CARGOTOPIA: Gentrified by JAKOB VON RECKLINGHAUSEN (GERMANY)

sexta-feira, 23 de julho de 2010

Gentrified by JAKOB VON RECKLINGHAUSEN (GERMANY)

Gentrification describes the development of an urban neighbourhood from having a poor, socially and culturally mixed population to being a place for hip middle-class yuppies. Normally it starts with a wave of young people looking for a cheap place to live - students, artists, political activists. As they populate poor and run down neighbourhoods, these become more fashionable. Cultural activities and night life boost, more and more people want to move there. Then the rent go up and only rich people can afford to live there. What was once an experimentation field for young artists and activist becomes an established space for institutional culture and commerce.

Not only the neighbourhoods become gentrified, but also the people who live there. The once young and poor students get jobs, children, cars and husbands or wives. Street artists start to exhibit their art in galleries. As they start to earn money, they don't move to another area of town, but rather stay and become the gentrified population. The performance "Gentrified" deals with exactly these patterns: The personal development of the protagonist reflects the gentrification within. From throwing stones on anti-globalisation protests to working for an established NGO. He commits all crimes against the environment

and social justice that he was fighting against, while he thinks, he is still fighting for the good cause. This is an artistic research project to further develop "Gentrified", that I performed in Contagiarte in April 2010. I will work on the

dilemma between trying to take responsibility and not being part of the establishment. I will also look at neighbourhoods and developments in Porto to incorporate local issues.

jakob@von-recklinghausen.de

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CARGOTOPIA 2007-08_We are all in the same boat

In October 2007 “Cargotopia” Year 0 Started – Harlingen - A beautiful 20m - one mast sailing boat- left Galiza - Spain – S. Adrian port to Gaia´s harbour (Porto) - Portugal. The artist’s crew and captain arrived on Gaia´s harbour and exchange experiences with land artists, youngsters and local habitants through the happening a tree days festival that promoted on the boat area, activities with youngsters concerning the learning about sea life and navigation, exhibitions, debates. One day sailing trips, theatre plays, cinema projections, music and a street theatre formation, that ended with a street show on the port and boat.
(…) one thing is true; this boat comes to all bring, and to charge all that he can still take
From November on the platform moved south Portugal to -Sesimbra Port were the boat received maintenance. Simultaneous during two months in Setúbal city, a social cultural cooperative called Lança, welcomed events that reunite artists, youngsters and once again the local habitants by promoting artists art residences, a children theatre play, cinema sessions, workshops with children and youngsters from local difficult neighborhood, exhibitions, forum about fair trade and responsible consume.

CARGOTOPIA 2008-09_To do it without

In May 2008 “Cargotopia” Year 1 started in the form of a socio-cultural sea gathering exchange on the vintage sailing cargo ship “Estelle” in the north of Europe-Finland. On board were youngsters, artists, seafarers and youth-social workers. Sea life, art, culture, experience and information were transported.

In July 2008 The first meeting of Estelle, Café Libertad and Cargotopia, was hold in Hamburg Germany, themes like Fair Trade, self susteinability, solidarity, socio-political activism were brought up on a campain to promote actions from this kind.

In October 2008 In Portugal, the project will call in at the port of Gaia (Porto), offering “Cargotopia” as a socio-cultural platform for workshops, festival and other local initiatives.
Our aim this year is to keep on the research we’ve been making about themes like fair trade, social art, navigation and self-sustainability.

We organized a tree days festival on 17, 18 and 19 October 2008 in the city of Gaia-Porto on the north of Portugal, were youngsters, citizens, artists, pedagogues, social and political activists, will gather their creativity, ideas and statements on a social multicultural exchange.
We also aimed to welcome new partners to get active on Cargotopia platform.

The participation of Portuguese young people was possible through the collaboration of a number of social institutions.
Through this project the young people were supported in their efforts to re-integrate into society after time spent in difficult situations. As shown through a great number of previous sailing and art projects of this kind, the experience of sharing responsibility in the community of the will provide the young people with a hugely important educational opportunity.