.
The 22@ district project was developed in times of crisis and increasing tourist movements, the
project was to transform the old industrial area of Poblenou into a technology area. In this area there
were to be a mix of different housing types, economic activities, and social facilities like public
libraries, health centers and also universities. This urban shift had to do with an event that attempted
to repeat the success of the Olympic Games. This event was the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures.
During this period, however, the city forgot to forge consensus with the public. Instead, they focused
on economic growth and private interests. The Poblenou neighbourhood in Barcelona before this
intervention consisted of: an urban landscape with a discontinuous industrial land area that was spread
over zones but still central, a large diversity of activities, an increase in abandoned buildings from
different periods of time and the existence of an active neighbourhood movement, and an associative
network located in the historic heart of Poblenou. As the plan to rezone the industrial areas was pushed
through, the new situation was that the presence and activity of artists in Poblenou fell exponentially.
According to Martí-Costa & Miguel (2012) various factors were to blame. They were summarized as
follows: a small degree of cohesion between many spaces, a change in attitudes of land owners and a
lack of public policy oriented in favor of cultural activities. The wrong type of intervention and
policies can thus lead to a creative city in despair, as this example shows.
30
6. Research strategy and methods applied
As a part of an inductive approach a case study has been done so that one can use case analyses to
demonstrate theory. A case study of an event or organization is known to offer possibilities, as can be
found in Schüßler & Sydow (2012, p. 19). They explain that in terms of research methods,
participating in events as a researcher may be a part of a larger ethnographic research project; or the
event analysis itself may stand as a ‘mini-ethnography’ in the context of a document-based or
quantitative field analysis. Organized events are ideal occasions for conducting both formal and
informal interviews. When dealing with repeated events, an ongoing interview relationship may be
established with certain field members (Garud, 2008). Events themselves typically produce a large
array of documents such as presentations or minutes, as well as audiovisual data that can be used as a
document data base. These have been used and studied in this research. The chapter in Schüßler &
Sydow (2012) sees events as unique ‘spaces for play’ during which several research methods can be
applied. A combination of observation, survey and interviewing is what had been aimed for to apply.
Also, the assumption that several moments of measurements would be fruitful to suit the subquestions had been there. Three moments would have been thought to be useful to have a view on the
experiences from artist and management side before the event, during the event and after the event.
This had not worked out as expected, different views have been gathered, yet, different moments of
measurements turned out to be complicated. It appeared that there would not have been much
additional findings based on multiple interviews per respondent since respondents had been
demonstrating pretty fixed attitudes. In the case of Künstlerhaus Bethanien, the artists are offered the
chance to have individual exhibition events; this would mean that the research would become a more
continuing stream of contact moments, either observing or interviewing. In practice, one of the artists
from Bethanien had been spoken with twice, the same comments as during the first interview had been
expressed. Also, opposed from what has been stated in the research proposal, property owners and city
planners have not been spoken to. In practice it turned out to be too much of a challenge to reach them
and so the focus shifted more towards artists that were available for interviewing.
6.1. Sample strategy
The artist respondents have been selected based on a random within sample strategy. Both
international and local artists are of value for this research because local artists can also offer insights
in artist experiences in projects. The distinction between local and international artists has turned out
to be less easy to perceive than expected, local artist had been just as much abroad as the international
ones. Perhaps this is because artists pretty much travel around to gain experience and develop
themselves. Other organizations than the Bethanien have been contacted but that did not turn out to be
a success. However, in the end a diverse group of 10 artists had been addressed through a combination
31
of a snowballing method and random selection. Respondents had been asked to suggest artists possibly
willing to cooperate. Also, possible potential respondents were approached during events that were
attended. To ensure validity, it was one of the criteria that the international artist had not to come all
from the same nation. As it turned out, mostly male artists participated, they seemed to be
overrepresented when compared to females. The plan had been to select individuals from management
levels from different ethnicities and age-groups. As it turned out there was hardly any selection
procedure from the researcher’s side, for the offer was very scarce, especially on the management
level.
6.2. Data collection
Because Berlin has been visited from the 16th of March until the 14th of August, there has been a large
timeframe to conduct the research. There have been many events in Berlin in summer that attracted
international creative artists and therefore suited the research. Some different type of data have been
collected during that entire period. Schüßler & Sydow (2012, p. 15) state that observing an organized
event allows for observing unusual encounters and creative processes at work. Furthermore, studying
the organization of events may offer new insights regarding organizing and managerial practices in
(temporary) creative organizations. Starting from a selection of possible events or locations to conduct
the research that was made before departure the data collection took place. As was expected, the main
data collecting has taken place at ‘Künstlerhaus Bethanien’ that offers an artist-in-residence
programme with workspaces for professional artists and exhibition spaces. In addition, their artistic
director provided names of artists that might have been willing to cooperate, and a few of these
actually did. In addition to the organization that had already given permission for the investigation
several other organizations have been visited in order to come to a fuller understanding. Before
departure, one organization of interest had been ‘Colonia Nova’, a relatively young artist colony which
offers 12 studios. It is similar to Künstlerhaus Bethanien in the sense that it also aims to function as
international art centres by means of artists’ exchange and at both these centres’ exhibitions take place
on a regular basis. However, this organization has not been willing to offer any data. As briefly
mentioned before, in Neukölln there has been an event at the end of June named ’48 Stunden
Neukölln’, this is an event that was set up to increase the awareness of the different ethnicities living
in the area. Artists can apply to exhibit at the event. The festival is based upon the initiatives and
participation of artists. There have been several other events that have been attended such as ‘The
Karneval der Kulturen’ and a book release party where new interviewees were contacted. In the
chapter ‘Field Research’ an overview of the activities during the sojourn in Berlin can be found.
Pfiffer (2012, p. 259) defines a person’s creativity as the total sum of the creativity of the
products that he or she has created. No single measure can tap into “trait creativity” is what Pfiffer
(2012) states. A combination of measurements using varied methods is expected to produce a more
32
comprehensive assessment of a person’s creativity. For this cause, Pfiffer (2012, p. 263) advices the
use of unstructured or semi-structured interviews which allow the researcher to collect precious
information about an individual’s creativity that would not be found using more impersonal methods.
Semi-structured interviews had been developed for both the respondents on the artist side and on the
management side. The interviews had been structured in a way that the sub questions were to be
answered by exploring the features that had been expected to play a role, and additional narratives that
appeared relevant received attention and time.
In order to reach a deeper and more thorough understanding of the cultural dynamics in urban
contexts a framework is needed. Complexity Theory (CT) is not a single isolated theory, on the
contrary it has been explored with the study of complex adaptive systems (CAS) in diverse and
divergent fields (Comunian, 2010). Originally the theory has been developed within scientific
disciplines, recently it has also been adopted in social studies. This development means that complex
social systems, such as cities and institutions, show resemblance to other complex systems.
Complexity Theory may be of use when investigating the evolution and development of complex
adaptive systems or how individual agents function in different environments. As Comunian (2010)
mentions, CT has not yet been widely adopted in social and economic geography. However, all
systems (CAS) that do not have elements that interact in a linear way can be explored using CT. In the
cultural field, the very first step of the process makes perfect sense, it identifies the human and the
non-human agents. Thus, in this case, non-human elements can be specific locations, ideas or
productions which can influence a city’s cultural development. What makes studying complex
adaptive systems in the cultural field through CT even more appropriate is that it is an open system.
For this reason external elements that influence the cultural field in a particular city should also be
taken into consideration. During this research Complexity Theory functions as a looking glass which
reminds us of the numerous aspects of cultural dynamics to be taken into consideration during this
research.
33
6.3. Participants
On the following pages several tables will be presented, the tables all provide descriptive features of
the respondents in this research. After these tables a figure that represents the field-research as
conducted in practice is shown. Table 1 contains the individual description of all (artists as well as art
managers) participants in this research. The names have been anonymized due to privacy reasons.
Table 1. Participant description
Respondent
Name
Nationality
Occupation
Age
Time spent in
Berlin
1
C. T.
German
Management
59
Since 1976
2
O. K.
Swiss
Artist
42
Since 4 years
3/10
S. S.
Australian
Artist
34
1 year
4
R. S.
German
Artist
50
Since 1984
5
V. L.
German
Artist
51
Since 1989
6
C. L.
German
Artist
38
Since 2013
7
Dr.M. S., T. S.
German
Management
34
Since 2009
35
Since 2001
8
A. H.
German
Management
Since 2003
9
C. K.
Dutch
Management
Since 2010
11
A. B.
Dutch
Artist
29
Since 2009
12
B. S.
American
Artist
30
Since 2007
13
M. P.
French
Artist
29
Since 2007
14
J. C.
Portuguese
Artist
40
Since 2011
15
P. P.
Polish
Artist
29
Since 2010
16
N. G.
German born
Management
Since 2008
in Berlin
34
6.4. Types of artists
The artists who have been interviewed all have their specific area of expertise. In table 2 the diversity
in their area of expertise as an artist is listed.
Table 2. Artist description (missing numbers are described in management description)
Respondent
Name of artist
Type of artist
2
O. K.
Painting
3
S. S.
Sculptural construction
4
R. S.
Visual artist
5
V. L.
Multi-disciplinary , most famous for sculptures
6
C. L.
Multi-disciplinary
11
A. B.
Painting, Collage
12
B. S.
Multi-disciplinary
13
M. P.
Painting
14
J. C.
Painting
15
P. P.
Multi-disciplinary
35
6.5. Management
In table 3 the different organizations that took part in the research are described. Again, the
organizations have been anonymized here.
Table 3. Management description
Respondent:
Institution:
Description:
1
Organization A.
An artist-in-residence program with workspaces for
professional artists and exhibition spaces.
Commercial institution with support from the State
of Berlin.
7
Organization B.
Local district decentralized festival that also attracts
international audience. Community initiative,
participators work on voluntary basis.
8
Organization C.
Third location of fully independent commercial
gallery Eigen Art. Project space that gives space to
introduce new positions.
9
Organization D.
Commercial gallery with a focus on young
international artists. Interest from New York to
Berlin served as one of the motivations to found the
gallery/project space.
16
Organization E.
Department from the municipality responsible for
project fundings and scholarschips for artists
involved in visual arts, performing arts, literature
and music in Berlin. Support the existence of
project spaces.
36
6.6. Field Research
18.3 Arrival
26.3 R1
27.3 R2
28.3 R3
Jewish Museum
8.4 R4
11.4 R5
Book release
party
Gallery
Weekend
5.5 R6
8.5 R7
9.5 R8
16.5 R9
Photography
Playground
27.5 R10
28.5 R11
Karneval der
Kulturen
14.6 R12
Leipzig visit
12.7 R15
11.7 R14
Feel festival
1.7 R13
48H Neukölln
Hamburg visit
8.8 R16
14.8 Departure
Figure 1. Field research
activities
37
6.7. Research quality indicators
To ensure legitimacy of the research all interviews have been recorded and transcribed. The qualitative
data have resulted in a collection of transcripts from individual interviews. Questions had been woven
through the interview, however, the interviews had been designed in a way that it would provide more
broad narratives from the respondents’ side than merely an answer routine to the question. All
recorded interviews have been first listened to multiple times, then analyzed into common themes,
after which categories and patterns had been explored. Open coding has been applied to represent
categories, this coding was based on the sub questions per category (divided into artist and
management). Subcategories had been developed according to common themes that came up when
dealing with the sub questions. To report and archive observations and informal meetings attended,
notes had been taken on the spot immediately afterwards. The field notes often served as a reminder to
save contact data. However, the general feeling about Berlin which artists communicated to the
researcher have also been written down, later on these observations supported the transcriptions. Also,
after every interview a brief summary of the most striking results has been written down.
The quality of the research is guaranteed by taking into account the following aspects:
The construct validity has been maintained by basing the assumptions on the literature that is
available and if none was available, plausible working definitions were created that will be precisely
defined in the text.
The internal validity has been assured by approaching a culturally diverse group of
individuals with different backgrounds and individual stories.
The external validity has been guaranteed by approaching a mixed group of respondents and
visiting other events than the central event in order to complement the data when, for example, no
local artists would be found within a particular event. According to Blommaert & Dong (2010, p. 13)
the case method makes generalization perfectly possible because: “your data instantiate a case, and
such a case belongs to a larger category of cases.” Also, unique events, according to Blommaert &
Dong (2010) can reveal a lot about the big things in society. A single case-study with a double
perspective is expected to show mechanisms at work that occur throughout society.
The reliability has been guaranteed by taking into account socially desirable answers by, for
example, all management levels concerning equal treatment of artists/discrimination.
38
7. Results
The sub questions to gain insights into the artists, were the following:
1. What has motivated artists to come to Berlin?
2. How do artists experience/perceive their work in Berlin?
3. How do artists look back at the experience? (Evaluation)
The sub questions to gain insight into the role of management, have been the following:
1. What motivates cultural managers to attract international artists?
2. How do cultural managers select artists that are allowed to enter your
organization/participate in the project/event?
3. What do cultural managers do, in terms of management, in order to facilitate the artists’
stay?
4. How do cultural managers evaluate the project? (Financially, Artist experiences, Marketing,
effects on city district, side-effects)
7.1. Artists
In this section the perspectives of the artists regarding the different sub questions will be presented.
Results have been organized per sub question first and hereafter thematically. The themes that are
presented are chosen because of their presence in all interviews.
7.1.1.
What has motivated the artist respondents to come to Berlin?
Big city features
The biggest pull factor of Berlin to artists is its recognition as a big city. As one of the interviewees
mentioned: not a chaotic one, but a city where a lot happens and an extensive public transportation
system is being used (R15). As R15 explains: “Being in Toronto for those three months was like okay
it’s the biggest city in Canada it’s one of the biggest cities in North America. And it’s still it just felt so
small, villagy like the art world and it was like…”, this experience made him realize he could not stay
there. The same kind of feeling was felt by respondent 2:
39
“…if there’s a place that I feel I’m connected to and I feel that I’m part of it’s Israel much more than
Germany. Ehm, but, it’s small. It’s a small country, seven million people live in Israel. The art scene is
tiny…”
As another respondent who was Dutch (R11) explained: “What I found super relaxed is that the city is
build that wide, like big but also wide, the sideways here are as wide as an entire street in
Amsterdam”.1 Thanks to the size of the city, which is perceived to be huge, there is the overall
assumption that life is easier. The quote by R6 shows this experience clearly: “…Berlin is just much
bigger, you have much more opportunities”. One of the German artists who has been interviewed
shared this experience of the city; R5 clarified that one can have everything in Berlin. According to
him (R5) you can actually disappear for two years without having to physically leave the city. A
unique combination, hardly to be found anywhere else is the combination of “Time and space…”
according to respondent 14.
Geographical location
Furthermore, its centrality is highly valued. Not only central in the sense of geographic location, as
one of the interviewees mentioned, the reason why he cannot live in Australia anymore is because it is
too isolated and far away from anything (R3), “So that’s kind of the main reason why I don’t live in
Australia… the distance and the isolation..” Most of the artists who have been interviewed are very
active across borders, selling or exhibiting their work internationally. Berlin is for many their base and
working place but it enables them to show elsewhere also. Respondent 2 explains: “It’s close to Tel
Aviv you know, it’s just four hours flying so it’s kind of I have, yeah I can do I can work as an artist
and show as an artist in Tel Aviv and in Berlin.” The opportunity of having time and space to create
their works in Berlin is what all artists value. If they do not manage to exhibit in the city, they take
their work elsewhere, as respondent 13 does. She was showing in Berlin more often several years ago
but now is returning more to her French roots. All artists have their own strategies function within the
Berlin cityscape. According to respondent 11: “… in the end, Berlin offers more opportunities than the
Netherlands, if you sell in the Netherlands.”2
International art world
Also, Berlin is central in the sense of the international art world. It is very important and buzzing at the
moment, (R2) “In terms of the artworld, the international artworld, it’s very very central today, I mean
Original text: “Wat ik heel relaxt vond is dat het zo breed is opgezet, zo groot is opgezet maar ook zo
breed een stoep hier is net zo breed als een hele straat in Amsterdam”
2
Original text: “Berlijn toch uiteindelijk meer kansen biedt dan Nederland, als je in Nederland
verkoopt”
40
1
it’s really important.” The Berlin art world seems to have its own way of functioning, it is a process of
organic growth. Respondent 12 explains what he likes about doing group collaborations: “At least
allows you to play with the aspect of identity” As respondent 15 explains about his collaboration with
a gallery that supports him: “When those things happen that confirms okay I’m in the right city,
because it’s like I think I the other major issue is that it’s like there’s this like wall removed for as like
if it was in London or New York I feel like there would be so much more distance and tension
between people. So it’s like (between institutions and artists?) yeah and you know like if I had worked
you know if I had done like hard work at a gallery in New York it’s just like no one would ever be like
o yeah I’m gonna come for a studio visit.” This thought of Berlin being the right city is experienced
by many artists, including respondent 4, an originally German artist. He stated: “So, even then I
wanted to go to Berlin per se, only to Berlin, I only applied here” 3
People
The people living and working in Berlin function as a force of attraction for newcomers, if everyone in
the field is working there it makes sense to do so as well. The people and the international art world
are a bit overlapping concepts. However, people also refer to individuals who belong more to the
urban landscape than to the art world. As is captured by this explanation from R12: “A good friend of
mine referred to Berlin as eh ‘a land of broken toys’ in a sense that people that don’t feel comfortable
or at home or normal in their given {surroundings} they end up here.” These interesting people create
a cool atmosphere to work in, he explained. Cultural coexistence in a cityscape is in this case a
deliberate choice, for it is based on the diversity among individuals in the city and also on the cultural
diversity within the cityscape itself.
