Category: Allgemein

First of all – why?

Well, I think that WE, MANKIND, at the very moment are taking a further big and decisive step into an unknown and different terrain. This new world we are already in, is signified by a process of acceleration, WE have not experienced before. Digitization, Globalization as well as Climate Change are metaphors to describe that huge transformation taking place right now. The Covid-19-Pandemic, that now hits, frightens, and moves all of us on this planet, forces the society and each and every one of us into new operational modes. And WE need to manage that somehow. I think that we are obliged to look for good tools and results – so that all members of MANKIND have a fair chance to reach a good life here on this only planet we have.

And Education?

Education is a very valid and resourceful path, a powerful tool, a good means to that end. Yet it has to be education for the 21t Century. Education has to leave at least some of its traditional ways and structures behind. The roads to education will and have to be manifold. Informal learning and knowledge and skills gathering will be more important – many of us do have knowledge beyond the statement of whatever kind of standardized and regulated proof. Here, a great potential is hidden to react in a flexible way, to open up chances and act less bureaucratic, to mainly foster self efficacy and self-responsibility.

Really? Why?

Because the challenges ahead are different from yesterday’s. All involved – instructors, industry, governments, students, parents, … – need to think, to cooperate and give each other feedback on what is really needed and helpful. The old structures (seen form a German perspective) of primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education are worn out. Lifelong learning, blending online and offline learning as Blended Learning, looking for skills rather than solely theoretical knowledge, and lots of other issues are changing education along with the needs and wants of all its diverse stakeholders. Plus, there are the chances, digitization offers, applying it to education – and the shortcomings of it. This means Education for the 21st Century: a profound response to the changes and challenges ahead. Communication, Creativity, Collaboration, Cultural Awareness (or the local and trans-cultural), and Critical Thinking plus Acting accordingly (thus turning knowledge into a competency or skill) are key factors in this approach.

And SABAA?

Well. SABAA, I hope, can play a role as a provider of ideas, concepts, and solutions or products on the forefront of education; especially in close contact with the creative industries It can act as a moderator and an applicant bringing together money and ideas and people. It can produce and challenge.

So, why Sub-Saharan Africa?

Well. Because relevant education is needed very direly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Because good education can change a lot. Because the intelligent and hardworking people deserve a fair chance. Because reciprocity means a balance of give and take. So Germany, Europe, in return will gain; MANKIND can gain.

Is that all?

No – Sub-Saharan Africa is a fascinating place to me and it seems to be a terroir of the future. It sometimes feels, that Europe is a terrain of a certain past. And all the people living in Sub-Sahara Africa – with all those diverse and different cultures existing on this magnificent continent – are to be reckoned with. „Africa“ is one of the spots where the future is happening. As the cradle of MANKIND, it stands for the start-up of human culture and I am looking forward to its further contributions, big and small.

No personal connection?

Oh yes – when I was an exchange student, 21 years old, at a university in Illinois, USA, I lived in International House. There you shared a room with two other males, and these were a small chap from Ghana and a big guy from Nigeria. We had a good time for one year and I learned a lot about these countries, Africa, and intercultural issues. Another good friend of mine at theatre and later was South-African, and again I learned a lot from this kind man. So my interest was kept alive by encounters with fine people. And the music. I encountered some African music when I was 16 years, and from that time on I loved it. The sounds, the rhythms, the polyphonic voices. From Nigerian High-Life music to Sudanese wedding music to the Super Rail Band of the Buffet Hotel del la Gare de Bamako, Mali, to Hugh Masekela or Dollar Brand, to Le Zagazougou or Baaba Maal and electronic dance music from Africa: I love it.

I understand that SABAA is not about donations?

Yes and no. SABAA, being a non-profit organization, will take donations .And no: donations with out strategy, plan, and working at eye-level plus reciprocity don´t solve anything. Sustainability (meaning durability, efficiency, and watching out for circular economy solution and zero-waste to me) is an important factor. Too many non-sustainable projects just end when the easy flow and intake of money dries up. SABAA is a non-profit company, acquiring and making money to then distribute these means to relevant causes. Pure donations I believe, only lead to shame and dependance. For both involved: the taker and the giver. Social Business solutions are on SABAA´s mind, they are a better way to solve problems. Those who profit from SABAA`s offers should – right sway, or in their time when they profit – give back. That´s the deal and contract. I see it like an inter-generational and inter-continental contract: if you profit, give back. That applies to both sides.

OPEN CALL for the SABAA ART AWARDS 2021

# e n s e m b l e

PANDEMIC-VOICES AND VIEWS FROM SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

A P P L Y  N O W

A Sabaa.education Foundation-Berlin Initiative in partnership with Fashviart, UK & Lagos-Paris-Art

The term Strollology translates as walking science and stems from the English term “to stroll” = to go for a walk). Together with his wife Anna, Lars Roth founded the design studio Strollology in 2014. In addition to commercial projects, the agency is also focused on artistic projects and theoretical aspects of design. “If you’re working only in the commercial field, you can easily feel like a hamster in a wheel. It’s good for creative work to constantly expand one’s own horizon,” says Lars Roth.
In August 2020, they were part of the Karl-Marx-Allee Artwalk in Berlin together with YOUR ART BEAT. There, they presented their project “KMA Faces”. Anna and Lars photographed residents of Karl-Marx-Allee and morphed their faces with the help of a machine learning model. This was done by a Generative Adversarial Network (an artificial neuronal network) that constantly generated new variants of the KMA residents from the portraits – a work of art that will probably exist only once. “There is actually nothing that doesn’t already exist,” says Lars Roth.
Thanks to artificial intelligence, however, this might change. How? Read the full interview and learn more about Strollology.

