Goethe-Institut - Blog Cityscapes - Entries from June 2011

Thursday, June 30. 2011

Us and the Augustinians, in Prague

The life in Saint Thomas Monastery in old Prague...

Continue reading "Us and the Augustinians, in Prague" »

Posted by

Michaela Danelova

in Prague at 23:52 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

“[If You Have It] Flaunt It!” Jakarta

“Us and Them - How does my city integrate?”
Most international cities are a patchwork of cultures. Some of those cultural groups may live peacefully side by side or with each other, others perceive tensions. Income and education, rights and privileges – are issues that determine the ongoing debate about what multicultural cities may constitute.

What does make better statements about your identity in our contemporary urban settings than brands? It's a force of unification, while also serving as one of alienation at the same time. Not stopping there, coming are the attack of the knocked-off brands—toppling our comfortable means of division over, sending us to unknown territories.

This month, I'm sending three agents to look (& buy, if they feel like it) knock-offs all around Jakarta, enabling me to create a series of “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” faux-advertisement campaign. Click further to look at the documentation of the process, as well as the ad-campaign results! Continue reading "“[If You Have It] Flaunt It!” Jakarta" »

Posted by

farid rakun

in Jakarta at 16:27 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Us and Them - Singapore

In Singapore you can buy a local dish called Rojak, which in Malay means 'wild mix' or 'combination of ingredients'. And it is often what we use to describe the diverse cultures that reside here. Continue reading "Us and Them - Singapore" »

Posted by

Ben Siow

in Singapore at 14:56 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)

United In Love

I live in a big family that consists of various ethnicities, religions and races.
These photographs show where all the differences can be united in love

me and my family at my fathers funeral
Continue reading "United In Love" »

Posted by

Agan Harahap

at 10:49 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Trial

Continue reading "Trial" »

Posted by

Refik Anadol

in Istanbul at 03:08 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Wednesday, June 29. 2011

Us and them in Singapore

"Now, every time I take the train, it feels like I'm in a different country. It is like taking a holiday, I don't even need to bring my passport."

Those were the words of rising political star Nicole Seah, 24, of the opposition National Solidarity Party, at a political rally during the recent general elections in Singapore. Seizing on populist sentiments, the NSP was just one of several opposition parties that accused the government of failing to properly plan for the influx of foreign talent, resulting in a housing and transport squeeze.

Continue reading "Us and them in Singapore" »

Posted by

Nicholas Yong

in Singapore at 00:00 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Sunday, June 26. 2011

APUF Live: (Roundup) Flying home...

On the plane home, I get a good view of the place we talked about.

Continue reading "APUF Live: (Roundup) Flying home..." »

Posted by

Jochen Gutsch

in APUF Live Blog at 09:05 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Saturday, June 25. 2011

APUF Live: (Note) Thank You

The CityScapes team would like to thank Daphna, Natalja, Philip and everyone at UN ESCAP for the opportunity to play a little part in this conference.

We had a great time at APUF-5, and while we have no illusions about covering all of the content, we hope we could at least capture the atmosphere and provide a little glimpse behind the scenes.

Daphna at the Rockefeller/FCCT documentary screening.

Dagmar in front of the UN building.

We hope to see you all again some time, somewhere.
Dagmar, Norbert, Liam, Skye, Elizabeth, Prawitt, and Jochen.

___________________________
Jochen Gutsch | Goethe-Institut Australia | Twitter | LinkedIn |

Posted by

Jochen Gutsch

in APUF Live Blog at 08:24

Friday, June 24. 2011

APUF Live: (Photos) The Last Day

Liam and Skye capturing more views before the event is over.

Continue reading "APUF Live: (Photos) The Last Day" »

Posted by

Jochen Gutsch

in APUF Live Blog at 19:56

APUF Live: (Report) Voices from the Floor

At the closing session, we had one more chance to present CityScapes to everyone. I showed some examples for reports, interviews, videos, photo series, and such. Following this, there were several more people speaking up.

Lanaja Manandhar, Executive Director Lumanti: “Communities can contribute; they can help solving bigger issues.”

Continue reading "APUF Live: (Report) Voices from the Floor" »

Posted by

Jochen Gutsch

in APUF Live Blog at 14:17

APUF Live: (Opinion) Bicycles, Water and Elections.

As yesterday turned into a bit of a behind-the-scenes day for Jochen and I, we thought it would be good to spend a bit more time in the sessions and thinking about the issues being discussed here. So, I spent a bit of time listening to a session on 'green and inclusive infrastructure'. There were a few things brought up that quite interest me.

Firstly, The moderator mentioned a case of cities in India, in some of which up to 60% of the population rely on bicycles and busses to get around their city. The concern is that as these people become more wealthy, it is assumed that they will buy cars (India produces the cheapest cars in the world). This would be a very big problem in already-congested cities. The moderator, who was a native of Amsterdam, then brought up his home city as an example showing that affluence and owning cars need not go hand-in-hand. Of course, the world knows Amsterdam as a city of bicycles, and it is a very big part of the culture there. But, on top of a natural inclination to cycling, the city encourages bicycle use by discouraging car use. This is achieved through such methods as making parking in the city center very expensive and blocking car access to some areas, thus making it more convenient to get around by tram or bicycle.