Social insurance
A next attractive feature of the city of Berlin for artists is that it offers the Kunst Sozialkasse. The
official recognition of their work being difficult makes the city more suitable to live and work in for
artists (R14). Not all of the artists knew about this Kunst Sozialkasse in advance but some of them
found out through friends. The Kunst Sozialkasse is responsible for the artists social insurances and
since 1983 independent artists and publicists are protected by allowing them to pay less social
insurances as can be found on http://www.kuenstlersozialkasse.de/. Despite this governmental support,
overall the bureaucratic ways in Germany are not valued entirely positively. Respondent 13:
“…always this steuer and blabla we have so much to do here, I mean everywhere but Berlin I think is I
don’t know…”
Original text: “Also, ich wollte auch damals unbedingt nach Berlin, und nur hierhin ich habe mich
auch nur einmal beworben.“
3
41
Openness
The feeling of openness and the idea that no one asks you to defend yourself is appreciated by artists
and it draws them to the city. Some of the artists started out as living and working in Germany some
other location but came to realize when in Germany, where else than in Berlin should an artist go?
(R14). “This feeling of openness, for me as an artist, was very attractive” is what R2 says about it.
What respondent 12 says he can enjoy in Berlin is the fact that: “…Being both gay and Hispanic it’s
like I’m two steps removed but for me, it made me, I think this sounds really weird but I still believe
it, I’m something special, exotic!” As was discussed in the literature before, diversity and openness
coexist with tolerance, however, we will find later that one of the respondents has experienced a lack
of tolerance in practice.
Additional
The cheap rent mentioned by some as a decisive factor to go to Berlin is named a “fake magnet” by
respondent 14 because prices are definitely changing and some people even fear Berlin will be the
next London or Paris
. Respondent 10 said that Berlin fits because of his “…idea of having a sustainable lifestyle, that I
want to have” There are artists who simply end up in Berlin by accident, because they were for
example taking a break for a few months from a busy city like New York and then actually never
managed to leave anymore (R12). Another example of an accidental stay like this is respondent 11: his
partner got offered a job and then they spontaneously moved together over one weekend. There is a
large group of individuals who look for their fortune in the city, whether they actually found it will be
discussed in the next chapter. As respondent 13 mentioned, —she originates from an artist family and
was always interested in art — after she moved to Berlin and had a mini-job she discovered how easy
it was to become an artist in Berlin, and then decided to become an artist herself. “So I decided to be
an artist myself, too.” Initially, the question about motivations could have been researched in a broader
context to explore what motivates the mobility of artists in the first place. However, due to the line of
questioning and introducing the topics the results are found to be strictly related to the decision to
move to Berlin specifically. The features that served as a force of attraction may however also be
found in other cities and due to that similarity comparisons may be made. Only one comment could be
placed in a broader context initially, the comment by respondent 14 “But just move, I think that it’s
good!”: it was given as a piece of life advice. More effects of the line of questioning will be discussed
in the limitations section.
42
7.1.2.
How do the artist respondents experience/perceive their work in Berlin?
When interviewing ten individuals about their experiences as an artist one could say that it is purely a
matter of subjective experiences. However, since actually all of these artists have worked and lived in
diverse international cityscapes, any conclusion on generalizable patterns or even the way they report
about their Berlin experiences can be viewed upon as relatively justified.
City of opportunities
Berlin has proved to offer loads of opportunities for those who are making an effort of their selves. It
is a matter of creating one’s own possibilities; as far as the optimistic artists are concerned it’s a matter
of how R11 puts it “making possibilities yourself too!” 4The so-called breaking through, or at least
getting by, thanks to the production of art works, largely depends on how active and “out there”
himself the artist is. In the wordings of respondent 8: “they’re not coming knocking on your door and
so that doesn’t change if there’s less people in the city or so” Another factor that determines whether
one becomes successful in Berlin as an artist is the capability of self-promoting. Self-promoting is a
very important asset, R11 explains that many people come to Berlin because they think success comes
naturally here, but this is not true. Respondent 14 explains that this is his weak spot, self-promotion:
“The plan that’s my problem no, it’s my futility, I’m not good to promote myself, I’m not good to
think about what I’m doing after to create some body of understanding about my work in order to
seduce other ones.” With this statement the Portuguese respondents meant that he struggles to make
others aware of the message he tries to convey through his work. Generating specific funding for
initiatives depends on networking is what respondent 2 explained, he calls it to “find money” Most of
the artists have experienced this networking pressure, it is a genuine part of the game to attract
collectors and draw attention to your work. It most certainly comes more natural to some than for
others. However, if one works hard on it, the benefits can easily be detected. An example of this is
shown by the statement of respondent 15: “…like I’ve only ever had one job where I actually applied
randomly. Didn’t know anyone there, and got the job. Every other job I had it’s like, I knew
someone.” Related to the geographical location as a motivation to artists, in practice, this centrality, in
the sense of being able to travel to family or friends turned out to be highly convenient also.
Respondent 15 experienced neighbouring nation Poland as convenient for he sees this nation as his
muse. Berlin gives access to that, but distance at the same time distance because he does not actually
live there. Respondent 11 shows a fascination for Romania, which is easily accessible from Berlin.
Also, respondent 14 mentions about travelling to London: “The journeys are really cheap, and I go
often to see exhibitions and see to have some work-reason to go.” One of the few interviewed artists
with a native German background who shared his experiences with international artists. He (R5) said
4
Original text: ‘’Je kan altijd zelf hmm mogelijkheid maken ook!’’
43
that working with international artists was funnier, they were, according to him, more open and less
competitive. Respondent 15 sums up some big city advantages: “It also facilitates like, you know me
having a space to work in like being able to have access to supplies”
Gratefulness
There are different sides to every story because as respondent twelve mentioned: “I’ve stopped doing
work with the anticipation of it being sold, because that’s the idea, you can’t bet on anything” Many
call it a matter of luck and being at the right place at the right time. Yet, a general feeling rules among
international artists in Berlin. It is a feeling of gratefulness and gratitude to have been given the
opportunity to live and work in the city. As respondent 13 says: “I just can say I’m happy to be in
Berlin it’s I’m lucky to be here, yeah.” and respondent 12: “I’m just thankful that I have the luxury of
my space and doing the work you know that’s all I can ask for right now” and respondent 5: “…not
thinking about leaving Berlin anymore…” A general positive energy is what is exuded by the artists in
Berlin. Despite this general positivism, there are concerned voices as well. Some are afraid of things
changing over time, like respondent 14: “this city is really it’s become really really posh and goes in
the direction of London and Paris, Stockholm in a few years I guess.”
Not easy
Connected to the multiple advantages of working and living in a big city and the perceived illusion of
more opportunities most respondents also admitted that as they experienced it, it is perhaps on the
contrary, it is definitely not easy to work in Berlin. One artist moved to Berlin with two kids and this
made his first year pretty rough. Also, this same artist was represented by a well-respected gallery
when he started in Germany and it did not work out, so he practically had to start over and push
through. As he explains (R2):
‘’I worked with a very big gallery when we moved here, in the North of Germany in Bielefeld, and it’s
it was very promising I had a very big show there and they invested a lot and then it just, my show
opened 2009 which was horrible in terms of financial crisis.’’
That example shows one of the main struggles that most Berlin based artists face: that of finding an
appropriate gallery to represent them. As respondent 13 explained, the galleries are either too big to
represent them, so they would only show names that are given space anywhere anyway or too small,
which would imply according to respondent 13 that no one actually buys there. As she stated: “I don’t
want to look for places to exhibit anymore, it was too hard in Berlin and stuff” This interviewee
however does have an upcoming show in France.
What was implicitly mentioned as a motive to come to Berlin, tolerance, because it is related
to openness and diversity, it is not experienced in the same degree by all respondents. As mentioned
44
by all respondents, as well as experienced by the researcher living in the city for over four months, in
Berlin one can go around and it does not matter what one looks like: there is an overall accepting
audience in the city where the most special people of the world seem to have gathered together.
Related to that subject, only one of the interviewees mentioned a negative experience. This comment
was related to the disappointment he had related to what he defined as friendships. R14: “You tolerate,
toleration, tolerance is part of a friendship and if you are if you get annoyed with something that
doesn’t have any importance if you put it in relative positions than days after you laugh about this
shit.”
7.1.3.
How do artists look back at the experience? (Evaluation)
Despite the fact that an evaluation is usually given after an experience which has come to an end, most
of the artists (all but one) remained Berlin based after the interview. However, they are still asked to
report on the city while making use of evaluative criteria.
Welcomes all
When asked how they would evaluate Berlin as a city to live and work in, all the respondents brought
up positive and negative aspects of the city that they experienced. A feeling of ‘welcoming all’ as was
mentioned before already was experienced by all of the respondents. Respondent 4 put this into the
wording: “Berlin accepts with a great pleasure all people, where they are from does not matter”5 As a
result of this, there seem to be more interesting people than in other places. Respondent 12 says about
this: “You have all these like people that felt weird at other places {their owns?} coming here creates a
really cool environment. That what I was amazed by. You can go out and meet a lot of really,
interesting people.” In addition he takes it one step further saying that the city is full of strange people
but the good thing about it: “It’s a really amazing place like no one asks you to defend yourself here”
This experience is backed up by R11, he says that people allow each other space but if a person
crosses a line they speak up. Certainly there are opposite voices, such as the respondent mentioned
before who was disappointed in friendships. This respondent, R14 experienced that: “Some people are
not, are rude and I don’t like it.” The city might look very rough, “bad” 6as mentioned by R11, in
practice it is very “good” Despite an increase in rent prices, the prices are still lower than in other
major cities. Respondent 2 is only one of the individuals who encountered these differences “Rent
prices in Berlin much lower than in Tel Aviv, ehh much lower than New York, much lower than
5
6
Original text: ‚‘‘Berlin, erstmal alle Leuten egal von wo Sie herkommen herzlich aufnehmt‘‘
Original text: “Hier ziet alles er slecht uit maar is het heel goed!”
45
London.” Respondent 12 experienced in specific a type of “Berlin transit”, people stay for a period
between 3 months and a year and then leave. He also noticed that quite often, within half a year they
would come back and say “…oh London sucks”. One of the great attractive forces of Berlin, are the
people passing through the city. Respondent 10 sums this up nicely: “One of the main really good
things, is just the kind of amount of people that come through Berlin, curators and things like this”
Financial/political situation
Technically, in Berlin there is not much money. Berlin mainly offers chances when artists and
galleries can sell their work abroad. Respondent 15 spoke explicitly about when galleries can be
successful. In his eyes it is when “…they do fairs and they have clients outside of Berlin.” During an
interview, respondent 11 mentioned how rent prices doubled over the last four years. As one of the
German respondents, respondent 5 explained, the problem with Berlin is that “You can live an
amazing life… but what you don’t have here is a reliable economic situation…” The bureaucracy in
Germany, or as respondent 12 preferred to name it the “paperbeast Germany”, will take up a lot of
time. Respondent 12, not happy about the bureaucracy did speak specifically praising about the
German concept of “feierabend”: previously he worked in New York so to him this luxury of free time
was a revelation. Later, probably the most distractive part of the city, which is the nightlife that never
stops, will be discussed in more detail.
Cityscape
The urban environment of Berlin makes it more easy for artists to perform their job. An artist can
relatively easily find the time and the space to produce work, as explained by respondent 13: “I’m very
happy to be here, I think it’s in Berlin it’s a great life to live. We are very free and that’s in Europe is
very rare.” Respondent 12 adds to that that especially the combination of free time, free space and
being allowed to enjoy these things are such a unique feature of Berlin. Respondent 15 pointed out that
the degree in which supplies are available in Berlin, and the fact that one does not have to travel half a
day to reach these supplies, is an amazing advantage over a city such as London. The city has an
appearance of “fake decay” 7, as respondent 11 puts it. Apparently, that appearance attracts creative
individuals, most of them did feel in some way or another inspired by the cool environment they lived
in (R15, R12). Those who are no longer stimulated enough by just Berlin go on study trips abroad,
such as respondent 11 explained. The international artists in Berlin who have been interviewed, are all
still very much in movement, however, they all demonstrate a significant attachment to Berlin. The
sentiment that respondent 5 expresses, was common: “I’m always happy when I’m abroad for a little
while that I am living in Berlin”
7
Original text: ‘’Het is een soort valse verpaupering’’
46
Distraction
However, it’s not all peaches to work and live in Berlin, there are many dangers and seductions
lurking around the corner. One of the interviewees, respondent 12, specifically explained: “If you
don’t have anything to do or if you’re not self-directed you won’t do a damn thing.” It is even for
those who really try hard a challenge to earn a livelihood from arts. There appears to have been a
significant increase of one specific type of artist, the “typical random young Berlin artist”, as
respondent 15 named it. It is a well-known type that only goes out and parties while looking like an
artist and getting entirely sucked into this scene. With as a predictable outcome, not a single
production over a course of several years. Related to this party life, some people experience that Berlin
can be heavy. Respondent 14 gave an explanation for this in a two-fold answer. The first reason for
Berlin being heavy is because of the drug abuse in the city, people are just there for an experience and
they do not care what gets in their way. The second reason for Berlin being heavy would be because of
the impermanency of people in the city, people just come and take what they want from it.
(R15): “You know, the typical random young Berlin artist, where it’s like, like one that I’ve known for
two years, it’s like has done nothing. (at all?) At all! He’ll like start oh I’ll start this painting and then
doesn’t finish it.”
7.2. Management
After the discussion of the sub questions on the artist side, now the sub questions that relate to the
management perspective that have been investigated will be discussed. In this section the perspectives
of the respondents representing the management levels regarding the different sub questions will be
presented. Results have been organized per sub question first and hereafter thematically. The themes
that are presented are chosen due to either their presence in all interviews or their presence in specific
management levels.
7.2.1.
What motivates cultural managers to attract international artists?
Different types of institutions and initiatives have been approached in order to obtain management
insights. They have been briefly described in the chapter Management under Research strategy and
methods applied. They have been asked about their interest in attracting international artists and what
their core motivations were to attract international artists. Based on the interviews a differentiation can
be made between four different types of institutions or initiatives. The first level is one of city
47
management, where projects are developed to support artists. This is the level that represents the aims
and interests of the municipality of Berlin. The second level is at the level of a district management
initiative, that has been funded by the community for the community. The third level is the level of
private galleries. To conclude with a final group that consists of one private gallery that receives
additional support by the federal state of Berlin.
From the first level, represented by organization E, there was a short answer related to this sub
question. The jury does not differentiate between nationality so there is no specific motivation to
attract international artists. They do support in specific a certain type of artists as can be illustrated by
this quote of respondent 16: “We have a more narrow understanding of artists in the sense of visual
artists, so your painters your what else are there, sculptures and eh film artists your writers your
dancers and theatre performers, authors and so forth.” More about the selection procedure will be
revealed in the discussion of the next sub question.
Discourse in media
The second level is represented by a district festival, organization B in this research, 48H Neukölln.
The festival has been funded to improve the image of arts in the district. For, after a very negative
publication in ‘Der Spiegel’ about the district, everyone spoke negatively of it, the reputation of the
district needed to be worked on. The statements of the two respondents have been combined under one
name, respondent 7, because they both represent the same initiative and they share the same
ideologies. As the two respondents representing the initiative explained “Every newspaper wrote bad
about Neukölln” In this situation both international and German artists were given a stage, in order to
get into the communities and interact with the people living in the district they explained. The goal of
the festival is not mainly to attract international artists but it is set up to bring a positive connotation to
the name of the district again. As respondent 7 stated: “This festival has been founded and em to aim
for a better reputation or a report which is more fair, which has a lot more fairness in it to show more
structures or more layers of the society in Neuköln.” Through this statement, the festival can be seen
as a direct response to the emergence of an unjust type of discourse applied by the media. This type of
discourse, in some opinions, captured a too narrow description of the district and did not provide a fair
image.
Alternative arts
The third level that is represented is that of the private galleries in Berlin. Based on several interviews
with individuals representing organization C and D, it became clear that showing artists with an
international background contributes to the effort to show new positions in their galleries. Respondent
8 states: “So this is ehm our experimental kind of place here where we try out new positions and
especially also international artists more…” There is an implied relation between internationality and
48
innovation or experimentation here. Project spaces administer the contribution of international artists
to confuse everybody again, because when visitors become aware of what a gallery does it is time to
start something new, accordingly to respondent 8. Significantly, respondent 9 experiences that many
young artists are attracted to the playground that is created with a project space. Their gallery mainly
attracts young artists from New York who want to try new positions and see if they work. Berlin, as
she explains, is seen as a good positive city where these young artists can work well. Respondent 9,
formerly employed in the Netherlands, experienced that in Berlin a lot more happens on an
international scale in the arts world. Furthermore, she says about the city: “…and I always liked the
city, very accessible, everything is possible…” 8 Showing alternative artists is the main driving force
of these galleries’ project spaces. Apparently ‘alternative’ implies ‘international’.
Financial support
The last level of management, represented by Künstlerhaus Bethanien, organization A, a private
institution that receives funding from the federal state, is also aiming at innovation by “…supporting
unknown projects unknown ideas of emerging artists.” respondent 1 stated. In addition to it being a
private institution it receives financial support for it is supported by the federal state of Berlin. The
artistic director of the institution explained that the institution can be viewed as functioning as an
important cultural political factor for the city of Berlin. Because the presence of the institution is
supporting the city in a way that it is continuously stimulating the Berlin art scene. The interest of the
institution lies in: “…bringing the discourses and ideas and concepts and different artistic languages
from different parts of the world to Berlin…” Due to the fact that the institution is functioning in this
manner as a “cultural breeding station” it makes sense that the federal state of Berlin is interested in
funding their activities, respondent 1 explained. Once more, the focus of this organization also is on
internationality. The same respondent also explained what he thought attracts the artists to Berlin. On
the first level, he describes it as the “touristic aspect” there is the urban climate and the history and the
museums. Then on the second level, he explained there are artists who have maybe been in Berlin
once and are interested in coming back to visit friends. Finally, he defines a category of artists who
decide to move here because of everything Berlin has to offer. In his words:
R(1): “… place for inspiration, place where you can meet permanently people from all over the world,
place where you can work under positive circumstances where you have a lot of green where you have
water where you have your bicycle, mostly it’s cheap you know you have not to pay so much for the
food…”
Original text: ‘’…en de stad vond ik ook altijd heel fijn ook heel makkelijk toegankelijk, alles kan
inderdaad.’’
