Art & Science Weekend is a two-day event with venues around the city, united by the theme of polarization in society. The main idea is to oppose black and white thinking, the polarization of society and the "friend-foe" divide through science and art.
Program
20 April
HOST
VENUE
Theaterhaus Berlin MITTE
Neue Jakobstraße 9/Wallstraße 32, Haus C, 10179 Berlin
Meeting point at the café next to the reception
Neue Jakobstraße 9/Wallstraße 32, Haus C, 10179 Berlin
Meeting point at the café next to the reception
Martin A .Ciesielski
He plays improvisational theater for almost 25 years. Martin is a very experienced trainer, coach and actor. For more than 15 years he applies improv for work and life itself. He came from banking, worked as a consultant/trainer/coach and is author of books about digital leadership. He is born and lives in Berlin.
He plays improvisational theater for almost 25 years. Martin is a very experienced trainer, coach and actor. For more than 15 years he applies improv for work and life itself. He came from banking, worked as a consultant/trainer/coach and is author of books about digital leadership. He is born and lives in Berlin.
These days are crazy, weird, absurd. Sometimes scary, sometimes just hilarious. We have to live into the unknown, the uncertain and even the uncanny.
The best way to deal with these circumstances is to become a better improviser. Especially applied, theatrical improvisers highly cooperate, so-create meaning and develop their imagination.
In this 2-hours workshop you learn how to make each other shine, how to say YES, AND! You will learn how to deal with the absurdities and challenges of our times and our lives!
Some people even say life is improv!
The best way to deal with these circumstances is to become a better improviser. Especially applied, theatrical improvisers highly cooperate, so-create meaning and develop their imagination.
In this 2-hours workshop you learn how to make each other shine, how to say YES, AND! You will learn how to deal with the absurdities and challenges of our times and our lives!
Some people even say life is improv!
IMPRO 4 LIFE
15:00-17:00 (meeting at 2:45pm)
FORMAT
HOST
VENUE
Art Space in Exile
Elsenstraße 87, 12435 Berlin-Bezirk Treptow-Köpenick
Elsenstraße 87, 12435 Berlin-Bezirk Treptow-Köpenick
Need4Deed
Need based voluntary support for refugees in Berlin. Need4Deed is set to promote the inclusion and integration of refugees in Berlin through the actions of civil society by making volunteering more accessible. We aim to build a sustainable and scalable mechanism for this purpose by connecting volunteers with and without migration backgrounds, with refugees that are living in accomodation centers in Berlin, based on their specific needs.
Need4Deed and the volunteer community invite you already from 13:00 to prepare light snacks together in the afternoon, enjoy some drinks and talk to each other!
Need based voluntary support for refugees in Berlin. Need4Deed is set to promote the inclusion and integration of refugees in Berlin through the actions of civil society by making volunteering more accessible. We aim to build a sustainable and scalable mechanism for this purpose by connecting volunteers with and without migration backgrounds, with refugees that are living in accomodation centers in Berlin, based on their specific needs.
Need4Deed and the volunteer community invite you already from 13:00 to prepare light snacks together in the afternoon, enjoy some drinks and talk to each other!
Playback theatre is a form of improvisation, where the audience tells stories, and actors and musicians immediately play them out on stage, revealing them through movement, speech and melody.
This time we invite audience to talk about topic being in Between.
The times of life where we felt like we are in between some sides, people, decisions and even countries and cultures. How did it felt? Was it our choice?
We invite you to come and share this evening together with us either to share story or just enjoy stories of others and aesthetics of theater.
This time we invite audience to talk about topic being in Between.
The times of life where we felt like we are in between some sides, people, decisions and even countries and cultures. How did it felt? Was it our choice?
We invite you to come and share this evening together with us either to share story or just enjoy stories of others and aesthetics of theater.
IN BETWEEN
16:00-18:00
FORMAT
HOST
VENUE
Heinrichstraße 31, 10317 Berlin
Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinde Berlin-Lichtenberg
Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinde Berlin-Lichtenberg
Ekaterina Blinova, PhD in Psychology, Researcher at Laboratory of Behavioral Neurodynamics, MA student at Berlin School of Mind and Brain
"Charge Your Brain: Breaking Language Barriers with Science"
Learning new languages might be both effortful and sometimes painful. How modern neuroscientific technologies, such as transcranial direct current stimulation, can (probably) make this journey easier.