Who is behind Strollology?
My wife Anna and I are behind it. We both studied visual communication at Kunsthochschule Kassel. The Swiss sociologist and design theorist Lucius Burckhard, who invented Strollology, taught in Kassel. I’ve always found his work exciting. I’m all into conscious perception. And Burckhardt initiated walks with the aim of sharpening participants’ awareness for their environment and adopting new perspectives. Of course, that has a lot to do with vision. In our walks through Berlin we took up the idea of Burckhardt’s thoughts and carried them on. In our blog www.strollology.com we tackled the topic in theory. In addition, we cooperated with various partners, such as Slow Travel Berlin and the B_Tours Festival, who deal with walking as an artistic practice.
Beyond that, Strollology is about conscious perception of the environment – a constant analysis and reflection of what surrounds us. There are two things that have always interested us: people and places. And I believe that places have their own aura, that is, they convey a special feeling. We often walked through Neukölln. Neukölln is an old working-class district that has changed radically several times in the course of the last century. Our intention with these walks and with Strollology in general was to create an awareness of that among the visitors. To make people aware of the things that surround them every day.
Lucius Burckhardt’s design-theoretical reflections, however, go far beyond the actual “walk”; it is much more about constantly questioning one’s own point of view – according to the saying “think outside the box”. This attitude has also increasingly been integrated into our practical work as designers. The combination of applied projects and theoretical analysis, that is what characterises Strollology for us. For example, we are very interested in artificial intelligence. We deal with this in the commercial field on the one hand and in free artistic projects on the other one.

So one could say that you are exploring the business world in order to create something new artistically?
If you look at it philosophically, then I would answer that question with yes. Strollology is first and foremost the philosophy behind our work. We humans are practically filters. We perceive all day long, for example when we walk through the city or move through the net. Our input therefore also influences our output. In our commercial projects, we try to insert our artistic input and our theoretical background. In our everyday life, in the commercial field, a lot of our work is hands on, of course. A large part of our agency’s daily routine is determined by implementing specific projects according to our clients’ wishes. But behind that is always our philosophy – mirroring what we do in the commercial sector, for example, – to rethinking it artistically, and vice versa.

You mentioned that you offered walks at the time in order to consciously perceive the surroundings. How can one imagine that? How did you guide the visitors?
We confronted participants with their own perception: What do I perceive? If I perceive something, what can I do with it? One tour, for example, was about the perception of Kottbusser Damm. The tour followed the course of a typical 18th century Sunday walk: through Cottbusser Thor out of the city on a sandy avenue to the spacious meadows of Hasenheide. This narrative corresponds to what we archetypically understand by a picturesque landscape and would call “beautiful”. Nowadays, the city has spread far beyond the former city limits, and the former rural character of Kottbusser Damm has given way to a noisy, 6-lane road. The tour was as much about creating a sense for the historical dimension of the place in the participants as it was about questioning what we consider beautiful and why.

The interview was conducted by Carsten Jan Weichelt

In cooperation with the Berlin-based design studio Strollology, the ndi network of experts and the SRH University of Popular Arts (hdpk), a series of events was developed, the prelude to which was the Art Walk on popular Karl-Marx-Allee kma-vision.de

In the spirit of promoting civic and local political commitment and strengthening the neighbourhood community, people of all ages, backgrounds and interests were invited to spend an evening of art and culture on Karl-Marx-Allee.
The dramaturgy of the rally was accompanied by elements of storytelling and a live program. Among other things, there were short story readings, screenings and also a fashion walk by local fashion designers. Further stations addressed the backgrounds and history of the site and recounted them in the form of musical interpretations, short films, personal stories and a quiz.

One of the highlights of the Art Walk was the Art Screening “KMA Faces” (by Strollology) in front of the Computer Games Museum. For this work, 30 inhabitants of the KMA were photographed. Their portraits were morphed with the help of a machine learning model and generated by an artificial neural network to constantly changing variants of the KMA residents. With this artistic work, the Design Studio not only wants to reflect and demonstrate the fluctuation and urban changes of the KMA. It also intends to sensitize residents to their responsibility and influence on the streets around the KMA and to make them feel part of a community (both visually and mentally) that will shape the future of the KMA. This project is characterized not only by its technical standards and artistic component, but also by its social approach, which promotes an awareness of collectivity and local political commitment.

Inga Lieckfeldt from SYLD store participated with a wonderfully unconventional fashion show format à la Berlin style – a kind of modern fashion walk, directly at the Computer Games Museum. The aim was to provide space and attention for creativity, especially local and sustainable fashion.
In contrast to well-known fashion presentations and tiring beauty ideals, the fashion was presented by Berlin designers themselves and by people from real life, beyond the conventional model norm. The goal: as colorful and diverse as possible. Beyond that, joy, showing emotions and having fun. The lively and colorful Fashion Walk was accompanied by Berlin Female DJ Diana May. https://www.facebook.com/SYLDSTORE/

https://yourartbeat.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/YABapplicationform_2020.pdf