8
49
Later on he adds the general climate of the city and the governmental support for artists as possible
factors that influence their residency in the city.
7.2.2.
How do cultural managers select artists that are allowed to enter your
organization/participate in the project/event?
Application procedure
In this section, the selection of artists shall be elaborated on, with a distinction between the different
management levels. At the municipality level, organization E, the artists are selected based on an
application that is judged by a jury. One can apply, and receive funding when selected only when
already registered in Berlin. Nationality does not play a role as is made clear by this statement by
respondent 16, representative of organization E: “For all of our programs, it is not, we don’t care about
your nationality we care about the fact that you are living in Berlin.”. However, they do make sure
there is a mixed group of individuals who receive funding. Every year, the jury is composed of
different people for each of the programs one can apply for, this jury consists of specialists in the field.
One of the other initiatives from this same organization is that of an annual project space price. One
can apply after showing some proof of activity, and the project space should be around for a few years.
Hereafter, a jury will visit the project space and decide then who deserves the price. About the process
she says: “It’s a regular jury based procedure” A special program has been developed that focuses on
supporting artists with a migratory background respondent 16, employee of organization E, explained.
Voluntary basis
The next level, of the district festival has a different selection procedure. Organization B thoroughly
tries to encourage artists to apply because they cannot even offer to pay for travelling expenses, as
explained by respondent 7. It even goes that far that the respondent states “…we have to see who’s
willing to take part in the festival…” This festival has no financial support so they are mostly
depending on who is willing to come without being granted payment. There is still an official
procedure that involves an application with a short presentation of their project and a limited amount
of words to be written. The selection is related to a yearly theme that holds the different projects
together, an application should fit into this theme. If the project seems to fit in with the aims of the
festival a jury will invite the selected ones.
50
Networking
The private galleries, organizations C and D, did not lay out a specific selection procedure. However
as respondent 8 explained, from the twenty artists who are involved in their main galleries none is
allowed to present their work in the experimental project space, the ‘lab’. Also, this organisation
initially started out their selection procedure by stating that the artists “…shouldn’t be Berlin-based at
all. However, they have changed this criterion because artists turned out to have already moved to
Berlin or to think about moving to Berlin once they had experienced it. So for now, respondent 8,
manager from organization C explains: “…we look about quality and then and open internationalwide, just look for quality, but this location where they have their studio is not as fixed anymore.” The
contributions related to the topic of selection procedure made by these two project spaces created the
impression that it leaves quite some space for a selection process based on subjective judgements. This
quote of respondent 8 demonstrates that: “…in practice it’s actually when we already we kind of like
to look for ourselves…” This is pretty much supported by respondent 9, representative of organization
C, who explains that finding a space is a mixture of networking, luck, being at the right place at the
right time and just working very hard. The desire to be experimental and innovative naturally
influences the process of selecting artists for the project space. Respondent 8 explains that: “You don’t
need to be young, in age. You just need to be kind of a young or a fresh position in mind and in our
infrastructure or something…”
Multi-level selection
The institution with federal state support, organization A, had a very clear multi-level selection
procedure. Respondent 1 explained that the application method here is a very extensive one. When
having written a great deal of words and attached one’s CV and all other required data, first of all one
must pass through a jury of specialists in one’s home country. The institution has partner organizations
scattered around the world. Because the aim is to come to achieve a globally diverse group of artists
this is surely taken in consideration next to all different quality indicators. As respondent 1,
representative of organization A states: “…we are interested to find these candidates in different parts
of the world.” For the artist-in-residence program they offer, the institution does not look for German
artists. They do approach German artists for other projects. Respondent 1 explains: “So there are also
German artists in our exhibition program but they are not working in the studios.” Previous year this
institution had received over 6000 applications on the first selection level. Only the top ten go through
to the next jury which is Berlin-based. It is in this jury meeting where they select and invite the
individuals who are welcome. The institution shows great interest in experimental projects, “…things
which are not following the mainstream…” This search for experimental projects is similar to what the
other management levels state to be interested in. Except for the first level which focusses on Berlin-
51
based artists, all the other organizations were found to link ‘experimental’ to ‘international’. The next
section will tell more what facilities the contracted artists can expect.
R(1): “I would say at first we are interested in projects…
…we are interested in experimental things…
…things which are not following the mainstream…
…we are interested to find these candidates in different part of the world.”
7.2.3.
What do cultural managers do, in terms of management, in order to facilitate the artists’
stay?
Field experience
How the artists are facilitated is somewhat different on the various levels of management but all the
respondents reached consensus on one responsibility. This responsibility is the sharing of experience
in the field, sharing of insights and simply explaining how everything works. As respondent 8, from
organization C explains: “What the lab does or what we experience here then that is actually what we
offer is our experience and they are really happy about that about insights and about just telling how it
works…”
Financial means
On the first management level, the city management level represented by organization E, other than
the sharing of experience in the field, mostly financial means are given to selected applicants.
Organization E offers for example the annual project space price, which is 30000 euros. The winning
project space is allowed to spend in on whatever they wish after having received it. Respondent 16
states: “The nice thing is they will get this thirty thousand euro and they can do whatever they want
with it.” An example of financial support was also given by respondent 9. She explained that when an
artist aspires to do a project for example with bronze works, the gallery is expected to finance the
project. Once the production has been sold the finances would be returned to the gallery. This type of
efforts obviously depend on the forces the gallery involved can rely on. Not a direct form of financial
means but it is a great deal of support in a different manner, namely, PR, i.e. presenting the artists to
the public. This service is provided by all management respondents, even the district festival can offer
this form of ‘payment’. The artist-in-residence institution goes as far as to produce an entire magazine
52
dedicated to the promotion of their artists. Respondent 1 explains: “Most of the books are given for
free to the artists for advertisements.” The artists can use the magazine to market themselves.
Nevertheless, respondent 1 explained that organization A needs to take the budget into consideration.
Space
The district festival can offer the exact opposite of mere financial support. Organization B can offer no
financial means but only the space to display the artist’s work and support in the form of offering
public relations and an audience for the artist. In the words of respondent 7: “And we can offer them
spaces and we can offer them and public relations and we give them an audience.” ‘Space’ is offered
by the private galleries, organizations C and D, also, in different shapes. There is usually a space to
exhibit. In addition, there can be an atelier available for the artist. Respondent 9 elaborates on this
option: “We don’t do that for every exhibition but it can be very convenient because then you do not
have to transport the productions from New York, which would cost the same in the end.”9 An artistin-residence initiative such as the one provided by organization A that receives funding from the
federal state of Berlin, takes it one step further, by combining work space and exhibition space
practically under the same roof. Certain artists in their program take up the low cost opportunity to
also live in their working space.
Translator
As one of the private galleries explained: the role of a gallery is to speak two languages. The language
of the artist and the language of the market, since these two groups depend on each other though they
do not understand each other fully. A gallery should function as a translator for both. This point is
made in this quote from respondent 8 from organization C:
“…the gallery is in between and who can explain because the market doesn’t really get the artists
either, so you’re the one with two languages and you kind of go forth and back.”
As respondent 8 goes further into the subject of artists and the market she calls it a crazy kind of
combination. This specifically due to this interdependence between free spirit art coming straight from
the soul on the one hand and the (cold) market on the other hand. An artist can feel lucky if he or she
is supported by the type of gallery that actively provides personal assistance in this process of
intermediation.
Original text: “…he dat is niet voor iedere tentoonstelling dat we dat doen maar het is op zich wel
heel handig want dan hoef je die werken niet allemaal over te brengen vanuit New York wat dan
evenveel zou kosten…”
9
53
Meetings
In order to provide this field experience, already mentioned at the start of this section, there must be a
certain type of contact between the artist and management. This contact may consist of meetings
(informal and formal) and advice given whenever needed in organization A that respondent 1
represents. Respondent 9 from organization D draws a comparison between artists and race horses. An
artist also has to be supported from the beginning to the end, this definitely includes communication in
all forms. Every little detail, such as transport and getting the final product to the customer, are also a
part of it. An evaluative perspective on the different initiatives and projects will be presented in the
next section.
7.2.4.
How do cultural managers evaluate the project?
Profit
The respondents who were active in the commercial art scene, respondent 1,8 and 9, respectively
representing organization A, C and D did not deny that part of their motivational efforts stemmed from
a plain expectation of a financial profit. As respondent 1 explained openly: “It’s absolutely
profitable…because uhm we are a private company you know so it’s not allowed to lose money…” A
more implicit way to gain economic benefits is applied by project spaces with alternative initiatives
that are not economically profitable, but that may still lead to beneficial consequences such as a larger
brand awareness among the audience. One example of an initiative like this of which respondent 9
spoke is the organisation of a movie night in a small cinema they have at the gallery’s location. People
do not have to pay entrance and get a free consumption but the event leads to an increase in awareness
among people and gives the gallery a better reputation.
Unique infrastructure
This evaluation of the project became also more or less an evaluation of the working and daily life in
Berlin. Now for each level the most noticeable results will be presented. Across the different
organizations and management levels there is a general awareness of some very positive unique
structures that are offered in Berlin. To start with, the one-of-a-kind infrastructure in Berlin relates to
those specific artist workspaces which can hardly be found anywhere else in the world. This initiative
is subsidised by the state of Berlin as is stated on http://www.bbk-berlin.de/ . It welcomes professional
artists from all over the world to use their facilities such as a sculpture workshop, a print studio or a
media studio. Several international artists that respondent 16, from organization E, that grants an
annual prize for a project space came into contact with told her that this type of infrastructure is not
offered anywhere else. According to her people come here and then realize that they can also actually
produce here, because of the support for the production of art. Respondent 8 also explained that Berlin
54
is really ‘fast’ (to get work done) thanks to this infrastructure and for that reason she states: “…Berlin
is the place the international place…” In the midst of these wonderful opportunities respondent 16,
representing organization E, asks herself how to stabilize the infrastructure that Berlin has? She warns
for increasing pressures on the amount of public space available, for which solutions must be found.
Cultural funding
An issue related to this typical Berlin infrastructure is the amount of cultural funding that is available
from the city. The recent coming of a new secretary of culture that has personal experience in the field
is a positive change. A comment related to this change by respondent 16: “…I think he has a better
understanding of what the needs are and that there needs to be more attention paid to the independent
art scenes or the independent culture scenes in the city.” An initiative formerly agreed on by the
federal state government the ‘city tax for tourists’ (http://www.visitberlin.de/en/article/city-tax-berlin),
has been set into force since January 2014. Respondent 7 shared some critiques regarding this city tax,
that was introduced to support the cultural field. Namely, he explains, it is yielding less money than
was anticipated. Also, the communication should have been more clear for now it is not attractive to
pay the city tax since individuals do not know where the finances go. As he concludes “…in the
moment the money doesn’t well the culture doesn’t benefit from it.” What especially concerns these
city level initiative takers is there is not enough money for non-institutional efforts in the culture
scene. The organization of the festival also experiences that there is not enough funding for the
amount of artists living and working in Berlin. The private galleries, organization C and D, have less
complaints about the cultural funding because they do not depend on it. Respondent 8 states: “Yeah
now it’s yeah it’s a private, commercial business yess...”
Not dangerous
Berlin on the whole is not a dangerous place, neither is the district where the district festival that is
included in this research is being held. Media fuelled the perception people had of the district and at
one point respondent 7 from organization B stated that the reports were only filled with problems. In
recent years the attention for the festival has grown, also from outside of Berlin. The district has
become more fancy in the past few years. In the past, everyone was poor, but now fancy people have
come according to respondent 7. “…fancy people which look differently do or different come here and
you see okay they look strange and they seem to be foreigners.” The festival itself aspires to always
keep reacting to what is going on in the district in the future.
R7: “We realized we had to change it, we are still in this process changing it and I hope that the
festival will always change and will always react on the situation in the district.”
55
Poor but sexy?
Ten years ago, Klaus Wowereit, mayor of Berlin, spoke the words "Berlin ist arm, aber sexy" (poor
but sexy). Giving the city the chance to breathe and develop in the meantime is great fun and all, yet
according to respondent 7: “…we can still be sexy and attractive and everything but we need to live in
certain ways and pay our rents as well…” Also, since Berlin is living from this image of being this
creative city another question was posed by respondent 7: “…what does the government pay for it?”
Berlin is flourishing as being this creative city but the fears that rule are undeniable. So far, there are
still certain niches where an organization can exist and there are open spaces as explained by
respondent 7. The big fear that seems to be taking over Berlin is that it will become as expensive as
London or Paris. All the other big cities are closed because of money and the fear is there that the
same will happen to Berlin now respondent 7, from organization B stated.
Gentrification
Private galleries experience the benefits of Berlin having this very cool image. Also, the city is known
for its pleasant working climate. Respondent 9 from organization D called this: to really display what
you have, which is according to her a German feature, as leading to a very suitable climate for art. The
downside to having this cool city image is that it leads to an effect as has seen in other big cities
before, gentrification. All respondents interviewed at the management level had something to share on
this matter. Respondent 9 explains that as soon as artists are living somewhere there is an increase in
new initiatives and the neighbourhood flourishes. The result is that more people will move there and
the prices will rise. In the end, she says, there are only large investment firms left. The concern that is
expressed by respondent 16 is that “it’s going to become more difficult for any kind of cultural
production to remain at the same level, you know, into the future, because the city is becoming more
crowded and more expensive.” Respondent 7, speaking on behalf of the local district festival,
organisation B, raised most concerns about the future. What is seen at the moment is that the big
financial players are taking an advantage of the city of Berlin right now. There is a lot of foreign
money in Berlin, as they say also from South and Northern Europe that has come here and is looking
for a refund for their investments. From the crisis from 2009 onwards, they influence the whole market
here according to respondent 7. Respondent 8 defines the increase of the housing prices as an
international thing. This is due to the arrival of people with money from abroad who laugh at the
Berlin prices. She explains that when you come from Germany or especially Berlin you get lower
salaries compared to individuals who come from other nations. A recent online article confirms that
Berlin’s salaries are even 7% below the German average (http://webmagazin.de/allgemein/berlinersearn-less-a-comparison-of-germanys-salaries-1774000). Relativizing about living in the city of Berlin
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respondent 9 stated: “It’s not that cheap” 10. Even the organization A, that receives funding from the
state of Berlin admits that the story of Berlin is not all over positive. Respondent 1 explains that the
reason that the prices are so low in Berlin is the fact that there is such a high unemployment rate.
About the effects of gentrification on the city he also has to add that there is a call for Berlin to define
itself: “Berlin has permanently to define itself…” He also relates this to the refugee situation in the
city: there needs to be found a way to integrate them. At the moment the city of Berlin experiences
hard-core capitalism as he puts it, it is no paradise.
International place
One of the private galleries planned to open their Berlin location only for three months. Things turned
out differently, as respondent 8 explained because: “…Berlin is the place, the international place”.
The Berlin location became the main gallery for it now has more employees in Berlin than in Leipzig.
Their press office, archive and the main management are now located in Berlin. That it is the
international place was also noticed by respondent 7. They named the example that an artist living in
London told them that all his friends are talking about buying an apartment in Neukölln, the district
where their festival takes place in Berlin. Respondent 16, working for the municipality of Berlin of
course also noticed that there is a very high inflow of artists into Berlin, of which a lot are artists from
outside Germany.
There is also a downside to the nice, flexible working climate, according to respondent 9: she
has experienced this because their gallery does a lot of business with New York. She speaks of New
York pressure that is recognized by the type of attitude “I would rather have it yesterday than today’”11
In Berlin people can take work too easy-going, she has experienced sometimes.
Professionalization of arts
Maintaining the amount of cultural production in the future is a real concern and effects all the
managerial stakeholders. 2% of the governmental finances currently goes to culture, most of this ends
up in the hands of institutions. A concept has come into being that is named ‘Kreativ-Wirtschaft’: free
art is being transformed into artistic economies. According to respondent 7 from the local district
festival it appears now that the quality of the arts is becoming less important now that the interest has
shifted from quality to about how one can earn money with the art as this citation from respondent 7
Original tekst: “Zo goedkoop is het helemaal niet”
Original text: “…dus daar had je natuurlijk de New Yorkse adem bij wijze van spreken in je nek
weet je wel zo’n ik moet dit morgen hebben ik moet het vandaag hebben liever gisteren dan vandaag
weet je wel…”
57
10
11
demonstrates: “…professionalization…and the quality of the arts isn’t important any longer it’s only
how can you earn money with the art.”
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8. Conclusion
The research conducted was triggered by the increase in international artists working and living in
Berlin. Keywords that are related to this subject are event planning, creative sector, cultural
coexistence, cultural industries, pull-factors Berlin, urban development policies and creative city. The
renewing aspect of this research is that it takes into consideration both the artist and the management
side. Also, the dynamics of emerging cityscapes in which cultural creativity blossoms are investigated.
Questions such as: what makes such places attractive to artists, what do artists gain from a ‘Berlin’
experience and how do municipality officers, cultural agencies and property owners meet these
dynamics? have been looked into. The increase in international events and artists is studied whilst
also paying attention to stakeholders who experience a downside of the Berlin success story.
