Away from their individual everyday lives, a group of women of different ages meet for joint excursions. Where am I in Berlin, and who else is here? Which excursions do I remember fondly, and which ones would I like to add to these memories? What do I want as a contrast to my everyday life, and what do I never have time for?

The berlin&ich project was developed as part of the Berlin Mondiale network in collaboration with Berlinische Galerie – Kreativhaus Mitte – KW Institute for Contemporary Art. It was born out of the simple need to do something away from everyday life, to make room for oneself, and make Berlin a new home. New Berliners with and without experience of displacement expressed this wish during the weekly language café at the Kreativhaus in Berlin-Mitte.

Starting with a collective wish production, Anna Hentschel and Jennifer Aksu from invisible playground marked out mostly unknown corners and activities in Berlin together with the participants. These included urban spaces, urban gardens created from participative exchanges, and exhibitions which were later discussed over coffee and cake.

berlin&ich‘s excursions made it possible to travel through the city independently, to find an individual approach to different urban places and to exchange ideas. Meanwhile the children of the participating mothers spent their time with creative activities in a children’s program created by the artist Jelena Fuzinato. Thus, berlin&ich itself became a kind of free space, a free space for knowledge exchange, ranging from lecture preparation to health insurance, and a free space for a new group, allied by common experiences.

The first phase of the project, with a total of ten excursions, was devoted entirely to the women getting to know each other, the participating institutions, and the many possibilities within the field of “education and outreach”. As the program was met with great interest, a continuation of the project is planned for 2019, this time with a focus on artistic activities for all participants!

Artistic direction program for women:                       
Jennifer Aksu and Anna Hentschel (invisible playground)

Language mediation program for women:                 
Huma Sherzai and Sanaa Wajid Ali

Artistic direction program for children:                      
Jelena Fuzinato

Project assistance program for children:                   
Hozaifa Khalaili and Farida Rashid

Conceptual collaboration and project management:

Duygu Örs and Katja Zeidler (KW Institute for Contemporary Art)                
Marie Newid and Christine van Haaren (Berlinische Galerie)
Melina Sifnaiou and Jana Thormählen (Kreativhaus e. V.)

berlin&ich is part of the network Berlin Mondiale – a project by the Berlin Council for the Arts (Rat für die Künste Berlin), operated by the Cultural Network Neukölln (Kulturnetzwerk Neukölln e. V.) and was supported by the supported by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe.