AGENCY

Residency (2008) and Billboard Project (2009)[15 – 22 March 2008]Organised by: Birgit Schumacher/ Uwe Jonas, curators of Pilotprojekt Gropiusstadt, Berlin. http://www.pilotprojekt-gropiusstadt.deLocation: Berlin Gropiusstadt (2008) and Berlin Gipsstrasse (2009)AGENCY exists since 2006 and has neither a manifesto nor is a fixed group of creative practitioners.The name AGENCY represents the possibility to work (both) temporarily (and) collectively with a changing group of creative people. It offers to experience for a period of time the synthesis of art and life, an intensive exchange, to take the risk to overcome (certain perceived) limits of individual artistic activity, to give the interest in the others and the situation a powerful expression.* A·GEN·CY n1. an organization, especially a company, acting as the representative, agent, or subcontractor of a person or another company2. a division of a government or international organization that carries out administrative duties3. the building or offices where an agency is located4. the action, medium, or means by which something is accomplished5. a legal relationship involving a person (the principal) and another who acts for the person (the agent), or the area of the law concerned with such relationshipsAGENCY was a guest for a week in March 2008 at the pilotproject. The participants were Cherie Driver, Sandra Johnston and Susanne Bosch. We spent the week exploring the entire area and speculating about its past and future. As part of this process we looked into property prices and arranged apartment viewings with an estate agent. We also met local residents, community managers and the two projectmanagers Uwe Jonas und Birgit Schumacher to listen to their impression about contemporary Gropiusstadt. Some perspectives we encountered about Gropiusstadt as a residential location were quite negative, generally statements from residents of other Berlin neighbourhoods. But in response to all of the diverse viewpoints we heard, we tried to consider objectively our own experiential reaction to the qualities of the environment, and we found there was much to appreciate, and inevitable great complexity which we decided we did not want to make a simplistic response to. The most honest outcome for us being there in the apartment was to realize the value of such an opportunity given to us, to reflect objectively on our everyday living situations in Northern Ireland (and the emotions and choices they entail).Subsequently we developed a billboard project in Gipsstrasse in Berlin Mitte, which is a reflection of our visit and the debate which living in Gropiusstadt initiated. This billboard project is a reflection of our visit and debate. . The billboard were launched in January and February 2009.