48 Hours Neukölln Starts on June 26th, 2015
A Vibrant Art Festival Ready to Start in South-East Berlin
June 17th, 2015
“48 Stunden Neukölln” is an art festival held in Neukölln, a South-East district of Berlin. From June 26th until June 28th, for two days, artists from around 160 countries will exhibit their work. The goal of this event is to gather the local population who come from diverse cultures and backgrounds, as well as visitors who share the same interest in art.
Created in 1999 by the society “Kulturnetzwerk Neukölln e.V”, the festival’s objective is to gather together the local population regardless of age, ethnicity, gender or social background. Art in all its forms is understood as a unifying activity to promote important ideas. Every artistic discipline is represented. However, a special focus is put on the realization of art itself. Many exhibitions show how art is made, the techniques that are used, and the social functions that it can fulfill as well as political issues it can address. Experimentation and interaction between artists and the local population is at the core of the festival. At the same time it aims to make art more accessible for everybody.
The main project is entitled “S.O.S. – Art Saves World”. It aims to show the pressure placed on the world of art and the artists’ creativity by a globalized world. The question that the project provokes is: “what can art accomplish?”. There are other projects taking place during the festival. Under the theme “Message in a bottle” there will be a musical boat rides along the Neukölln canal. DJs and musicians will play electro pop, rock, blues, jazz and experimental music inspired by the song “Message in a Bottle” by The Police. Each boat ride will last 45 minutes and each artist is going to perform twice during the festival. This year the “48 Stunden Neukölln” has introduced a new project: the festival of Young Arts. The idea is to discover the works of young artists through workshops and excursions.
The Neukölln district of Berlin will play host to a wide range of people coming from many different horizons, cultures and backgrounds. Since the beginning of the 21st century, this district has experienced somewhat of a rebirth. Today it is one of the most attractive places in Berlin for artists and cultural innovation. In addition to the festival, many other cultural activities can be experienced thanks to numerous guided tours offered by professionals or locals, simply passionate about their district.
All events and exhibitions will be held in the district of Neukölln and are free of charge, but occasionally artists and galleries may ask for a small contribution. The main activities and galleries are located around Karl-Marx Strasse. To help visitors find their way, five information points have been provided by the organizers. The first one is located in the building Passage, northern Neukölln. Werkstadt is a non-profit organization based in the Körnerkiez area, which provides information and material. Café Olé offers the same services. The Dienstleistungszentrum Kunst is in the middle of the festival area. Finally, Neukölln Arcaden provides a kiosk for information about the events.
To see the list of artists performing during the festival, please visit the website:
http://www.48-stunden-neukoelln.de/en/artists
To see all the events organized during the festival, please visit:
http://www.48-stunden-neukoelln.de/en/events?category=9
To see the musical boat’s schedule and artists performing in it, please visit:
http://www.48-stunden-neukoelln.de/en/page/message-bottle
To see the program of the festival of Young Arts, please visit:
http://www.48-stunden-neukoelln.de/events?category=10
Louise Chancelier, Berlin Global
