PRESS RELEASE
Schreibwaren.The Book and its Future. International Festival
A Literaturbüro Freiburg event from the 3rd to the 5th December 2010
Digital galaxies, libraries of the future – these and further themes will be the focus of the international festival Committing to Paper: The Book and its Future (Freiburg, 3rd - 5th December 2010). Taking part will be authors, publishers, journalists, academics and librarians from seven countries, including Jürgen Neffe ('Darwin. Das Abenteuer des Lebens'), Thomas Meinecke ('Lob der Kybernetik'), Kathrin Passig (Zentrale Intelligenz Agentur), Michael Ross (Encyclopaedia Britannica) and Melinda Nadj Abonji, who won the 2010 German Book Prize for Tauben fliegen auf. The printed book and the loss of importance it is threatened with will be one aspect of the festival, which will cover several thematic fields in six panel sessions. The following will be discussed: the chances and opportunities that are inherent in digital developments and which enable new forms of artistic expression; the use of the internet as the new dominant medium, which will effect the reading behaviour of future generations and can partly contribute to the development of democratic structures; but also the question as to how education and learning will be changed through new forms of archiving and transmission of knowledge. The festival will draw to a close (5th December, 8pm) with a reading performance by six artists.
Opening Event
Friday, 3rd December 2010, 8pm (Alter Wiehrebahnhof, Urachstraße 40, Freiburg):
“Alliances” - Art and Literature & Transdisciplinarity
with Thomas Meinecke, Finn-Ole Heinrich, Barbara Köhler and Julia Stoppa.
Chair: Jörg Plath (Literature critic)
Supporters and Partners: Kulturstiftung des Bundes (main supporter), Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, The Ministry of Science, Research & Art (Baden-Württemberg), Cultural Office of the City of Freiburg, Volksbank Freiburg.
Idea and DirectionStefanie Stegmann, Kateryna Stetsevych and Katarina Tojić