We-Traders. Swapping Crisis for City
Goethe-Institut
A group of neighbours transforms wasteland into public space. Garden plot owners open their grounds to unemployed youths to test their small-scale business ideas. Communities are becoming patrons where they were once supplicants. We-Traders respond to crisis in several arenas of urban life, be it economic, social or ecological. What these We-Trades all have in common is that they diffuse the boundaries between buyers and sellers: consumers become co-producers.
"We-Traders. Swapping Crisis for City" connects initiatives from five distinct European contexts: Lisbon, Madrid, Toulouse, Turin and Berlin. The project creates a knowledge and production platform for current and future We-Traders. Between October 2013 and November 2014, it will be inviting people to interactive forums, workshops and exhibitions in all participating cities. The website www.goethe.de/wetraders offers information about all of the initiatives, events and activities in six languages. Interested citizens can join the We-Traders platform through open calls published on the web from late 2013.
“We-Traders. Swapping Crisis for City” is a production of the Goethe-Institut. Under the artistic direction of Angelika Fitz and Rose Epple, the Goethe-Institut and co-curators in Lisbon, Madrid, Turin and Toulouse are responsible for the local platforms. “We-Traders” is part of "Weltstadt” a joint initiative of the Goethe-Institut and the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development.
Goethe-Institut
Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institution operational worldwide. It promotes the study of German abroad, fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on its culture, society and politics and encourages international cultural exchange. With its network of Goethe-Instituts it plays a central role in the cultural and educational policies of Germany for over 60 years. With international projects like "We-Traders", the Goethe-Institut furthermore promotes intercultural cooperation and contributes to European and worldwide exchange and understanding.
Goethe-Institut
Goethe-Institut
Goethe-Institut Brussels
Rue Belliard / Belliarstraat 58
Brussels 1040Belgium