"Charge Your Brain: Breaking Language Barriers with Science"
Learning new languages might be both effortful and sometimes painful. How modern neuroscientific technologies, such as transcranial direct current stimulation, can (probably) make this journey easier.
Science Slam is a popular science show in which scientists talk about their own research in a simple and interesting way. Every speaker has only 10 minutes to present their researches. The audience asks questions and chooses the winner with applause, the volume of which is measured by a sound level meter.
SCIENCE SLAM
18:00-20:00
FORMAT
Program
21 April
HOST
VENUE
We invite everyone to join us in the Open Air Museum of Decoloniality in the (former?) Alexanderplatz.
The Open Air Museum of Decoloniality (on Alexanderplatz), Berlin
The Open Air Museum of Decoloniality (on Alexanderplatz), Berlin
Marina Solntseva and @de_colonialanguage collective
Walking-Lecture on Decolonial Feminist Names.
@de_colonialanguage art collective will give a walking lecture tour around the Open Air Museum of Decoloniality and explain how the new spaces have appeared there.
We believe that urban memory should honor not imperial gains, but the memory of people's yearning for freedom, solidarity, and justice. We are publicly asking the questions: Why has the main place in the center of Berlin the name of a Russian emperor, Alexander I? How is the process of urban naming connected to the foreign policy? And why do feminist names remain invisible in the public space? And of course - what can we do to make them visible?
@de_colonialanguage art collective will give a walking lecture tour around the Open Air Museum of Decoloniality and explain how the new spaces have appeared there.
We believe that urban memory should honor not imperial gains, but the memory of people's yearning for freedom, solidarity, and justice. We are publicly asking the questions: Why has the main place in the center of Berlin the name of a Russian emperor, Alexander I? How is the process of urban naming connected to the foreign policy? And why do feminist names remain invisible in the public space? And of course - what can we do to make them visible?
NOT A SINGLE STORY
16:00-18:00
FORMAT
VENUE
Ilya Boytsov, AI lead at Wayfair, guest lecturer at the University of Oxford
"Will AI take your Job? Navigating the Future of work and how to stay in demand"
Olya Vvedenskaya, MD, PhD in Cancer research
"Lost in translation: Why do scientists, medical doctors, and society end up speaking different languages and struggling to understand each other?"
"Will AI take your Job? Navigating the Future of work and how to stay in demand"
Olya Vvedenskaya, MD, PhD in Cancer research
"Lost in translation: Why do scientists, medical doctors, and society end up speaking different languages and struggling to understand each other?"
During the day in different venues around the city you can have coffee, lunch, beer or dinner with a scientist. We will organise small tables for 5-10 participants. You can choose what sphere and which scientist look the most interesting for you. Our scientists will suggest several topics to discuss and then it's only up to you all, where this discussion will lead you!
Participants pay for drinks and food for our scientists, because science is hungry!
Participants pay for drinks and food for our scientists, because science is hungry!
HUNGRY SCIENCE
11:00-20:00
FORMAT
SPEAKERS AND TOPICS
VENUE
Haus 3: Loft,
Alte Münze,
Molkenmarkt 2, 10179 Berlin
Alte Münze,
Molkenmarkt 2, 10179 Berlin
Special guest for the discussion: Sarina Panahideh, a Kurdish Iranian artist and activist, a multifaceted performer—dancer, actress, choreographer, and theater director.
Moderator: Angelina Davydova, journalist, essayist, author orinally from St. Petersburg, Russia, living since 2022 in Berlin
Director: Anja Demidova
Costume designer: Venera Kazarova
Composer: Galina Altman
Producer: Yara Ziva-Chernova
PR: Ira Posrednikova
Sound and light: Sasha Andjelo
Performers: Marina Kurochka, Mari Yasinover, Maria Beatty, Mikhail Poliakov
Moderator: Angelina Davydova, journalist, essayist, author orinally from St. Petersburg, Russia, living since 2022 in Berlin
Director: Anja Demidova
Costume designer: Venera Kazarova
Composer: Galina Altman
Producer: Yara Ziva-Chernova
PR: Ira Posrednikova
Sound and light: Sasha Andjelo
Performers: Marina Kurochka, Mari Yasinover, Maria Beatty, Mikhail Poliakov
The performance project is a critical examination of patriarchal culture and its imposition of standards on women. To be "accepted," women are expected to look and behave in a certain manner, suppressing anger, assertiveness, aggression, and the expression of personal opinions and boundaries - to be convenient. The project's creators argue that "convenience" is a characteristic of furniture, not people.
