French curator Céline Poulin works exclusively with art in public space and outdoor artistic practice. Now, as part of the In Extenso project developed by the Bureau des arts plastiques of the Institut Francais with the Deutsches Architektur Zentrum, she has organised a workshop for Berliners to discuss architecture and public art together with architect Markus Miessen and artist Jean-Pascal Flavien. You’re invited to take part on Thursday, November 27.
What are your goals for the project?
The invitation was for me to think about the notion of public spaces where art and architecture cross. For me, public space is linked with the question of language. Graffiti and street art are a form of public speaking. Words are written all over the city, there are advertisements all over the walls. Doing something in public is being a speaker. Two talks will begin the project, and then we will have a workshop open to artists, thinkers and Berliners who want to share their notion of public space. I will prepare an exhibition from what happens there.
How does being exhibited in a contained environment change the artwork?
There is a question of power. The person who organises the exhibition chooses which pieces will be most visible and least visible. The difference between public space and another kind of space is that everybody has access to it. Which of course can also be a problem, depending on the message. You have a lot of public messages that are full of fear and hate, like racism. It’s difficult to allow.
How do you approach working in Berlin?
Berlin is very different from a French city because you have all these neutral spaces. There are a lot of possibilities. It is still a city that is under construction. But many of these free spaces will become restricted. We want to share these issues with Berliners; discuss Berlin’s future.
CÉLINE POULIN – PUBLIC SPACE, IN EXTENSO Thu, Nov 27, 19:00 | DAZ, Köpenicker Str 48/49, U-Bhf Heinrich-Heine Str.