The relevant empirical findings for the investigation are presented in chapter 7, Results. A
distinction is made with regards to the sub questions. Section 7.1. contains the different sub questions
concerning the artists. The following sub questions are dealt with: What has motivated artists to come
to Berlin? How do artists experience/perceive their work in Berlin? & How do artists look back at the
experience? Section 7.2. presents the results for the different sub questions concerning the respondents
from the management side. The sub questions that are presented are: What motivates cultural
managers to attract international artists? How do cultural managers select artists that are allowed to
enter your organization/participate in the project/event? What do cultural managers do, in terms of
management, in order to facilitate the artists’ stay? & How do cultural managers evaluate the project?
The following section links the findings from the sub questions in order to answer the main
research question: ‘What motivations do artists in the creative sector have for cultural coexistence and
what are the consequences of this for the managers representing various management levels
involved?’ In order to come to an answer to this question the results from the side of sub questions for
artists are put into conjunction with and compared to the results from the side of sub questions for
management.
Artists’ motivations can be brought into conjunction in order to reveal a larger pattern. The
second sub question concerning artists sharing their experiences will be brought into conjunction with
the selective and facilitative sub question from the management side. The goal of this is to find
commonalities and discrepancies in the experiences from both sides. Finally the two evaluative sub
questions will be brought into conjunction.
8.1. Motivations
In this section the motivations for an artist to come to work in Berlin in relation to the motivations on
the management side to attract international artists will be discussed.
First of all, the fact that Berlin is regarded as a big city and has some positive features that
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come along with this (public transports, opportunities, access to supplies) functions well for both
artists and organizations located in Berlin. What is attractive about the city is that it offers a unique
combination of activity, green, nightlife and space. Being located in a city that offers so much makes it
easier for organizations to attract artists from abroad.
A next feature that works well for both sides is that of Berlin’s geographical location. The
centrality of the city massively draws international artists to it. The artists can combine living and
working in Berlin with either travelling or exhibiting abroad. Once again, for the organizations this is
purely beneficial. Even though there is a lot of competition with the amount of galleries or project
spaces present, the tremendous inflow of artists is able to supply them all.
Berlin, seen by artists as the right city, is trying hard to keep this right and cool image. It
defines itself as an open ‘city of opportunities’, where everyone is accepted and welcome, this makes
an ideal setting for cultural coexistence. This slogan ‘city of opportunities’ appears to be working
because the amount of ‘interesting’ people just appears to draw more creative individuals to the city.
They inspire each other, and enhance each other’s productivity. working in a city where a lot happens
functions as a motivational boost to show what you have produced, even if this means this would just
occur in one’s living room.
Generally speaking culture is not supported in excess, despite the fact that there are numerous
foundations and scholarships awarded, many events have to struggle to get by. Partially, the
government does support cultural production with an initiative that allows independent artists to pay
less social insurances. Most of the financial funding go to set institutions. It is a challenge to receive
any funding for new organizations. An example of this is the fact that a yearly district festival that has
existed since 1999, until this very moment still has to get by depending on volunteers. As the only
organization from the respondent group, organization B, the district festival was brought to life with a
clear goal. This goal was to set the record straight on a type of unfair discourse that was presented in
the media about the district. The festival wishes to keep reacting on the cultural diversity they find
present in their district. Also, they hope they will always remain in a dialogue with the community
they are based in. This is cultural coexistence being supported and put to use, because they focus on
interactional aspects in the projects that are shown.
One private institution that was interviewed, organization A, is an example of an institution
that receives funding from the federal state of Berlin. This institution’s main aim is to innovate by
supporting emerging artists from all over the world but from Germany. This works, because their
organization is well-known due to years of experience and networking, they are attracting artists from
all over the world. When these culturally diverse artists work and occasionally live in property of the
same organization this is cultural coexistence at its top one would say. Based on the interviews it
became clear that almost all artist respondents (except for R13) who did not operate in an artist-inresidency at the moment, were still in constant dialogue with either other artists in the city or the city
60
itself. These are both forms of cultural coexistence.
Similarly to organization A, the project spaces that were approached shared that they had
similar attitudes. They experience that artists think of Berlin as a good positive city where it is nice to
work. The main interest of the galleries that were approached lies in presenting experimental arts or art
projects. Inherited in the word ‘experimental’ seems to be a touch of internationality, this stood out
from the interviews. Galleries are driven to attract international, experimental projects and
international artists are highly motivated to come live and work in Berlin, because of everything the
city has to offer. The galleries itself are rewarded by profits, there are quite a large amount of thriving
private galleries in Berlin.
8.2. Experiences
In the city of ‘opportunities’, there is no guarantee that an artist will actually make it. In order to do
indeed make it one has to be: very active, well-able to do self-promoting, generate funding through
networking and in addition be lucky with the right timing. These factors were introduced by both artist
and management respondents.
The toughest thing, as experienced by a few of the artist respondents is to find the right gallery
to represent them. One of the gallery directors explained that she experienced that for an artist finding
a space to present one’s work comes down to a combination of networking, luck, being at the right
place at the right time and just working very hard. The people in Berlin served as a force of attraction
for all but one of the artist respondents. The exciting thing about cultural coexistence as can be found
in Berlin is that it offers opportunities to collaborate with or feel inspired by ‘others’. One respondent
explained specifically that working in group collaborations allows one to play with the aspect of
identity. All respondents experience that the people in Berlin are constantly on the move. At the same
time, both from artist and manager perspective, it is felt that people intent to or surely will come back.
About finding a gallery or getting into a project the following procedures have been shared.
There are various initiatives with different selection procedures on the managerial side. For some,
registration of the artist in Berlin is required, after which they might have a chance to receive funding.
At a district festival an artist with a project that fits in with the aims of the festival can be offered a
stage in return. Artists in general express a positive feeling of gratitude to be allowed to work in
Berlin. For this reason more and more artists are being drawn to the city. With these numbers
increasing, the private galleries that were addressed in this research have more options to choose from.
This means that there is a wide offer of artists for them and managers of galleries can be quite
selective. Artists are struggling to come into contact with a gallery to represent them, although some of
them are struggling more than others, it is generally not easy at all. Galleries strive for quality but not
only quality. There is a general search for, as respondent 1, from Organization A calls it: “…things
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which are not following the mainstream…” Others refer to this as experimental and innovative
projects, for which no clear definition is offered. However, if there is sympathy from both sides, the
artist and management, chances are much higher that there will be a collaboration. Therefore, the
power of networking may not be underestimated even if there is a formal selection procedure it can
help to know the right people.
After getting into an organisation an artist can expect guidance from A to Z. It differs,
however, per institution what can be expected. For some, focus lies more on financial means and for
others on the plain offering of space and advice. Generally, after finding a gallery this gallery or
institution will tell the artist how everything works there. The communication problems between the
artist and the market, the gallery will attempt to solve also. The PR machine is put to work and the
artist has the chance of becoming much bigger than was ever expected without this support.
8.3. Evaluation
“…Berlin is the place, the international place” It is valued as such by both artist and management side.
Based on the experiences they had, artists were given the space to give an evaluation on working and
living life in Berlin. Firstly, Berlin has been found to welcome all and accept all people of the world.
Despite an appearance that looks very rough, life in Berlin is the opposite, it is very good. For an artist
specifically the amount of people (such as curators) passing through Berlin is very useful. The best
way, according to the artist respondents, to earn money is: to produce in Berlin but sell your work
abroad. Galleries have their international networks and through those they are able to stay financially
competitive. The cool atmosphere in Berlin that offers free time, free space and the luxury to enjoy
these things do introduce a strong need for self-direction. If an artist is not self-directed, nothing will
come from his hands, the risk is very large to become one of those “typical random young Berlin
artists” who find themselves lost in the nightlife. If, however, a sense of self-direction is there, Berlin
has great features to work with, such as the infrastructure for workspaces available for use by
everyone. The existence of these workspaces match the welcoming aspect of the city, because they are
specifically designed for international artists. Berlin is the ideal setting for artists that are up for
collaborations and interactions with other artists from all over the world. The aspect of cultural
coexistence runs through the city’s veins. This cultural diversity is even used a promoting tool in the
city’s politics at the moment.
The idea of Berlin being a dangerous city is complete nonsense, as explained by both artists
and management. There are naturally certain aspects that raise concerns, such as the increasing
pressure on the amount of public space available. There is, simply put, not enough funding for the
number of artists living and working in Berlin. The city is being taken advantage of by big financial
players, foreign money has come to Berlin and is looking for a refund for the investments.
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Neighbourhoods are being taken over by for example: properties being purchased on a large scale by
‘foreigners’ which leads to higher housing prices and less open spaces for artists. The cool image and
the international wave of individuals and companies being drawn to the city could not have led to
anything else but to gentrification, familiar from elsewhere. Everyone is realizing rent prices are
increasing, Berlin is not just a paradise. For those working in Berlin it is getting increasingly difficult
to compete with all those foreigners who earn different salaries and who laugh at Berlin prices. Other
than gentrification the city has to deal with a tremendous amount of drug abuse, tourists come to
Berlin to have their pleasure trip with experiences that are not the nicest sight. Also, because many
people in Berlin are still ‘on the move’, they simply take what they want from the city and leave again.
As perceived by one of the respondents employed by the municipality (R16), due to the constant
movement of the people in the city it is the biggest challenge to stabilize Berlin. This concern
represents specifically the management perspective of organization E.
What appears to be a win-win situation, galleries that strive for innovation in a city that draws
on the most creative individuals out there, who can fulfil this expectation of innovation. Such a need
has a wider impact on the city space of Berlin which is being used by cultural initiatives to ‘breed’
cultural production, whilst at the same time turning cultural production into artistic economies aimed
to make profit as is based on politics. The city of Berlin offers many distractions to artists, however
the chance to culturally coexist with the people coming through the city is the most important asset for
an active artist. The statement of Berlin being poor but sexy is challenged more and more. Berlin
flourishes as a creative city but there are is an undeniable increase in anxieties that it might become as
expensive as London or Paris in the future. The international aspect is on the one hand desired by the
management and strongly appreciated by the artists but on the other hand it appears to lead to an
increase in prices and a more unstable economic situation.
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9. Discussion
Some previous studies have been conducted related to the subjects discussed in this thesis: event
planning, creative sector, cultural coexistence, cultural industries, pull-factors Berlin, urban
development policies and creative city. A limited case-study devoted to visual artists in the city of
Berlin has been conducted. Limited, since clearly not every artist in Berlin or cultural institution in
Berlin has been spoken to. Based on the results the common motivations artists have to come to Berlin
have been explored. As have their experiences in the city of Berlin and related to these their
evaluations of the city been explored. Since this thesis aims to provide insight from two different
perspectives, the motivations of cultural institutions to attract international artists have been explored
also. Along with how they select, facilitate and evaluate their initiatives.
The studies conducted by Borén & Young (2013), Florida (2006) & Bennett (2010) all
demonstrated that people play a large role in drawing other people to a city, cultural coexistence is
then a deliberate choice. The type of individuals actively present in a city create a certain climate
there. What Florida (2006) in particular claims is that people when they cluster together make each
other more productive and inventive. Not only that, he also claims they even enhance each other’s
skills and talents. Artists experience these positive effects of living in the same city as many other
creative individuals. A significant role is being played in the decision of moving to a city or not by the
individuals who make up the network an artist has. Berlin, at one point became this international
magnet and it is still functioning like that. This holds true also for cultural institutions such as private
galleries. Berlin is regarded as the international place: here, the international art world literally
clusters together and cultures coexist. Boomkens (2013) states that the denationalization of culture can
have positive effects because cultural information is spread globally, this is what happens in Berlin.
The pull and push factors as has been revealed by Bennett (2010) have been found in the
respondents taking part in the investigation. Pull factors are among others: experience, identity,
networks, being drawn to more established industries or cluster of activity and in addition the cool
image, interesting people and the (illusion) of opportunities. The opportunity to play with these factors
in a city that allows you time and space is what attracts creative artists. Even though Boomkens (2013)
speaks of the ‘’wealth’ of cities that serves as a pull factor, in Berlin this factor is not present. Push
factors as discussed in Bennett (2010) are: limited opportunities or geographical isolation have been
validated by the respondents also. Martí-Costa & Miguel (2012) stated that artists like to settle in
disused industrial spaces and a low-cost of living is what they need. These facets turned out to indeed
function as a force of attraction to artists. However, this point is also where concerns are raised. Both
by artists, regarding the rent prices that have been increasing and the fact that Berlin life in practice is
not that cheap, also due to the effects of gentrification, if one has to get by on Berlin salaries. As by
management, for instance worrying about the increasing pressure on the amount of free-space
available for cultural production and related activities.
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According to Borén & Young (2013) cities should be liberal, cosmopolitan, bohemian and
multicultural. Difference should be accepted and the presence of cool communities for firms and for
creative people is important. This might have well been a description of the city of Berlin for it
matches all the criteria. The concerns Boomkens (2013) raised about social and ethnic segregation due
to migration do not appear to be of relevance in the city of Berlin. Then why does it not appear that
Berlin has become such a competitive, economically stable centre of creativity? The
acknowledgement of Berlin as a cultural breeding station which has actually turned into findings ways
to turn cultural production into artistic economies so that profit can be made does not seem to be
giving much back to the city?
What Zherdev (2014) discussed, that economists, sociologists, policy makers and municipal
authorities regard the notion of the creative city as a possible solution to the economic crisis might
hold true. For this, popular adaptation of neoliberal, flexible policies are put to practice in Berlin also.
Privatization and market-led growth as part of the goals of neoliberal management policies (Brenner,
2002) have been spotted in Berlin. As a result the creative sector in the city has reached a tremendous
seize but the there is no possibility of the funding available for the cultural field to be sufficient for all
the artists living and working in Berlin. Berlin has grown more neoliberal than many cultural
institutions have wished for, the unstable creation of employment in the cultural production as
discussed in Pratt (2011), is not satisfying all parties involved. Especially as the non-profit institutions
in the city experience, they don’t want Berlin to be ‘poor but sexy anymore’, they want to be able to
pay the bills and to be able to ensure that the amount of cultural production will remain the same in the
future. Colapinto & Porlezza (2012) provided evidence that governments need to make up for a lack of
working capital within the cultural industry by funding new initiatives and work on growth of the
sector. How can only 2% of the governmental finances in Berlin currently go to culture? Most of this
2% instantly ends up in the hands of large institutions. If this city is basically the cultural capital of the
world since it is even considered to be “cooler” (R9) than New York, then this city deserves a fair deal
of financial support for the department of culture.
Finally, let us return to the main research question: ‘What motivations do artists in the creative
sector have for cultural coexistence and what are the consequences of this for the managers
representing various management levels involved?’ We posed this question in relation to the
research conducted among artists and art managers in Berlin. The city appears to offer a great deal of
chances to artists, however, luck still plays a big role. The clustering of creative people in Berlin
undoubtedly leads to a boost in cultural productions and cultural coexistence in multiple forms taking
place. For artists, experiencing the Berlin vibe is an undeniable asset in their career. Considering that
they might or might not actually be able to sell their work in Berlin, in a big city it is still easier to find
an extra job or find funding in other manners. It appears that the ‘management side’ of the City of
Berlin is at a crossroad of an important decision. Since the city is becoming increasingly crowded and
65
therefore more expensive, priorities need to be set. If not, the threat holds that Berlin will become the
next London or Paris where the prices have increased excessively and the cities have become
unaffordable. Making art there is an immense challenge. Or at the opposite end, with the wrong type
of interventions, Berlin might become like Barcelona where the cultural landscape never returned to
its old state after intervention.
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10. Limitations & directions for future research
Even though some research has been conducted regarding cultural co-existence in the creative sector,
they have mainly been case studies of specific urban settings. There is a more overarching dynamic of
movement and city attractiveness that has been left mainly un-researched. Although this study has
been innovative in the ways of combining artist and management perspectives in one research question
while trying to come to a general coverage of the city of Berlin, there are ways to improve such
research in the future.
One of the main limitations of this research lies in the line of questioning as it was applied.
This line of questioning was too narrow and focussed on Berlin too early and explicitly in the
conversation. For this reason the research results focus mainly on Berlin and the general tendency of
mobility among artists has been left uninvestigated. Before inquiring about location-specific decisions
to move, there should be general questions relating to the primary urge to move that artists may have.
Furthermore, higher levels of management should be included in a similar type of research.
Namely, in this investigation the highest level was one of the faculties under the cultural department of
the senate. In future research, the head of the senate of the cultural department would be an addition to
find the general aim of the cultural department of Berlin. Also, instead of approaching the directors,
approaching the funders of galleries or institutes could have an added value.
In the following paragraphs some advice will be given to conduct future research in the area of
urban development and artist mobility. Firstly, a study can be conducted that will not aim specifically
at a certain city that has been chosen to relocate to. In this manner, the global tendency of artists to
move can be explored in more general terms. So far, there is a considerable lack of studies in this
direction. Why exactly do they move? This question was also posed Zimmermann (2013) but it has
not yet been answered satisfactorily. Do artists take managerial efforts into consideration before they
decide to relocate?
Creativity has proven to be an added value for a city but whether the amount of it can really be
influenced by urban planning is worth more research. It is not clear how much of this urban planning
really a deliberate planning in order to attract more creative individuals and not an incidental leaving
bare of unused space. To gain further insights on this manner the top level of management of several
bigger cities should be approached and requested to share their motives for specific urban planning
strategies. There would obviously be a hundred more directions to take related research from here.
However, as a final recommendation: because mobility of people, and not mere mobility of
artists, has become such a significant part of the globalization process, it is fair to state that this is a
trend that deserves more academic research.
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Appendix 1: Transcripts of interviews
R#
Quote
Min.
Page.
R1
We are inviting international artists and then we are structuring the program
together with them, we have coaching, seminars, we have workshops we are
organizing the daily processes for the artists, we are preparing projects and
ehh yeah we are having a big exhibition space where the projects of the artists
are presented…
1.00
p. 49
R1
We have also to think about budgets.
1.58
p. 53
R1
The land Berlin is supporting our institution…
8.20
p. 49
R1
Because we are also kind of a cultural political factor in Berlin…. So it’s a
kind of foreign diplomatic activity.
