Reviewing Karmakonsum Greencamp

This weekend I visited the Karmakonsum LOHAS Conference and Greencamp. Most of this kinds of events mix in some green washing elements within the program, and I was excited to hear rather critical or in-depth approaches on these items from the stage (see my report on the Karmakonsum blog).

With this balanced program Organizers Christoph Harrach and Noel Klein-Reesink showed that they have a good sensibility for the case. The atmosphere was neat and informal, the audience was a good clash of green business professionals, marketeers and activists.

Compared with the conference, the green camp started totally different. Christoph and Noel pointed on the freedom and open space idea of the camp, and created some creative chaos on stage. 'Anyone still wants to give a workshop?'. Christoph did not only ask the audience what Karma means, he started the day with a meditation with the whole audience. Reactions in the public showed that some people got here for Karma, while others were far more interested in the topic of Konsum.

The Greencamp program was very diverse, from a workshop on LOHAS lifestyle by Ivy main editor Michalis Pantelouris, a workshop on online communities by Daniel Pichert from Fairdo, a workshop on the social fashion label Armedangels by Anton Jurina
till a workshop on meida and sustainability by Christian Neugebauer. A large, respectful program, created by the visitors.

For a Conference 2.0, the workshops I visited were still unnecessary topdown, while the public existed of professionals in the field. This reflects the double position of 2.0 methods, on the one hand it gives power to the people through blogs and communities, on the other hand web 2.0 functions are used strategically to create influence on a community.

The real value of the conference and camp lies in it's power to get people together and create a strong network of people working with the topic of strategic and ethical consume. In other words: good karma. Meeting still people on the station, I felt that the conference had a strong, positive flow. Energy I am still running on, a lot of new ideas for projects and cooperations.

Picture: workshop with Armed Angels

As Fast as Taking your Clothes Off: Drap Art International Recycling Art Festival in Barcelona

Drap Art is an International Recycling Art Festival, this year the 19th, 20th and 21st of December 2008. The festival promotes creative recycling, through the organisation of festivals, exhibitions and workshops. The festival has an OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS to send in their creative materials and inventions before May 17th.

The Festival's intellectual background towards Recycling gives it an interesting perspective on the whole issue of recycling. Some quotes:

"Drap-Art’s aim is to enhance creative recycling as a tool of transformation in the arts, the environment and society. Recycling, reusing and recuperating revaluates things. This, not only helps to induce a more reflexive consumerism, but also contributes to the growth of respect for the environment and for the people living in it, leading towards cultures based in knowledge and respect. Moreover, creative recycling is a global and multicultural phenomenon that occupies a significant position in the popular arts and crafts, in all societies of the world. It was introduced into western art by the avant-garde at the beginning of the 20th century, and towards the end recycling has entered the world of design and architecture."

"Now that a desolate future, provoked by an unsustainable global growth presents itself more and more clearly, Drap-Art considers that it is of utmost importance to animate the new generations to use recycling, not only as a tool of criticism, but as a device at the disposal of everybody to transform protest into positive proposals, which are the seeds of a more sustainable world."

Recycling Art Contest
Get your creative recycling objects on the international stage!
Send in your stuff:

MODALITIES:
Interventions in public space
Workshop of live creation
Drap Art group show of recycling artists
Shows (theatre, marionettes, dance, concerts or performances)
Audiovisuals (video, movies, documentaries and video art)
Art, design and crafts Market.

Deadline: the projects must arrive before May 17th, 2008 at La Carboneria, Drap Art Gallery, c/ Groc 1, 08002 Barcelona.
More information: Tel. + 93 268 48 89, info@drapart.org, www.drapart.org

Source: Haute Nature