The aim of the project is not only to highlight the deeply ingrained stereotypes and expectations placed on women but also to foster a dialogue about gender equality, respect, and the recognition of women's rights to express their emotions, opinions, and establish personal boundaries without fear of judgment or rejection. This performance seeks to challenge and provoke thought about the societal norms that confine women's roles and identities, encouraging a reevaluation of what it means to be "convenient" in a gendered context.
The aim of the project is not only to highlight the deeply ingrained stereotypes and expectations placed on women but also to foster a dialogue about gender equality, respect, and the recognition of women's rights to express their emotions, opinions, and establish personal boundaries without fear of judgment or rejection. This performance seeks to challenge and provoke thought about the societal norms that confine women's roles and identities, encouraging a reevaluation of what it means to be "convenient" in a gendered context.
AM I COMFORTABLE ENOUGH?
18:00-19:30
FORMAT
SPEAKERS AND TOPICS
Art&Science Weekend is a part of Zug um Zug Demokratie project by WIR.DE Aktive Nachbarn.
Zug um Zug Demokratie is a project to create a space where participants can talk about sensitive topics, share their opinions and discuss each other's positions, even if they are radically different.
Zug um Zug Demokratie is a project to create a space where participants can talk about sensitive topics, share their opinions and discuss each other's positions, even if they are radically different.
Partners
Not a single story. Walking-Lecture on Decolonial Feminist Names
@de_colonialanguage art collective will give a walking lecture tour around the Open Air Museum of Decoloniality and explain how the new spaces have appeared there.
We believe that urban memory should honor not imperial gains, but the memory of people's yearning for freedom, solidarity, and justice. We are publicly asking the questions: Why has the main place in the center of Berlin the name of a Russian emperor, Alexander I? How is the process of urban naming connected to the foreign policy? And why do feminist names remain invisible in the public space? And of course - what can we do to make them visible?
These processes reveal the questions of knowledge production and we would like to invite the audience to reflect on it.
One of our actions there as an institution is to work on renaming the square Alexanderplatz, because it is now named after the Russian emperor and successful colonizer Alexander I. This is why this space shows 16 feminist and decolonial names, instead of one royal one.
The main talk will be about the Other Names that now resound in these spaces instead of one generalizing imperial one. These are all feminine names; all these women have had relations to decolonial and feminist practices. The main focus of the lecture will be on the perspectives from which these women's stories allow us to talk about the history of Russian-Soviet colonialism and its consequences today. And also, about their practices of liberation from the violence of reduction.
Here are these empowering persons:
We believe that urban memory should honor not imperial gains, but the memory of people's yearning for freedom, solidarity, and justice. We are publicly asking the questions: Why has the main place in the center of Berlin the name of a Russian emperor, Alexander I? How is the process of urban naming connected to the foreign policy? And why do feminist names remain invisible in the public space? And of course - what can we do to make them visible?
These processes reveal the questions of knowledge production and we would like to invite the audience to reflect on it.
One of our actions there as an institution is to work on renaming the square Alexanderplatz, because it is now named after the Russian emperor and successful colonizer Alexander I. This is why this space shows 16 feminist and decolonial names, instead of one royal one.
The main talk will be about the Other Names that now resound in these spaces instead of one generalizing imperial one. These are all feminine names; all these women have had relations to decolonial and feminist practices. The main focus of the lecture will be on the perspectives from which these women's stories allow us to talk about the history of Russian-Soviet colonialism and its consequences today. And also, about their practices of liberation from the violence of reduction.