8.45
p. 49
R1
We have always two levels of jury meetings, if someone is interested to send
an applications then he or he can send the papers to an institution we are
collaborating with. Somewhere in the region of the world…
… and in that region we have a first jury meeting with specialists and if there
are maybe 6200 applications they will choose ten and then they digitalize the
material and put it on the server and then we can check in the second jury
meeting here in Berlin whom to choose last.
9.30
p. 51
We are interested in bringing the discourses and ideas and concepts and
different artistic languages from different parts of the world to Berlin… so we
are interested in that our colleagues in the regions are still in the jury are still
in the process because they know better how to select and we know better
from the Berlin side so in the end we have very interesting projects made by
artists in different parts of the worlds which are also then later infecting the
Berlin art scene. And when the artists have been working in our institute then
most of them are staying longer up to ten years…
…so with our program we are permanently stimulating the Berlin art scene,
we are like diplomats and we are also like cultural breeding station you know
so that’s why also the land Berlin is interested in our activities and is
supporting financially.
10.42
p. 51
11.53
p. 49
14.44
p. 49
p. 51
R1
R1
I would say at first we are interested in projects…
…we are interested in experimental things…
…things which are not following the mainstream…
…we are interested to find these candidates in different part of the world.
p. 51
R1
We are giving them a stage a chance because we thought that could be
interesting for Berlin and for the audience…
…it’s a kind of supporting unknown projects unknown ideas of emerging
artists.
15.44
p. 49
72
R1
It’s absolutely profitable… because uhm we are a private company you know
so it’s not allowed to lose money…
…we have a kind of mixed calculation that’s why we are able to earn a little
bit but what we earn we give it also 100% into the project so end of the year
we are back to zero.
17.22
p. 54
R1
Most of the books are given for free to the artists for advertisements.
18.45
p. 53
R1
No, we are not looking for German artists they are not in the program. But we
are inviting German artists for other projects. So there are also German artists
in our exhibition program but they are not working in the studios.
21.50
p. 51
R1
We are meeting the artists in their studios {how often?} it depends…
…It’s a permanent process of taking and giving.
24.15
25.12
p. 54
R1
Especially in countries with smaller art scenes, Künstlerhaus Bethanien is
very well known…
… because we are existing more than forty years. A lot of institutions in the
world have been structured after our model.
34.28
p. 52
R1
It comes because Berlin is a very open minded city and it’s very attractive for
artists so there are thousands of artists permanently coming to Berlin, they are
living here or they are coming for doing a part time project and Berlin is a
kind of a meeting space so it’s interesting to come together here to meet to
discuss to make something and then to go back, somewhere. So you have
permantly the situation of Nomadism.
50.55
p. 51
R1
I think a lot of artists are curious to feel what Berlin is. What Berlin means,
they are interested in the art scene they are interested in the city they are
interested in the urban climate and the history and the museums, this is more
the touristic aspect. On the other side, you have artists which have been here
maybe first time and which are interested to coming back because they would
like to meet friends and then you have the category of artists which are
decided to move from somewhere in the world to Berlin because they think
that Berlin is the best location for them, place for inspiration, place where you
can meet permanently people from all over the world, place where you can
work under positive circumstances where you have a lot of green where you
have water where you have your bicycle, mostly it’s cheap you know you
have not to pay so much for the food. And the climate of the city so, and also
because we have these governmental supported programs so it’s much better
than in other cities of the world.
51.52
p. 51
53.12
R1
So it’s not all in all positive, you have also some negative aspects and we
have around twenty percent unemployment. This is related to the situation
because we have so many unemployed people here that’s why the rents are
lower than in London or Milan or Paris. This is hardcore capitalism you
know. It’s not a paradise…
…we have the problem of increasing rents because the city, gentrification, the
city is growing. It’s interesting that we have these both parts east and west
54.12
p. 57
73
and former socialistic now capitalist parts the influences from the east the
influences from eastern Europe you know but it means that Berlin has
permanently to define itself, in a new way. Also, the aspects of how to help
refugees and in which way we can integrate them…
55.35
p. 57
You have around twenty people living in tents in the center of a crossing
street you know..
55.54
p. 57
R2
I think the statistics are about, 90 percent of artists they yeah I mean they
teach they have other sources of income, actually living of of the art is yeah is
a challenge and actually I’m happily for the last few years I’m able to do it.
02.51
p. 36
R2
So my base for many years was actually Israel, since, since I was eight years
old.
10.28
R2
So instead of going into the army I, I went to New York, I studied painting in
New York for four years. Where also I did my master’s degree, so. And then
when I was 22, like between 18 and 22 four years of art studies in New York
and then I came back to Israel.
11.50
R2
There’s great art being produced in Israel there’s a great art scene it’s
beautiful I, I ehm if there’s a place that I feel I’m connected to and I feel that
I’m part of it’s Israel much more than Germany. Ehm, but, it’s small. It’s a
small country, seven million people live in Israel. The art scene is tiny, it’s in
comparison to other places in the world you know it’s all concentrated in Tel
Aviv, it’s really very small.
19.26
p. 40
R2
This feeling of openness, for me as an artist, was very attractive.
21.18
p. 42
R2
In terms of the artworld, the international artworld, it’s very very central
today, I mean it’s really important.
23.15
p. 40
R2
Rent prices in Berlin much lower than in Tel Aviv, ehh much lower than New
York, much lower than London.
23.30
p. 46
R2
It’s close to Tel Aviv you know, it’s just four hours flying so it’s kind of I
have, yeah I can do I can work as an artist and show as an artist in Tel Aviv
and in Berlin. I can kind of travel and eh it just made a lot of sense.
23.38
p. 40
R2
The first year was extremely difficult, because we moved here with two
children
24.02
p. 44
R2
I worked with a very big gallery when we moved here, in the North of
Germany in Bielefeld, and it’s it was very promising I had a very big show
there and they invested a lot and then it just, my show opened 2009 which
was horrible in terms of financial crisis.
24.32
p. 44
R2
The Bethanien artists have to find money, to pay for their residencies.
28.36
p. 43
R1
74
R2
Hard work, networking (how to find funders)
29.02
p. 43
R3
So that’s kind of the main reason why I don’t live in Australia… the distance
and the isolation..
17.07
p. 40
R3
I think even in 4 years it changed a lot…
23.45
p. 46
R3
There’s no money, I think this a bit of a thing like, and the artworld functions
without money, most of the time, I think…
24.31
p. 46
R3
…and so you get more kind of interesting projects and you can get so many
like really nice artists runned spaces that wouldn’t be able to survive in these
bigger cities…
24.51
p. 46
R4
Zu derzeit damals war Berlin gar nicht so im Fokus zu mindestens nicht was
die Kunst angelangten, das war eher so eine Art versteckte Insel für, für alles
was mit Kultur und Kunst zu tun hatte
1.30
R4
Also, ich wollte auch damals unbedingt nach Berlin, und nur hierhin ich habe
mich auch nur einmal beworben.
2.20
p. 42
R4
Mittlerweile hat sich das nach dem Mauerfall so extrem verändert, jetzt leben
so viele Leuten, Creative Leuten die gab’s damals auch ne Menge aber alle
ohne Geld und jetzt leben hier auch viele Leuten die mit viel Geld hier
herkommen.
3.48
p. 41
R4
Köln war aber damals immer noch die Kunstscene für den Markt…
4.53
R4
Ich war mal in Istanbul… längere Zeit gelebt.
13.24
R4
…Berlin, erstmal alle Leuten egal von wo Sie herkommen herzlich
aufnehmt…
22.25
p. 45
R4
Nachteil von der Stadt, immer schon gewesen, das Mann ständig umziehen
muss…
28.14
p. 47
R5
When I started there wasn’t such a concept like the artworld…
…really small…
00.32
R5
Spent more or less like five years abroad
9.03
10.35
p. 41
R5
I’ve been still moving back and forth, but mostly because I (ignogorated) a
gallery in New York, I was working with at that time…
…But the end of the 90s I started to get used to the situation in Berlin, I had
to accept that Berlin has changed tremendously.
R5
This wasn’t the berlin I had chosen in the beginning
11.15
p. 41
75
R5
In 2000 I got used to it and I started to like Berlin
11.47
p. 45
R5
You can have everything, I mean the city is amazing you can actually
disappear for two years without leaving the city…
14.30
p. 41
R5
Sometimes it’s funnier with international artists, yeah because it’s more open
and it’s not so competitive because it’s more international…
26.38
p. 45
R5
…not thinking about leaving Berlin anymore…
28.55
p. 44
R5
You can live an amazing life… but what you don’t have here is a reliable
economic situation…
30.55
p. 47
R5
I’m always happy when I’m abroad for a little while that I am living in Berlin
33.35
p. 48
R6
We made this decision ok let’s move to Berlin, let’s give it a try although you
come from a city like Vienna…
…last year in January we came to Bethanien
3.15
p. 42
R6
Through a state funding from Vienna we could afford this and this package,
because we got this and this money
5.19
R6
We rented a studio and we wanted to stay in Berlin now…
8.25
p. 47
R6
The best thing I really have to say is that we had a really good ehm and I
don’t know if we were lucky or it was a good time or whatever but it was a
very good amount of people which were there…
…most important thing actually
11.15
p. 41
R6
All-over it was a really great time for us
18.55
R6
But what XXX who is also a curator does is… and I don’t know maybe it’s
also a money thing, whatever. He always invites other artists from Berlin
where we never know how this process happened and the quality ranges very
much…
31.00
p. 51
R6
Berlin is like a big city with lots of artists and it needs the time for us, I mean
this one year was great to start but now we are here and try to somehow find
our way, but there’s still lots of work to do…
36.10
p. 47
R6
There’s a good connection between Vienna and Berlin…
…Berlin is just much bigger, you have much more opportunities
38.03
p. 43
R6
It got really much harder than 10 years ago I think (about finding a studio)
43.19
p. 47
R7
They have to apply till the end of February to take part and give a short
project sketch, presentation and 2000 letters to describe the idea of their
project and how it is connected to the festival theme. And ehm so it’s a bit
more content based work now in terms of not just organizing who’s there and
2.10
p. 51
76
when he is opening up but also to say there is a theme that holds all the
different projects together.
The aim was to ehh improve the image of the arts in this district ehm this
organization XXX we’re working for has been founded in 1995. And two
years later there were some problems in financing culture, there was eh the
will to connect people who were working in the cultural field in Neuköln and
it don’t know exactly I think there around twenty members who founded this
organization and most of them somehow official like the district, cultural
departments or werkstatt der Kulturen, Neukölner Opera…
…it was funded yes in 1995 and then there was, the situation in Neuköln has
never been easy, it has always been a poor district…
…there was an article in der Spiegel which named all the problems Neuköln
had, neglected people, bad education situation, drug dealers, murderers,
everything was has been drawn in very dark colours and so there were real
problems and people thought okay Neuköln is the worst place to be, is
dangerous and they were afraid to come and this was a bad situation for
people who are working in the arts here which are working for the
neighborhood on the one hand side but want to get a broader audience. And
people still are afraid to come to Neuköln, so it’s not dangerous at all, ehm
it’s not more dangerous than any other part of this town and Berlin isn’t
dangerous so…
4.25
p. 49
5.15
p. 49
R7
The media only reported about problems
6.35
p. 49
R7
Every newspaper wrote bad about Neuköln
7.08
p. 49
R7
This festival has been founded and em to aim for a better reputation or a
report which is more fair, which has a lot more fairness in it to show more
structures or more layers of the society in Neuköln
8.20
p. 49
R7
In the first years there were 25 venues that took part in the festival and most
of them were somehow already institutions and but it was already
decentralized somehow and during the years the festival changed and grew
and Neuköln changed and many independent artists came here to open their
studios and to have their gallery spaces or their project rooms so uhm the
offers got more broad, broader and many many more things and the festival
grew quite steadily and until 2010 it was the peak of this development, we
had 800 events in fifty venues and it started with round a bout 100 events in
twenty five venues and then we changed the concept. We realized we had to
change it, we are still in this process changing it and I hope that the festival
will always change and will always react on the situation in the district.
8.35
p. 54
R7
We are aiming for to get them to reach the people who are living here. But of
course the structure of the inhabitants is changing too I think until the end of
the 70s it was a German working class district and then migrants or more
migrants came because they weren’t allowed to live in Kreuzberg and
Wedding, those two districts closed their borders somehow..
10.48
p. 49
We can’t regulate the festival really because we don’t have the financial
power to invite people, or to finance them so we have to see who’s willing to
take part in the festival… and most of them are the bigger part of the projects
12.40
p. 51
R7
R7
p. 57
77
come from this district, there are many people who come from other parts of
Berlin or Germany or even abroad we have some we have an artist from
Toronto from Barcelona…
…we have to encourage them to apply for the festival
13.31
p. 51
R7
And it’s also one special, special interest of the festival to, to empower people
in the district to participate in the projects to take part in artistic processes so
there are a lot of interdisciplinary and participative projects.
14.10
p.49
R7
We don’t pay their travelling costs…
…most of the projects who are opening up are free for the visitors as well…
…it’s really like an open door policy for the whole festival
15.00
p. 54
R7
R7
R7
R7
15.30
There is a lot of focus and attention also and not only in the city but also from 16.23
outside of the city and focusing on this event. Neuköln is fancy now and it has
now become as a good spot to live here and I think that’s part of the interest
or one reason of this interest because people already heard of Neuköln and I
met an artist who’s living in London and he said ok all my friends are talking
about buying an apartment in Neuköln…
17.06
p. 57
The problem is that the big financial players are taking an advantage of the
city right now of the whole city of Berlin there is a lot of foreign money also
from South and Northern Europe comes here and tries to tries to get a refund
for their investment so these are situations that come from the crisis from
2009 onwards they influence the whole market here. So it’s not about one or
two persons saying I want to live here… It’s bigger than that.
17.51
p. 59
Or even until 2005, 2006, there was a change in it somehow because then the
first fancy bars came and artists got visible and ehm you could feel a change
of a more positive feeling in the district which was attractive for many people
to settle down.
20.24
p. 57
Last part of my youth I was living in Hamburg, close to Hamburg and there
was always this call of go for Berlin it was just an inner, inner call and I
started to study here in 1999 and we it was for me absolutely clear that this
city was the only city I wanted to live and work and then I had to go to study
in Vienna for quite a while for four years to Vienna from 2003 to 2007 but for
me it was always clear to come back to Berlin because Vienna was no option
for me because it was Austria and everything bad there… haha no I’m
kidding but eh it was there was no structure like an open art scene in a way so
I knew that I had to come back to Berlin and also all the other bigger German
cities they do not own this vivid structure of open art spaces and this
atmosphere of you can realize the project you want in this city. This is what
Berlin, West-Berlin even before the wall fell it was the, West-Berlin was this
city where you could live your dream freely, do anything you just have to do
it and this still sticks to the city. And especially in the arts scene and
yesterday to give another example I talked to a guy who was French he’s an
musician, a jazz musician, he’s French who was born and raised in Austria,
then studied and lived in Portugal and the Netherlands and then he was in
Amsterdam and I asked him why didn’t you stay in Amsterdam, just there
because you had all the connections and you were studying there and he said:
‘no, I had to come to Berlin because here the music scene is much more
25.17
p. 57
78
liberal more open especially in Jazz because in Amsterdam there are the old
guys, the conservative guys who rule the place so I had to, no one else gets
any space or jobs so I had to go to Berlin even if the competition is hard here
I’ll find the opportunity to show my project like in your festival’…
… and of course it’s a lot of projection also it’s not, not the reality and a lot of
people suffer the same way they would suffer in other cities but ehm the
image is right and the, there’s always this possibility to connect to other
people, have the same ideas, the same dreams so you can build up on
something and this for me, this is unique because also in if you go to London
it’s far too expensive, Paris, impossible, so all the big other metro pole areas
are closed because of money and of course the fear is here as well that
someday the city will kill it’s baby art because of the prices. So really, this is
a scenario everyone is afraid of but still there are these little niches where you
can exist and a lot of open spaces and now they try to transform a lot of art
into… nah wie heist das… Kreativ Wirtschaft, creative economies so the
German government specializes in transforming free art into artistic
economies so you have to think economically and how to get your money out
of your art…
…I think it’s European policy already, funds change
from…professionalization…and the quality of the arts isn’t important any
longer it’s only how can you earn money with the art.
R7
R7
R7
27.50
28.00
p. 51
29.46
p. 59
30.09
p. 58
And of course there are certain funding’s and there is money from the city
32.00
and from the district and so on but it’s not it’s not enough for the amount of
artists working and living here and also the criteria and the way to work
yourself in this field of bureaucracy is very complicated so it’s not easy just to
apply or to write a good description you have to have your network going and
you have to already show that you’re worth the money. You cannot come
here and expect I’ll just write a good application and it will be easy, it will be
very tough and very hard.
p. 56
p. 58
You have to look where you can get information or have your network or to
meet people who are important but the important question is I think Berlin is
living from this image this being a creative city but the question is what does
the government pay for it?
There were quite huge discussions about the city tax for tourists who pay a
small amount extra which supports the cultural field because there was a
research that eight of ten reasons to come to Berlin where connected to
cultural field…
…but it does not work because they expected to earn 25 million Euro per year
but in the moment they’re quite disappointed that it’s not that much and the
hotels don’t cooperate and the communication is not good because it’s not
attractive to pay the city tax because you don’t know where the money goes
to because in the moment the money doesn’t well the culture does not benefit
from it.
p. 56
p. 58
I think that ehm as T. said the reputation still is very good and it’s good for
your CV to have been here for a while and if you look for an international
biennale or exhibitions or things like this, many of the artists also live in
Berlin…
33.09
p. 57
34.05
79
The mayor is quite cynical about this because he’s quite content about the
situation in Berlin because he says look it’s working everybody wants to
come to Berlin why should we finance, everything is perfect. And if you look
to the reality of the artists living here, they are poor they need support they
don’t get and they have no idea about real help. And two percent of the
money of Berlin goes to the culture, which is a lot of money somehow but it
does it.. most of the money goes to the institutions
35.03
p. 56
p. 58
The most attractive part of Berlin is this creativity and of course you can be
creative if you have venues and you can suffer a lot if you have an attractive
spot where you can be in and where you can be active and we benefit from
the artists who are crazy enough to say okay we don’t get money but we want
to do something. And we can offer them spaces and we can offer them and
public relations and we give them an audience.
37.17
p. 53
He also made this wording like poor and sexy, that is like the image of Berlin
to poor and sexy…
…for quite a while it was okay but at some point okay we don’t want to be
poor anymore, we can still be sexy and attractive and everything but we need
to to live eh in certain ways and pay our rents as well and there was a big
campaign which was called I’m an artist which does not mean automatically
that I work for free I have to pay my bills like anyone else.
43.23
p. 58
It feels like all these artists here are sort of like aliens haha, another species…
…I think when I came to Neuköln and when I started the festival there was a
quite friendly atmosphere between the artists because most of them lived here
for a longer time and most of them were poor but it was okay for them. There
was no way to earn money so people were cooperative somehow and were
interested in the arts… they were interested in cooperating with the local
people…
…Everyone was poor, and it was, and now it’s changed because sometimes
fancy people which look differently do or different come here and you see
okay they look strange and they seem to be the foreigners.
48.24
p. 58
49.39
p. 58
R7
It’s not easy to find the interest of people, normal people to be involved in the
arts, what we try to do in the festival is to give as many offers in the streets so
that people could react and they have the possibility to see it and if you do
something in a closed room it’s quite hard to fetch the interest
51.02
R7
I don’t think there are conflicts between different artists.
54.21
p. 53
R7
I think it’s one of the basic things that the festival does, that people can
connect, can have the change just openly be confronted with modern art,
contemporary art in the festival.
57.30
p. 49
R7
We want to get into the communities, we want to interact with the people
living here.
59.40
p. 48
R7
R7
R7
R7
R7
43.53
1H 01
80
We will have one audience survey this year and we will have a group of city
planners and geographic students have a task force here and they will go
around and talk to people and they will make a study out of that.
R8
R8
R8
R8
R8
R8
So this is ehm our experimental kind of place here where we try out new
positions and especially also international artists more and to also working
with curators and all kinds of stuff what we, well always wanted to do but we
hadn’t had the time and space with our two main galleries..
00.45
p. 49
It’s a project space and project needs to stay project, and ehm now at the
moment everybody understands what you’re doing and it’s kind of
comfortable with space and everything that’s the moment to shut down again
and to confuse everybody again. That’s what we wanna do with our project
space. Because we have two main galleries and we don’t need a third gallery.
1.57
p. 58
Everybody we show here at the project space could be if the work is good
enough and the sympathy is on both sides it could be that we transfer them to
a program or that they can show in the main gallery but it doesn’t have to…
3.02
p. 62
We started to say they shouldn’t be Berlin based at all but it’s changed it has
changed because when we found a position we really liked turned out a lot
that they meanwhile are Berlin based or they were thinking about coming…
3.42
p. 51
…so then we said that we open that up a little and just say we look about of
quality and then and open international wide just look for quality but this
location where they have their studio is not as fixed anymore
4.24
p. 51
Like artists who didn’t really had a possibility to build a show publicly with
9.17
in the governmental spaces they were not conform with the arts they were like
a little bit underdogs and he kind of invited them in his apartment to do
shows. This was a little bit underground art scene and a lot of them are still in
our program it’s kind of a long grown for thirty years ago friendship and work
relationship. (Leipzig location)
p. 54
The one thing from Leipzig and Berlin is special because in 1992 he did this
was supposed to be a temporary space he did one in Tokyo, London, Paris
only for three months, New York and also he said well I’ll go to Berlin for
three months. He never shut down and now it’s kind of the main gallery
because we have here more employees more colleagues are working in Berlin
than Leipzig, Leipzig they have all our storage art storage also because of the
p. 59
10.30
81
factory there is I don’t know rent is not so high and everything and Berlin is
our {booking} paying, our press office our archive and the main management
is in Berlin yes. And artists are 50, 50.
R8
R8
R8
And after the wall came down, what was the art scene in East Germany?
What else was there other then ehm supported art by government what else is
there an art scene in East Germany? If so, what did they do and so there was
actually the change he could say ‘yeah off course there was an art scene’…
12.23
…So a lot of curators international wise but also from West Germany they
came and they did not know really where to go and he was the one to talk to.
12.54
p. 49
He was then supported by to you can apply for how you say a kind of a
13.10
scholarship are held by ehm either supporters of the art or the art fair itself if
they like your program you apply for a residence and it’s kind of a jury also
chooses you to kind of get a support… and that’s how we got into art cologne,
our first art fair in the 90s, 90 or 91 I can’t remember, and there is how he
kind of did the first real sales and the first kind of money exchange and the
capitalism behind the arts and then you’re just learning by doing and ehm he
invested all the money he got in back into catalogues and things like stand out
about his art and public relations kind of and it worked out.
And then you can live from it and the artists also but in the beginning it was
not like that haha
Yeah now it’s yeah it’s a private, commercial business yes..
14.10
14.26
p. 57
And then you meet people you find interesting or you follow a position, so we
had some ideas for the first shows already…
…it was for example the first show was XXX a young British artist we saw
his work on different locations and we really wanted to meet him and do
something with him and we said we’re planning this new space idea and do
you want to present us.
15.10
p. 53
R8
You don’t need to be young, in age. You just need to be kind of a young or a
fresh position in mind and in our infrastructure or something…
16.32
p. 53
R8
And now it’s from then we still keep looking around and of course since
people know or heard that XXX has another space they, you get send a lot
of…
17.43
p. 53
18.06
p. 53
R8
15.20
82
…in practice it’s actually when we already we kind of like to look for
ourselves
Berlin is really fast…
…So the infrastructure here is really, really great and then it can happen faster
…But of course Berlin is more vibrant, more very good infrastructure and the
art town of Germany. If you do art or when you work in art or when you meet
people in art I think the place to be…
…Berlin is the place the international place
24.54
25.12
The only thing is the prices of the housing they’re really increasing and that’s
an international thing because people with money come and they not kind of
they think it’s cheap and when you’re from Germany or especially Berlin or
whatever East part of town or so and you get other salaries and so you cannot
compete anymore with people coming from other countries who kind of laugh
at this prices
26.40
P. 59
That’s the only thing when all this internationality is not just a plus…
... but I like it a lot and for our business it’s very important also that this is
international
27.27
27.44
P. 57
The toughestest was the crisis three years ago what was it three or four years
ago… aahh that was like really really tough because when you have a lot of
for example American clients or so and they and you depend on really more
global kind of things…
…yeah it makes you also think about globalization and if it’s really so cool
because then you think of the kind of domino thing that everything is kind of
connected
29.05
P. 59
R8
Well they bring their cultural background with them, and you really can sense
that, you know you really see this in the work and also in the approach or also
in sometimes in eh communication with each other. Cultural differences or
communication differences, but it was important especially that it’s good
when it then you see it or influences their work also.
30.36
p. 58
R8
What the lab does or what we experience here then that is actually what we
offer is our experience and they are really happy about that about insights and
about just telling how it works..
33.12
p. 53
R8
It’s really a crazy kind of combination with this free spirit art and you know
from the soul and how to market yeah and how can you bring this to the
market or how does these two things work together. We actually really the
one {our ex?} and you’re lucky when you have a kind of a gallery of
someone helping you between it, the one between artist and market, the
gallery is in between and who can explain because the market doesn’t really
get the artists either so you’re the one with two languages and you kind of go
forth and back.
33.49
p. 56
R8
You kind of translate for both of them
34.44
p. 56
R8
R8
R8
R8
R8
p. 57
25.36
p. 59
p. 59
29.55
35.48
83
Every artist is different and the personality and ehm also depending on the
market, they talk to a museum or a public collection, a private collector also
differently and the artist is differently..
R8
If you’re discovered or not I don’t know it’s really yeah timing, and as I said
you have to be out there, they’re not coming knocking on your door and so
that doesn’t change if there’s less people in the city or so
41.08
p. 43
p. 51
R8
Teaching jobs are really important for artists, to make a living.
42.19
p. 39
R8
What the people like it’s really sometimes you kind of sense that there are
trends
43.16
p. 39
R9
Ik woon nu vier jaar in Berlijn en werk ook vier jaar voor deze galerie
00.47
Op een gegeven moment heb je eh ja dan krijg je toch te maken met de
subsidie tekorten en inkrimpen en alles en dat was toen nog niet zo aan de
hand maar ik merkte het wel.
5.38
R9
R9
Toen ik naar Berlijn kwam toen had je dus de hele ommekeer in de subsidies
dat alle instellingen en alles ineens van de kaart werden geveegd door het hele
nieuwe subsidiebeleid
5.55
R9
Daar heb ik gelukkig geen last van gehad maar ik heb het wel toen op een
gegeven moment gemerkt en ook van gemerkt van ja he het stagneerde
allemaal wel een beetje
6.06
p. 56
R9
Het is netwerken ja, ja het is he ook geluk hebben natuurlijk en op de juiste
plek zijn op de juiste… en ook gewoon kei hard je best doen
7.14
p. 51
Toen had ik zoiets van nou ik ga gewoon een tijdje naar Berlijn want een
goeie vriendin van mij wat ik net vertelde een fotografe is dat en die heb ik
vanuit het uitwisselingsproject naar Brazilië toen al leren ja uit Brazilië komt
zij.
7.38
p. 42
Berlijn was toen he eh was een paar keer in Berlijn geweest en dan zie je toch
wat voor een verschil dat is en ook op internationaal niveau en wat er
allemaal gebeurde en alles, en de stad vond ik ook altijd heel fijn ook heel
makkelijk toegankelijk, alles kan inderdaad. Ik had ook het idee van ja daar
ga ik me wel thuis voelen alhoewel mijn Duits echt totaal penibel was, het
was heel slecht en maja
8.13
p. 58
Deze galerie, omdat weetje ik had toen op een gegeven moment iets van
wauw he eerst werkte ik voor in de periferie van de {kunstwereld} van
Nederland he kunst gesubsidieerde instellingen die ook praktische projecten
maken waarin je iedere keer weer moet boxen voor een nieuwe
tentoonstelling met projectje en naja en toen kwam ik hier en ik werkte
opeens voor een commerciële instelling maar ook een galerie he en ook een
galerie is een commerciële instelling en die eh meteen ook bovenaan de top
meespeelde
14.26
R9
R9
R9
p. 56
84
R9
R9
R9
R9
Nederland is toch een beetje van doe maar gewoon doen we gek genoeg en
Duitsland houdt er toch wel van om uit te pakken en te laten zien van kijk en
dit is wat ik heb en nog en dit en dat.. en dat is een goed klimaat voor kunst.
16.02
p. 58
Over het algemeen ben je dus als galerist als je dus kunstenaars die bij jou
werken die moet je zien als een soort van paardenstal, een renstal met
renpaarden of dresuurpaarden ja dus je moet van begin af aan…
… Je moet hem dus ondersteunen he ook als ie projecten wil maken, wat wij
dus dat was vroeger misschien niet zo maar wij moeten de kunstenaars die
projecten willen maken of eh die ook met produceren bronsgieten ofzoiets dat
kan natuurlijk een kunstenaar niet betalen dus dat moet jij als galerist betaal je
dat, jij betaald de productie daarvoor en je bekomt dan daarna kom je die
kosten dan als het verkocht wordt terugbetaalt dan krijgt de kunstenaar de
helft meestal…
17.02
17.37
p. 53
p. 54
Dat waren indertijd Duitse kunstenaars ja…
…internationale nu juist ja.
18.25
18.29
p. 53
Wij tonen iedere keer weer een andere kunstenaar, dus dat wil zeggen dan ben 21.09
je eigenlijk meer een projectruimte omdat je eigenlijk iedere keer weer iets
anders toont dus elke keer een ander project en niet zozeer een galerie met
een vast programma.
p. 53
Waarom zo’n projectruimte dan weer belangrijk is voor zo’n galerie zoals
22.53
XXX omdat het he een soort van speelruimte is waar, omdat ze ook graag met
jongere kunstenaars werken en Berlijn toch wel een grote invloed heeft ook
positieve invloed ook op jongere kunstenaars, het trekt heel veel jongere
kunstenaars, ook uit Amerika want meeste van de kunstenaars die hierheen
komen komen vanuit XXX in Amerika, New York, en ehm dit is een soort
van speelruimte om te kijken van oja, slaat dat aan. En die jongens en meisjes
vinden dat ook allemaal heel leuk om hier naartoe te komen naar Berlijn dat is
een goeie positieve stad en dit en dat en kunnen hier lekker werken en ja dan
kan daarnaar gekeken worden of er überhaupt misschien komt er wel iets uit
een verdere samenwerking tot stand en dat is af en toe het geval af en toe ook
niet maar ja… dus dat is eigenlijk ook een beetje het doel van deze ehh deze
projectruimte en ook gewoon om de XXX gallery die ook nog een gallery in
London heeft ehm een beetje zo op de kaart te zetten als een beetje jongere
he.. ehh niet alleen de status hebben bijvoorbeeld deze cinema hier, deze kino,
om ook een beetje alternatiever te zijn om ook performances hebben we ook
gedaan dus dat zijn allemaal dingen waar je helemaal geen geld mee eh is
allemaal gratis film en mensen krijgen hun biertje gratis maar het is ook voor
de stad weetjewel van oja XXX om een beetje naam mee te kunnen maken.
24.27
p. 49
Het is een kwestie van een tentoonstelling maken, tuurlijk…
24.50
…dus dan hebben we hier een studio, atelier en dan kan de kunstenaar werken 25.07
en die brengt dan he dat is eigenlijk ideaal, he dat is niet voor iedere
tentoonstelling dat we dat doen maar het is op zich wel heel handig want dan
hoef je die werken niet allemaal over te brengen vanuit New York wat dan
evenveel zou kosten…
…Je bent helemaal betrokken bij de productie van zo iets
25.55
p. 53
p. 53
p. 54
85
p. 53
R9
R9
R9
R9
R9
R9
Ik ben vooral bezig met het produceren van de werken he, het zorgen dat de
werken tot stand komen, het begeleiden ervan het begeleiden van de
kunstenaar het zorgen dat er een tentoonstelling komt zoals deze, dat het ook
wordt ingericht, het transport en zo iets allemaal gebeurd en als er dan iets
verkocht wordt dat het ook naar de klant en zo gaat. Daarbij, dat is niet alleen
maar onze tentoonstellingen ook wel projecten en zo die we ook nog doen
zoals {tienerproject} en alles maar we hebben ook wat vooral heel ook veel
steeds meer ook de nadruk op ligt ook voor galerieën, internationale galerieën
zijn beurzen, kunstbeurzen.
27.08
p. 53
Maar dat is nog nooit gebeurd hoor dat iemand echt alleen maar helemaal er
onderdoor is gegaan maar dat is wel een van de verlokkingen van Berlijn zo
te zeggen
34.04
Berlijn is nog cooler als New York heh, Berlijn…
…New York is onbetaalbaar is ook heel gestresst weet je wel het draait om
produceren geld verdienen, het draait alleen maar om toch erg oppervlakkig
en blijkbaar hier in Berlijn zeggen al die mensen die hierheen komen die
kunstenaars allemaal ohh het is zo fijn hier, zo’n fijn werkklimaat weet je, je
bent niet gestrest je kan gewoon doen wat je wil het is toch allemaal voor de
hand weet je wel het is allemaal daar en het is nog steeds een vrij
internationaal klimaat hier met internationale kunstenaars er is heel veel te
zien op kunstgebied en cultuurgebied je wordt wel elke keer weer gevoed
weet je door al die dingen maar je wordt dus niet zo hectisch.
34.36
34.46
Het is een grote stad dus overal heb je wel nieuwe dingen die je kan
ontdekken enzo …
…veel groen
35.26
Iedere keer hoor je weer ja ik kom terug, ik kom terug
35.59
p. 58
In Berlijn zijn ze vrij laks…
…dus daar had je natuurlijk de New Yorkse adem bij wijze van spreken in je
nek weet je wel zo’n ik moet dit morgen hebben ik moet het vandaag hebben
liever gisteren dan vandaag weet je wel dit en dat en dat ja en dan kom je daar
met van ja he weet ik veel waar zeg maar wat weet het ook niet precies bij de
post ofzo en hier krijg je ‘ja nee mijn coll of mijn chef zegt dat we blabla niet
meer hebben’ weet je wel zo en bij ons is het ook in Nederland is het ook iets
flexibeler is het ook eerder zo van oke we denken met je mee en we proberen
het allemaal voor je te regelen. En hier is het allemaal van o nee als het nee is
is het nee
41.11
41.20
p. 60
p. 60
Daar woonden echt alle kunstenaars he, echt vroeger de creatieve sector en
maar zoals dat altijd gaat ook in Berlijn zo die gentrification zodra ergens
kunstenaars wonen wordt de buurt cool he, komen er nieuwe initiatieven dan
fleurt de buurt bij wijze van spreken op en dan gaan meer mensen zich daar
vestigen.. dan wordt het weer duurder, hebben ze een hele buurt
gerestaureerd, nu heb je alleen maar hele grote investeringsmaatschappijen
47.05
p. 49
p. 58
35.22
42.35
41.49
p. 57
p. 57
86
R9
Er was wel echt een cultuur van bewijzen in het begin toen ik hier kwam he
en het was ook even een hele omschakeling enzo hard werken..