Here are these empowering persons:
- Айша Ғарифқызы Ғалымбаева [Aisha Garifkyzy Galimbaeva]
- Алаіза Пашкевіч [Alaiza Pashkevich]
- Eufrosinia Kersnovskaia
- Elsa Laula Renberg
- Ғаспыралы Шәфиҡа [Şefiqa Gaspıralı]
- Heyran xanım [Heyran Khanim]
- Ivande Kaija
- კატო მიქელაძე [Kato Mikeladze]
- Курманжан Датка [Kurmanjan Datka]
- Լյուսի Թումայան [Lucy Thoumaian]
- Maikki Friberg
- Marie Reisik
- Мөхлисә Бубый [Möxlisä Bubıy]
- Nozimaxonim [Nozimakhanim]
- Ona Mašiotienė
- Софiя Русова [Sofia Rusova]
HOST
Marina Solntseva and @de_colonialanguage collective
Marina is an artist, researcher, author, part of the collectives Hiқoýa and @de_colonialanguage. PhD Candidate at the Free University of Berlin / University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in imperial aitiology, researching narratives and mythology of Russian imperialism and Eurasianism. With a background in political science, Marina focuses on theories of systemic oppression, the right to protest, protest art and theories of civil disobedience in authoritarian states. Marina also engages in artistic practice and auto-fiction and auto-ethnographic writing, exploring themes of identity, everyday objects and personal archives, society, and decolonial spaces.
On @de_colonialanguage collective:
The participants in our collective are from different contexts and spaces, but what we have in common is the concept of relations research and the exploration of decoloniality. One of the main focus of the project is to explore Russian-Soviet imperialism and the space of diversity suppressed by Russian-Soviet colonialism. An equal part of the project is the research of Latin American and Caribbean decoloniality and creating a space of exchange and solidarity in between. We are continuing to asking, how the (post)-imperialistic foreign policy of Russia/Soviet Union is impacting this region and how we can deconstruct it from feminist and decolonial positions. Our goal is to bring more "diverse" names to the public discourse and to the reflect on the process of knowledge production, which leads to the polarization of society.
Marina is an artist, researcher, author, part of the collectives Hiқoýa and @de_colonialanguage. PhD Candidate at the Free University of Berlin / University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in imperial aitiology, researching narratives and mythology of Russian imperialism and Eurasianism. With a background in political science, Marina focuses on theories of systemic oppression, the right to protest, protest art and theories of civil disobedience in authoritarian states. Marina also engages in artistic practice and auto-fiction and auto-ethnographic writing, exploring themes of identity, everyday objects and personal archives, society, and decolonial spaces.
On @de_colonialanguage collective:
The participants in our collective are from different contexts and spaces, but what we have in common is the concept of relations research and the exploration of decoloniality. One of the main focus of the project is to explore Russian-Soviet imperialism and the space of diversity suppressed by Russian-Soviet colonialism. An equal part of the project is the research of Latin American and Caribbean decoloniality and creating a space of exchange and solidarity in between. We are continuing to asking, how the (post)-imperialistic foreign policy of Russia/Soviet Union is impacting this region and how we can deconstruct it from feminist and decolonial positions. Our goal is to bring more "diverse" names to the public discourse and to the reflect on the process of knowledge production, which leads to the polarization of society.
Ekaterina Blinova, PhD in Psychology, Researcher at Laboratory of Behavioral Neurodynamics, MA student at Berlin School of Mind and Brain
"Charge Your Brain: Breaking Language Barriers with Science"
Learning new languages might be both effortful and sometimes painful. How can modern neuroscientific technologies, such as transcranial direct current stimulation, probably make this journey easier?
Anna Leontyeva, MA & MPP (Georgetown University'19). Cultural psychologist
"Cultural Influence: Comparing Children's Books in Russia and the US"
Do Russian parents inadvertently raise sadder children through their choice of children's books? Delve into a study unraveling the intricate relationship between cultural context, parental influence, and childhood emotions
Konstantin Kholodilin, PhD and Dr. habil. in economics, research associate at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin)
"The state in the housing market — an elephant in a china shop?"
Governments use a wide range of policies to make housing affordable. We will examine the goals and side effects of such policies. The question to answer is: Can the government cure the market ills without killing the patient?
Mikhail Nemtsev, Ph.D. in Philosophy, MA in Gender Studies
"Why dignity matters?"
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is grounded on the fundamental concept of human dignity. The problem is that there is a deep contradiction in the very idea of 'dignity'.We shall disclose this paradox in order to gain a clearer understanding of the ongoing social conflicts and of ourselves."