49.48
R9
Zo goedkoop is het helemaal niet
51.30
De lonen liggen in het algemeen nog vrij laag, en ook in de cultuursector is
het ook nog steeds zo van oja wil je een baan dan kun je achteraan sluiten en
ehm ze weten gewoon dat heel veel mensen hier in een galerie willen werken
of überhaupt en ja dat wordt wel een beetje uitgebuit ja, gelukkig hier dan he,
hebben wij het geluk dat we met een Amerikaanse galerie eigenlijk geleidt
worden door een Amerikaanse galerie
52.09
R9
Als ik naar Nederland kijk vind ik het soms ook wel zo kneuterig denk ik oh
man hee werkelijk weet je ja kan ook wel ja ik weet niet kan iets
professioneler denk ik soms
55.57
R10
It was really good, yeah, I had some really good feedback (About exhibition
at XXX)
2.30
R10
Basically I’ve been writing application for grant money for the last three
weeks..
3.19
R10
It’s definitely a well-respected residency
4.35
R10
I’m looking forward to something different, and London I think is very
different to Berlin
9.22
R10
I’m kind of sick of moving around
10.02
R10
It’s London or Berlin (future living situation)
11.05
R10
On the whole it’s been great (XXX institution)
12.45
R10
One of the main really good things, is just the kind of amount of people that
come through Berlin, curators and things like this
17.34
p. 41
R10
It’s basically impossible to sell anything in Berlin
18.25
p. 46
R10
This idea of having a sustainable lifestyle, that I want to have
19.01
p. 43
R10
Selling work is only one way to make money, you can exhibit and get artist
fees
20.50
p. 43
R10
Yeah it’s gonna be very different but it’s a good thing I guess (about starting
uni after 10 years again)
23.13
R9
R11
p. 57
p. 58
00.35
87
Ik woon sinds vierenhalf jaar in Berlijn en daarvoor heb ik in Amsterdam
gewoond, tussendoor ook nog in New York en in Madrid, daarvoor bedoel ik,
voor Berlijn…
…Ik ging voor het eerst naar Madrid toe in mijn eentje en eigenlijk, eigenlijk
ging ik naar een meisje toe maar dat was na twee dagen was dat eigenlijk al
duidelijk dat dat echt helemaal niks ging worden en ik had wel daar voor een
paar maanden een ticket gekocht dus toen ben ik daar gebleven en eigenlijk
beviel mij dat wel heel erg om in je eentje op een plek te zijn waar je niemand
kent en dan sla je al heel erg ja dan ga je een andere kant zien van een stad en
niet zozeer echt als een toerist of in ieder geval ik merkte dat ik echt juist naar
hele saaie buurten of waar toeristen normaal niet naartoe gaan ging en
ontdekken, kijken, mensen ontmoeten en niet dat dat nou zo ja ik heb daar
zelf ook nog een soort van project opgestart voor mezelf dat was puur ter
vermaak dat ik iets te doen had. Was voor de rest is dat niet heel spectaculair
maar het is wel belangrijk want toen kwam ik terug in Amsterdam en wilde ik
eigenlijk wel meer van zulk soort dingen doen en niet als wereldreiziger ofzo
niet echt als een mooie reizen gaan maken maar echt om de naar een plek toe
te gaan en dan proberen te begrijpen, meer wat dieper, gewoon wat meer
dagelijkse leven en ja toen ben ik naar New York gegaan met eh ik had iets
verkocht en had flink wat geld dus heb ik toen meteen een ticket gekocht voor
de maximale tijd zonder visum ofzo dus ja daar kan je drie maanden tijd ofzo,
negentig dagen en op het moment dat mijn dat ik daar naartoe vloog toen had
ik nog maar drie honderd euro dus ik kwam daar echt met drie honderd euro
in New York aan en ik had expres niemand, nee niemand laten weten dat ik
zo weinig geld had en ook niet research gedaan om te kijken wat de
mogelijkheden waar. Dus ik stond daar letterlijk op het vliegveld, ja ik wilde
vooral ja ik dacht het komt wel goed. Naja dan sta je toch in een keer dat is
toch wel een heel verschil Madrid of New York.
R11
R11
R11
R11
00.55
New York is gigantisch groot en daar heb je en heel veel armoede en heel
veel rijkdom en ja je kent er niemand
3.37
Toen ben ik weer naar Amsterdam gegaan en toen is blitzkrieg collectief
ontstaan in mijn woning, en eigenlijk werd Amsterdam een beetje te.. ik had
nu New York gezien en wat heel fijn aan New York was was dat het dat heeft
zeg maar heel veel verschillende steden in een grote stad.
7.04
Uiteindelijk kwam er van werken ook niet meer zoveel terecht, terwijl dat het
juist hetgeen was wat ik wilde en toen ben ik zeg maar naar Berlijn gegaan,
daar was ik een keer eerder geweest en die ja dat had voor mij een beetje de
feeling wat ik over Berlijn had was grootsheid van New York met een
Westerse, Europese mentaliteit Nederlandse, meer Nederlandse mentaliteit,
dat was in New York echt…
…dat is zo typisch New Yorks, en dat is iets wat totaal niet met mij nee zo
ben ik gewoon niet en dat is ook ik kan daar.. je krijgt altijd de kans maar ze
laten je ook zo vallen en het is heel moeilijk om daar een echt een goeie band
op te bouwen.
8.15
Vanaf Berlijn zou ik het wel echt professioneel willen noemen, ik ben ook
hier, ik ben een, ik ben achtentwintig dus dus ik woon hier vanaf mn
vierentwintigste en ik heb, ik heb nog nooit hier een nacht doorgehaald of ben
nog nooit in een club geweest in Berlijn terwijl ik dat contrast in Amsterdam
was dat het enige wat ik deed en iedereen van al mn mensen die naar Berlijn
12.07
p. 39
9.12
88
gaan die gaan hier naartoe om het nachtleven te ontdekken en of dat dat ook
overdag doorgaat en weet ik maar dat heb ik nog nooit hier gedaan…
…ook echt ook hier naartoe gekomen met van ik wil werken en ik wil niet
meer die feest, uiteindelijk is het ook achteraf gezien eigenlijk was het al heel
snel duidelijk in Amsterdam al die avonden feesten is gewoon één lange nacht
in je herinnering
12.52
In Nederland ja daar heb ik gewoon vaste mensen, mensen die mijn werk
willen, goeie galerie die me naar presenteert. Maar ik denk dat het ook wel
heel erg belangrijk is dat je weer verder gaat en kijkt en niet dat je..
(Nederland is zo groot niet he) Nee precies en dr zitten een paar hele
belangrijke mensen in Nederland maar dus ja, Duitsland is veel interessanter.
Berlijn is wat dat betreft, als je het effe op verkooptechnisch bekijkt ofzo is
Berlijn een hele onlogische plek want je ziet Berlijn is een arme stad.
20.01
p. 46
Alles komt naar Berlijn qua kunstenaars en eh ja daarvoor zijn sowieso niet
genoeg verzamelaars en daarbij zit ook gewoon een heel groot gedeelte wat
iedere avond in de kroeg zit en wat nooit werkt die er meer uitziet als
kunstenaar maarja…
…dus het is ook nog maar de vraag van hoe groot percentage is het het waard
om te komen of weet ik het wat dus vandaar dat misschien heel veel mensen
hier klagen daarover
21.18
p. 41
21.39
p. 47
R11
Ik denk dat een heel groot gedeelte naar Berlijn gaat want hier ge, hier kan
gaat dat vanzelf ofzo maar dat totaal niet zo is.
22.04
p. 44
R11
In vier jaar, ik heb hier om de hoek gewoond toen betaalden we vier honderd
euro per maand en nu betaal je er acht honderd vijftig per maan voor dezelfde
ruimte eh dat is gewoon meer dan verdubbeld, in vier jaar!
22.25
p. 46
23.38
R11
Maar als ik zie, ja ik ben gewoon veel te simpel ingesteld, ik zie hoeveel
weken hij daarmee bezig is en ja echt alleen om dat aan te vragen he, hoeveel
tijd en uren hij met zoiets bezig is dan denk ik nou dan kan ik beter deze week
al die tijd in werken steken en in eh dat verkopen want dan heb je dat ook.
(over een vriend die een subsidie van de NL overheid ontvangt)
Wat ik heel relaxt vond is dat het zo breed is opgezet, zo groot is opgezet
maar ook zo breed een stoep hier is net zo breed als een hele straat in
Amsterdam.
27.26
R11
28.05
R11
Die hele mentaliteit in Nederland is ook ik vind dat een beetje het is een
beetje verdwaald, of eh niemand trekt meer zn bek open als er iets is en ik wel
en dan kom je in problemen.
En dan kom je hier en dan, je loopt niemand voor zn sokken en je hebt ruimte
en er is rust, met alles, met het uitgaansbeleid waar ik voor de rest niet veel
mee te maken heb maar ik vind het fijn om te wonen in een stad waar je
(opties hebt) ja maar ook, er zijn niet veel problemen hier, snachts, terwijl het
hier altijd doorgaat.
29.29
p. 47
Iedereen laat elkaar in elkaars waarde en als je echt te ver gaat trekken
mensen ook echt hun bek open
30.29
p. 47
R11
R11
R11
R11
p. 41
89
R11
Het is een soort valse verpaupering
32.03
p. 48
R11
Hier ziet alles er slecht uit maar is het heel goed!
32.50
p. 47
(Vriendin kreeg baan aangeboden, toen zeer impulsief in één weekend
verhuist)
p. 42
R11
Die spanning is weg want dat is gewoon normaal eh dus dat zorgt er wel voor
dat ik nu vaak naar het buitenland ga
42.28
p. 48
R11
Ik zou denk ik wel, altijd óók in Berlijn blijven…
…Misschien dat ik uiteindelijk wel ergens anders zou gaan wonen, dat zou ik
me ook nog wel kunnen voorstelling maar dat ik ook in Berlijn nog woon
44.25
44.44
p. 47
R11
Een nadeel: dat serieus wat ik nou met mn kinderen, dat die dan Duits praten
45.00
R11
Fascinerend land vind ik dat, Roemenië, zoiets waar ik ook waar ik mee bezig
ben om daar een project over te gaan doen
59.07
p. 45
Je kan altijd zelf hmm mogelijkheid maken ook! Dat bedoel ik het komt niet
op je af weet je als ik ergens ben en ik hoor van iemand dat is een grote
verzamelaar dan loop ik daarnaartoe en spreek ik hem aan.
61.06
p. 44
R11
R11
In vergelijking met Amsterdam is dit nog wel peanuts weetje (prijzen)
72.35
p. 46
Als je de luxe hebt dat je in London je werkt verkoopt en in Berlijn woont ja
dan heb je gewoon een dubbele win-win situatie want je hebt de Londonse
prijzen en de Berlijnse onkosten ja dat is gewoon nogal een groot verschil.
Met Nederland en Berlijn is dat ook al een flink verschil, je hebt hier ook
geen minimun loon. Mijn vriendin voor Zalando verdiende 700 euro per
maand in Amsterdam verdiende ze 2400 euro per maand.
73.02
p. 47
R11
…Berlijn toch uiteindelijk meer kansen biedt dan Nederland, als je in
Nederland verkoopt
75.06
p. 41
R12
I’ve been in Berlin since (sneezes) 2007.
00.20
My mental break from New York was coming to Berlin for a few months, and
a few months never ended..
01.00
R12
R12
It’s only important because someone important said it was (about art pieces)
2.07
R11
p. 42
90
R12
I’m just thankful that I have the luxury of my space and doing the work you
know that’s all I can ask for right now
2.42
p. 45
3.39
p. 43
R12
So last year I’m gonna get back in doing this, I turned my living room into a
gallery space so every two months I clear everything out, paint the walls
white and I do a small show in there, just to have the work photographed to
kind of like let it breathe. Ok it’s not it’s not just mine, my friends as well but
just kind of like get it out there, you have it done and you can keep on moving
on.
R12
The city allows you the luxury of time and space to do the work which is
incredible for European capitals.
4.17
p. 41
R12
You can do the work in Berlin, you have space but rarely will it materialize in
money, so that’s the other hard trick as I.. yeah
4.50
p. 46
R12
I’ve stopped doing work with the anticipation of it being sold, because that’s
the idea, you can’t bet on anything.
5.20
p. 45
R12
I never went to art school, I never had the education
7.54
A good friend of mine referred to Berlin as eh ‘a land of broken toys’ in a
sense that people that don’t feel comfortable or at home or normal in their
given.. they end up here.
10.45
R12
p. 42
p. 46
You have all these like people that felt weird at other places {their owns?}
coming here creates a really cool environment. That what I was amazed by.
You can go out and meet a lot of really, interesting people.
11.17
p. 47
p. 48
The other side is, I’m not sure if you notice this, that people come here to do
work and instead of doing the work itself they just they party constantly. Too
much.
11.34
p. 47
R12
R12
If you don’t have anything to do or if you’re not self-directed you won’t do a
damn thing
11.48
p. 47
R12
You have to like learn how to deal with the paper beast of Germany.
13.00
p. 46
R12
Aside from all the partying that people can get sucked into, the city at least
allows you for good environment to do work
13.25
p. 47
R12
Free time, free space and not just those two but the permission to enjoy these
things
13.39
p. 46
R12
Time is money.. (New York)
Time is NOT money, how dare you put like a quantify like a monetary
symbol on my ability to enjoy myself?! It actually offends me to like to think
of this now. See come to Germany and they have words like ‘feierabend’
14.07
p. 46
R12
91
R12
I don’t mean to badmouth my lifestyle but I think a lot of times people
mistake comfort for happiness (reflecting on where he comes from, Main)
15.37
R12
I kind of like Germany for this, that when people are into a thing, you don’t
have to explain why.
17.18
p. 42
R12
It’s a really amazing place like no one asks you to defend yourself here
18.16
p. 45
R12
But it’s just amazing to see like culture has cracked open, completely.
21.12
p. 42
R12
This city is full of weird people, I mean like not just a few people, everyone
here is strange in their own respective way.
26.43
p. 47
36.09
R12
I grew up in Main which is the second whitest state in America as, like a
Hispanic, so a brown person…
…Being both gay and Hispanic it’s like I’m two steps removed but for me, it
made me, I think this sounds really weird but I still believe it, I’m something
special, exotic!
36.23
p. 43
R12
I enjoy my difference
36.42
p. 43
39.49
p. 47
R12
I’ve been here long enough that this Berlin transit in the sense that you know
people stay for six months, three months, a year they leave and the first
couple of years whatever friends would leave you’d have these long teary
drunken goodbye party and some people are like I’d remember the nights we
had, and then they would leave and then six months later they’d move back
cause they’re like oh London sucks.
R12
If I leave this city, it’s not going to be a permanent leaving.
40.38
R12
It’s a self-fulfilling agenda for those who are involved in it, what is like what
are you trying to help? (politics)
47.57
R12
They require a sort of type of language, you have to kind of wrap your head
around of what they maybe could want… (abuout getting grants)
49.38
R12
I don’t have one person that buys work from me pretty regularly
52.32
R12
At the bar I’m there four nights a week for seven hours roughly..
52.48
P. 47
R12
I love collaborating with artists
54.29
P. 41
P. 43
R12
At least allows you to play with the aspect of identity (group collaboration)
55.02
p. 42
p. 62
R12
When people I do know pretty well are successful that like now, that makes
me hopeful!
63.31
P. 46
92
R13
I live in Berlin since seven years
00.28
Before I was in Berlin I was in Morocco one year, I was a fashion designer
there one year yeah and then I didn’t want to go back to France and I could a
little I could speak Berlin so I came to Berlin because I heard it’s a great city.
And I didn’t know what to do and I knew that in Berlin you could make a lot
of internships without to be a student.
00.54
I was au pair mädchen, au pair, yeah, so I did that and I was by the father was
an artist also and ehh friend of my family a French one and he had two
childrens oh and yeah and I saw how easy it was in Berlin to be an artist,
because it is very very cheap. So I decided to be an artist myself, too.
01.28
p. 42
It was easy ehh to make art and because you don’t have to work a lot because
it is very cheap to have ah it was, now it’s something else, now I have my
atelier here, my studio here at my place. Before I was in a studio an open
studio with other artists and it’s cheap so you can have a studio and you can
share a studio with other people you can have a WG and eh just work two or
three times a week. Because I had assurances in France so I didn’t have to pay
as much, not that much because I was between France and Germany and eh
yeah just worked too a mini-job and with a mini-job you have a lot of time to
make your art. So in Paris for example it’s impossible.
02.34
p. 42
I always, I come from a very eh a family who love arts so I always had a lot, I
was always at exhibitions with my grandfather and I made arts with him. So it
was always something I had but I decided to do just that after, so I, I always
make naked bodies but I decide to find my style so to con to focus on my
style that’s what I mean to be an artist, not just painting but really to have
your goal.
04.14
I love to how do you say, to travel but not to travel like a tourist but to travel
and to be like the other people.
05.54
I didn’t know it was cheap, just I heard it was nice so I say okay I have one
month I can make an au pair one month if it works if I like it if they like me I
will stay one year and then I decided to stay because I saw that is was very
easy to be there. So but it was not planned it was just I wanted to go out, go
anywhere and yeah it was Berlin.
06.26
R13
I don’t think that Berlin has something to do with that, it’s just, it’s great
because we have m we have time but it’s not influencing me, I don’t think so.
(inspiration)
13.11
R13
Actually I don’t like the art in Berlin, I think it’s a lot of shit, really.
13.27
Everyone is an artist because it’s cool to be an artist, so and I don’t know how
they found a gallery if you have a big mouth you can find a gallery so you
don’t have to make good art. Always when I was at a vernissage I was
disappointed that’s why I am not going there anymore.
13.35
R13
R13
R13
R13
R13
R13
R13
p. 42
p. 47
93
Always no, maybe because of the weather, because of the people maybe
(about staying in Berlin)…
…I think I just missed south France, I hate that also, but I miss it
20.21
I like it now Berlin, but it was really difficult.
21.20
p. 44
Just party party like everybody ERASMUS people it was party so it was great
but when you stay here… (story about kunstsozial kasse)
…always this steuer and blabla we have so much to do here, I mean
everywhere but Berlin I think is I don’t know..
21.40
22.40
p. 42
p. 46
p. 47
R13
No, no it’s not good for my career Berlin, there is since there is no artist who
are here because of the career I think we are here because we can work but we
have to exhibit a bit in other places not in Berlin I think.
24.17
p. 43
R13
Just like it to work and to work alone.. but yeah.
25.07
I have sold yeah, but not expensive I can’t...{because there is so much else
out there?} No, because people don’t have the money, or where do you want
me to exhibit it’s the biggest gallery in Mitte in the centre is for very eh for
the artists who already exhibit everywhere, so I can’t ask ofcourse and the
other galleries are too small so nobody.. so no I don’t know where.
25.44
p. 44
I think nobody is selling, people who are who are selling are selling, not in
Berlin.
26.35
p. 47
I’m very happy to be here, I think it’s in Berlin it’s a great life to live. We are
very free and that’s in Europe is very rare. So I’m very happy to be here I
know it’s a chance to be here. And I think it will not stay like that..
26.53
p. 41
p. 48
R13
It will be more expensive, so more rich people it will be there is no it changed
already but it will..
27.18
p. 59
R13
I don’t want to look for place to exhibit anymore, it was too hard in Berlin
and stuff. (she’s starting a master at uni again)
28.33
p. 46
R13
I just can say I’m happy to be in Berlin it’s I’m lucky to be here, yeah.
29.52
p. 45
R14
I studied in Lisbon, I studied art in Lisbon in art school not in the academy so
this shaped a little bit the lacks that I have and also good things but it’s
alternative way of study art, very practical.
00.33
I think that this journey started in 2006 when I applied for a project in India to
paint with an Indian artist and I, yeah I was I was I had practicing fundraising
so I fundraised money for my project and I stayed in India more time than,
than I thought.
01.20
After 2006 I changed a little bit in my perception of what I want to do from
from now on and I decided to apply to the {Kassel} university, the art Kassel
university and I was accepted there so I just came to Germany and poeh poeh
and I’m here in Berlin now with a fixed studio.
02.01
R13
R13
R13
R13
R13
R13
R14
R14
20.34
94
But I did a lot of residencies yeah before, residencies was more or less always
to put me work for me as putting me again in the painting, painting, because I
could not paint in Lisbon because I was working. I didn’t have studio so in
the summers I was asking money to go, not always but sometimes, I did some
art residencies before India, Spain and Brazil and Morocco but was nothing
{persistent} it was just one attempt to paint again and to but eh I could not
follow so yeah.
02.35
R14
After India I took it completely serious..
03.15
R14
(why Berlin) Where else, I mean if you are in Germany I cannot live in other
place in Germany.
05.04
p. 43
R14
I came to Berlin to just check it check out if I like the city and I like it and the
things start happen with me very fast and (phone rings)
05.26
p. 52
R14
Berlin can be really, I don’t want to get out of the subject, but Berlin can be
very heavy. And ehh (that is the subject actually, all sides of Berlin) ok ok, So
it’s it’s a very intense city. It’s a city where discussion turns as a fight or
opinion turns very fast as a statement people radical (phone rings again)
shit…
…(but Berlin can be very heavy at times?) yes, it’s a very extreme city, I I
have two explanations more or less why I think one is for the drugs abuse it’s
loads of drugs in Berlin and the people are can be here to take an experience
just and go away and so one it’s the lifestyle of the city. And then it’s the
unpermanency that people are moving all the time, so it so this is like a
funpark for a lot of people and it was for me also I enjoyed a lot Berlin when I
came here parties and eh but now and then in sudden point you must make a
choice
06.30
p. 48
08.05
p. 48
That’s why I feel that the city is heavy, people that are around you for me
have too many problems sometimes
09.39
(about friendship) You tolerate, toleration, tolerance is part of a friendship
and if you are if you get annoyed with something that doesn’t have any
importance if you put it in relative positions than days after you laugh about
this shit.
10.42
p. 46
Some people are not, are rude and I don’t like it.
11.09
p. 47
So I need to have some time I visit I start to visit some friends in London and
then I decided to rent a room there, a small room that I rent with another
friend so it’s not so expensive. And then I go there every month or every two
months.
11.34
p.45
R14
The journeys are really cheap (to London), and I go often to see exhibitions
and see to have some work-reason to go.
11.58
p. 45
R14
I really have fun with the people there and here sometimes everything is so
harsh and so heavy and so fucked up and so excess excess..
12.21
p. 48
R14
R14
R14
R14
R14
p.48
95
R14
What is financing my art activities, I rent my flat in Lisbon to.. and people
donate money.
12.48
R14
But just move, I think that it’s good!
14.01
R14
They don’t give me any help but they are really helpful and eh and eh I prefer
it like this.
16.42
R14
And this is works as a fake magnet for people, and I since three years that I
observed this because I came also with this idea that Berlin because all this
historical thing with the wall and is more cheaper, this city is really it’s
become really really posh and goes in the direction of London and Paris,
Stockholm in a few years I guess.
32.45
R14
This Kunst Sozial Kasse, for me this was important this recognition…
…they recognize that your job is difficult.
35.25
p. 42
R14
Time and space, Berlin…
37.10
p. 41
38.12
p. 44
R14
The plan that’s my problem no, it’s my futility, I’m not good to promote
myself, I’m not good to think about what I’m doing after to create some body
of understanding about my work in order to seduce other ones. No I think I
need to do this work but I’m to promote myself more and have more
exhibitions but eh this is my weak point.
R15
Then I grew up in Canada, Winnipeg. Which is a city of 700.000 people. In
Canada it’s known as a significant art center as far as Canada goes but it
wasn’t big enough.
00.26
R15
I was like four years old or something and I said to my parents ‘I wanna be an
artist!’
01.18
R15
So I then graduated in 2007, and was in Toronto for three months with my ex.
04.17
04.39
R15
Being in Toronto for those three months was like okay it’s the biggest city in
Canada it’s one of the biggest cities in North America. And it’s still it just felt
so small, villagy like the art world and it was like…
…a lot of artists in Canada they, like the ones that are successful they are
basically all their money comes from grants, because there is absolute no
commercial market.
R15
In 2008 I came to Berlin for the first time on a trip.
08.53
R15
My ex was, the one that I mentioned that was teaching, he’s a filmmaker and
he had a video installation as part of the Berlin XXX and I came with him.
09.00
Yeah I just really loved it and it was and the funny thing is it was in February,
yeah it was winter but it was a really nice winter it was like thirteen degrees
and sunny and stuff so it was actually really nice.
09.55
R15
p. 44
p. 43
p. 45
p. 45
05.51
96
I liked that it was a big, well it was a big city but it was not chaotic. And
that’s still what I appreciate about it, you know it’s almost four million people
there’s all these good aspects of a big city. You know there is like a very
extensive public transport system like exciting things happening jaa well
organized like there is events happening all the time. Even if they’re things
you don’t do it’s good knowing that those options are there you know. So it’s
like yeah like I don’t know, it feels like a big city, and that’s what I like.
11.22
p. 40
London I didn’t really like, I thought it was too you know it’s obviously
expensive it’s obviously it’s sort of you know obviously there is like very
good transportation all that but it’s like my friend worked full-time had an
architecture firm you know as a designer he lived in zone five or something
like near Wembley stadion and it’s like anything you wanted, (pretty far out)
just really far out and it was like oh in this neighborhood there’s really
nothing there’s just a bunch of like convenient stores and like really bad sort
of imbiss kind of you know and you know in a way it was interesting like o
yeah this doesn’t look like happy either but it just felt sad. You know and then
I was like oh let’s go to central London and then it takes forever to get there.
16.07
p. 45
R15
How, apart from like the space and the rent which is insane there, it’s like
how do you actually even make anything? (New York)
21.26
R15
Things in a way are just simpler here
22.16
p. 43
R15
It’s like the more you show the more people find out about the work and like
(contact you) yeah exactly. And then your cv grows and like there’s always
opportunities to sell. And over the last year I’ve also been selling, which is
good.
23.14
p. 43
R15
All those galleries thrive because they do fairs and they have clients outside
of Berlin
24.18
p. 46
R15
So less than two years after moving here we were represented by a gallery,
that wasn’t like it wasn’t a good gallery but it’s like a gallery
27.36
Now I’m informally working with a gallery, like they’re paying for my
studio, they’re like offering works to clients but I think it’s just like feeling it
out, see how the working relationship is. Cause this is also someone I know in
a social context.
29.18
When those things happen that confirms okay I’m in the right city, because
it’s like I think I the other major issue is that it’s like there’s this like wall
removed for as like if it was in London or New York I feel like there would
be so much more distance and tension between people. So it’s like (between
institutions and artists?) yeah and you know like if I had worked you know if
I had done like hard work at a gallery in New York it’s just like no one would
ever be like o yeah I’m gonna come for a studio visit.
38.51
I think if people don’t see something in you, as an artist or your personality,
obviously personality is important. Like, any successful artist either has a
crazy {shoe she go??} and then can be like nasty and have a bad personality
but it’s like people become like endeavor with the fact that they have this ego
40.05
R15
R15
R15
R15
R15
p. 42
p. 46
97
or you need something magnetic that like draws people on. And I think
anyone who’s successful but in a lot of fields has that quality.
R15
Obviously art is subjective, but some people are just really bad artists, to be
honest.
40.50
41.18
R15
Then there’s people who ehm are really shy or really don’t they don’t go meet
people like you have to go to openings and meet people, socialize I’m just
like it’s like anything it’s like any professional field you work in I don’t know
it’s like I’ve only ever had one job where I actually applied randomly. Didn’t
know anyone there, and got the job. Every other job I had it’s like, I knew
someone.
People can’t focus on you, you’re one of many and then also inevitably
there’s gonna be a lot of bad things. To be honest and then it’s sort of like,
you become part of that (negative connotation?) in someone’s mind. (about
festivals)
52.27
R15
53.15
R15
What’s annoying is like this whole idea of Iike we need to blank the
neighborhood, these initiatives, it’s like I think a neighborhood just have to
happen organically as they are without intervention. And I don’t think there’s
anything wrong with Neuköln. I don’t think there is anything wrong with any
neighborhood in Berlin.
People in places like Berlin should go visit anywhere in North America and
see like oh this is actually what a dangerous neighborhood is, this is what a
bad neighborhood is, this is a place where you don’t walk at night.
53.40
p. 56
R15
R15
I think it definitely adds in every way, like I think it offers a you know it
offers inspirations and offers you know like access to me going to Poland a
lot which is sort of like my muse, my work. But also provides distance from
that, that I don’t live there but I can just go back and forth.
55.29
p. 43
R15
It also facilitates like, you know me having a space to work in like being able
to have access to supplies
55.58
p. 44
R15
Every single thing I have done professionally is because of someone I met in
Berlin
56.55
I think for a lot of people here they get very caught up in other things, like
they I know a lot of artists (go out and party?) who go out and party that’s the
big difference where it’s like in Winnipeg there is no partying. There is like
two bars that were far you know. There were no like fun parties or anything.
57.28
R15
You know, the typical random young Berlin artist, where it’s like, like one
that I’ve known for two years, it’s like has done nothing. (at all?) At all! He’ll
like start oh I’ll start this painting and then doesn’t finish it.
58.05
R15
Basically I think, Berlin is really, it’s and I think in any field it’s like what
you make of it. But you have to be super motivated and push through.
59.35
R15
p. 43
p. 47
63.02
R15
98
Ideally like I just like to you know have my place here but then be able to just
afford to go you know every couple of months go to New York for a few
weeks, go to Winnipeg for a few weeks and come back.
R16
We have a more narrow understanding of artists in the sense of visual artists
so your painters your what else are there, sculptures and eh film artists your
writers your dancers and theater performers, authors and so forth. So the
department here in ehm the Senatskanzlei für Kulturelle angelegenheiten that
I work for we are concerned with the funding for these artists. So what we do
here is we implement the existing programs and evaluate them and develop
new programs. So basically we take the money that is given to us through the
abgeordnete haus, so through the senat and what is voted on through the
annual budget and we take this money and we say okay well we’re going to
create the following programs.
00.21
p. 48
R16
For all of our programs, it is not, we don’t care about your nationality we care
about the fact that you are living in Berlin.
01.41
p. 50
R16
If you are now in Berlin and you are registered here with your apartment,
that’s all we need and you qualify to apply for and receive the funding if you
are selected.
02.00
R16
We also have a particular program for that. (Artists with migratory
background)
02.51
R16
Most of them are or many of them are incredibly good at what they do but
they are not so good at self-presentation.
06.47
R16
I even find this whole having to register yourself somewhere a bit
problematic.
08.01
R16
There is a very high inflow of artists into Berlin, at the moment, yes. And I
would say a lot of it is a lot of the artists are from outside of Germany but I
wouldn’t necessarily say it’s the majority.
08.20
p. 57
R16
Out of the artists that I met there I think like four or five I think two were
internationals and they told me that you know this type of infrastructure is not
offered anywhere else. (specialized artist werkstätten)
13.31
p. 55
R16
There is also this kind of support for the production of art which is also very
interesting. I don’t know if this is something that pulls the people but I think
it’s something when they’re here they realize oh wow, you know I’m not just
here for inspiration but I can actually also produce here.
13.44
R16
We don’t decide who gets the funding, we create the programs but we select
the jury and we select for each funding program we select a new jury every
year. Some of the juries are selected through participative methods that
involve the applicants so they have a voice in who gets to evaluate their work
also. And so yeah there is a clear separation.
15.39
R16
We really select the specialists and the experts that are out there working in
the field through also this be able be the ones deciding what is good art. We
don’t do that.
16.15
p. 43
p. 50
99
Long story short, we decided to create price an annual price for the seven best
project spaces in Berlin and they each receive thirty thousand euro. Which is
a lot of money for a project space, because usually before they would run on
nothing they would not have any kind of budget and usually the people that
are running the space you know somehow fund it through their own work
somewhere else.
18.37
R16
The nice thing is they will get this thirty thousand euro and they can do
whatever they want with it.
19.35
R16
You have to be around for like two or three years and then you have to have a
you have to be able to show that you have been working and having regular
you know exhibitions during this period. So you have to kind of show some
kind of proof of your activity. It’s a regular jury based procedure.
20.47
In the jury it doesn’t play so much of a role but in the in the applications we
ask and we make sure that we have (a mixed group) a mix yeah, and we also
make sure that the people or the project spaces that receive the price that there
is some kind of mix or at least if it if the mix is not that strong in one year we
look back on the previous years. (about whether nationality matters)
22.57
R16
What I’ve heard from my colleagues that have been here longer than I have is
that more and more actually the international artists that don’t just come for a
little while but the ones that really come to Berlin to work they also they are
really, making an effort to speak German here when they come.
25.55
R16
We actually don’t even require the application to be in German because our
juries also speak English. The only area where we do require German is in the
literature program.
27.43
It’s the different parties that decide on funding. Yes I would absolutely say
and especially because I work for the department that deals with artists and
the free scene so I’m we don’t give money to institutions but we give money
to those that are not affiliated with institutions. There’s not enough money for
that.
30.40
It comes from the democratic process so if people who are living in Berlin
and they can vote and they vote for their eh so to say senators their
abgeordneten of their districts and they come together and they say this is
what we want to spend on the budget.
32.02
Now that we have a new secretary for culture with XXX who comes from the
from the more you know comes from more the scene the artistic scene and
what not I think he has a better understanding of what the needs are and that
there needs to be more attention paid to the independent art scenes or the
independent culture scenes in the city.
33.40
p. 55
I would agree that it’s going to become more difficult for any kind of cultural
production to remain at the same level you know into the future because the
city is becoming more crowded and more expensive
34.04
p. 57
R16
R16
R16
R16
R16
R16
p. 53
p. 50
100
R16
The big questionmark is how do you stabilize the infrastructure that you
have? And a kind of make sure there is the free space for cultural production
to continue because there increasing pressures with less and less public space
being available, it’s getting more expensive so these are these are real dangers
that we hear about all the times because we are in constant dialogue with the
scene in Berlin and that we are you know thinking about how we can come up
with solutions for it.
34.31
p. 55
101
Appendix 2: Social security benefits office for artists document
14-7-2014
Social securitybenefits office for artists (Künstlersozialkasse or KSK)
http://www.bbkberlin.de/con/bbk/front_content.php?idart=1955&idartlang=2137&idcat=145&changelang=5 1/1
bbk berlin e.V.
berufsverband bildender künstler BERLIN
Social security benefits office for artists (Künstlersozialkasse or KSK)
Old-age pensions, health insurance and nursing care insurance for artists
The social INSURANCE for artists (Künstlersozialversicherung) of the social security benefits office
for artists (KSK) grants artists an insurance for old-age pensions, health and nursing care. The KSK is
obliged to insure self-employed artists who work as artists professionally and ensure their livelihood
with this profession. The artists are paying half of the fees. The other half is covered by the state as
well as a tax paid by companies that engage the services of artists.
A prerequisite for the membership in the KSK is an annual income of at least 3.900 €. Over the period
of six years the income can fall below this amount twice. Young professionals are granted another
three years without a minimum income.
The insurance generally begins with the application of the artist to the KSK. Propositions for the
examination of the insurance obligation of the KSK need to be directed to the KSK directly.
Information and the application forms can be downloaded from the KSK webpage:
www.kuenstlersozialkasse.de.
Unfortunately the information is only available in German.
bbk BERLIN e.V.
Köthener Straße 44
10963 Berlin
tel 030 230899-0
fax 030 230899-19
[email protected]
102