Natalia Kiselnikova, PhD in Psychology, MSc in Education, Power and Social Change
Head of Laboratory of Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy
"Breaking barriers: a journey through the female experience in social sciences"
How do "glass ceiling" and the "sticky floor" work? What are the common challenges faced by women scholars? We'll explore the systemic barriers hindering their progress in academia and society at large.
"Charge Your Brain: Breaking Language Barriers with Science"
Learning new languages might be both effortful and sometimes painful. How can modern neuroscientific technologies, such as transcranial direct current stimulation, probably make this journey easier?
Anna Leontyeva, MA & MPP (Georgetown University'19). Cultural psychologist
"Cultural Influence: Comparing Children's Books in Russia and the US"
Do Russian parents inadvertently raise sadder children through their choice of children's books? Delve into a study unraveling the intricate relationship between cultural context, parental influence, and childhood emotions
Konstantin Kholodilin, PhD and Dr. habil. in economics, research associate at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin)
"The state in the housing market — an elephant in a china shop?"
Governments use a wide range of policies to make housing affordable. We will examine the goals and side effects of such policies. The question to answer is: Can the government cure the market ills without killing the patient?
Mikhail Nemtsev, Ph.D. in Philosophy, MA in Gender Studies
"Why dignity matters?"
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is grounded on the fundamental concept of human dignity. The problem is that there is a deep contradiction in the very idea of 'dignity'.We shall disclose this paradox in order to gain a clearer understanding of the ongoing social conflicts and of ourselves."
Natalia Kiselnikova, PhD in Psychology, MSc in Education, Power and Social Change
Head of Laboratory of Counseling Psychology and Psychotherapy
"Breaking barriers: a journey through the female experience in social sciences"
How do "glass ceiling" and the "sticky floor" work? What are the common challenges faced by women scholars? We'll explore the systemic barriers hindering their progress in academia and society at large.
Ilya Boytsov, AI lead at Wayfair, guest lecturer at the University of Oxford
""Will AI take over your job? Navigating the future of employment and how to stay in demand"
Olya Vvedenskaya, MD, PhD in Cancer research
"Lost in translation: Why do scientists, medical doctors, and society end up speaking different languages and struggling to understand each other?"
Ekaterina Blinova, PhD in Psychology, Researcher at Laboratory of Behavioral Neurodynamics, MA student at Berlin School of Mind and Brain
"Do you really need to bother with German: How does being bilingual affect the brain and is it worth the effort to learn a new language?"
Maksim Degoev, BSc&MSc in physics in SPb Polytech, started in Ioffe Institute, now PhD in FU Berlin
"Can neutrinos be weaponized?" Contact between scientists and taxpayers or how to show society the importance of fundamental research when it is not clear at all how to apply it in the future. Scientific pseudo-sensations in the media and "British scientists"
Anna Leontyeva, MA & MPP (Georgetown University'19). Cultural psychologist
"Is there any "national character"? Cultural studies in psychology and how (not) to interpret them. How do you change attitudes in a particular cultural environment? The case of gender equality programs in the South Caucasus."
""Will AI take over your job? Navigating the future of employment and how to stay in demand"
Olya Vvedenskaya, MD, PhD in Cancer research
"Lost in translation: Why do scientists, medical doctors, and society end up speaking different languages and struggling to understand each other?"
Ekaterina Blinova, PhD in Psychology, Researcher at Laboratory of Behavioral Neurodynamics, MA student at Berlin School of Mind and Brain
"Do you really need to bother with German: How does being bilingual affect the brain and is it worth the effort to learn a new language?"
Maksim Degoev, BSc&MSc in physics in SPb Polytech, started in Ioffe Institute, now PhD in FU Berlin
"Can neutrinos be weaponized?" Contact between scientists and taxpayers or how to show society the importance of fundamental research when it is not clear at all how to apply it in the future. Scientific pseudo-sensations in the media and "British scientists"
Anna Leontyeva, MA & MPP (Georgetown University'19). Cultural psychologist
"Is there any "national character"? Cultural studies in psychology and how (not) to interpret them. How do you change attitudes in a particular cultural environment? The case of gender equality programs in the South Caucasus."