Since 2009, I have been hosting an ongoing series of recorded are a series of public exchanges between myself and invited artists and community members from a variety of disciplines, which spark new ideas and accompany CAE exhibitions or projects. Beginning the discussions in Edinburgh, the Discussion Groups now take place from our base in Berlin under the title Waffles and Coffee.

 “Waffle” can be defined as both the delicious sweet desert we are all familiar with but also “to talk or write a lot without giving any useful information or any clear answers” (source)

…we thought we’d do both. And wash it down with some coffee.

Waffles and Coffee is organised by myself and German psychology student and photographer David Brehme. Waffles and Coffee explores the intersection of contemporary art and broader societal issues. It seeks to combine my current research interests in nationalism, cultural identity and globalisation with David’s interests in critical psychology, politics, economics and just about anything else that makes headlines.

So come and join us for an informal discussion, exchange, chat, or ‘waffle’ if you will! Anyone from any background or discipline is welcome and participants don’t have to be academics or artists. When we advertise each discussion group online we post up some articles and video clips we think are relevant (but are in no way obligatory to read before hand) that participants can add to and comment on. 

For upcoming discussion groups click here on events.

 

Below you’ll find podcasts and links to more information on the following previous Discussion Groups:

May 2014, TAKT Gallery, Berlin
Waffles and Coffee: Are We Living in a ‘Society of Self-Improvers’?
In the last 10 years, Germany has seen an increase in attention for the topic of “work-life-balance”. The nature of work itself is changing rapidly (becoming more precarious, demanding more flexible workers), and boundaries between work and private lives are increasingly blurred within a culture of DWYL (Do What You Love). This creates an ever increasing societal pressure to consistently improve ourselves as individuals.
But, what is it to self-improve and where does the idea come from? Is everyone really able to transcend their social environment and become better than they already are? Is self-improvement a luxury for a privileged few seeking a new status symbol e.g. “I just ran a marathon”, “I started buying a bio-veggie box”, “I just began an international artist residency”? What is the result of living in such an individualistic society, where the ‘self’ has to be constantly improved? And why bother in the first place? What’s the alternative? You can find the full 1.5 hour event podcast below:

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For more information here are links to our reference material for this event:
The Guardian – Change Your Life Stop Being Busy
slate.com – Do What You Love Love What You Do
Die Zeit – Selbstverwirklichung perfektes Leben

April 2014, TAKT Gallery, Berlin
Waffles and Coffee: Public Scrutiny vs Der Wutbürger (The Angry Citizen)
With the recent action of artists boycotting the Sydney Biennale over its unethical sponsorship from Transfield Holding and as we draw nearer to Berlin’s annual May 1^st protests, our first edition of Waffles and Coffee for 2014 examines the role of protest in the arts and wider society. How are we all part of the bigger picture? Can our individual choices make a difference?
Does changing your bank, boycotting cultural events sponsored by “evil” corporations or other protest actions actually change things? And does digital culture feed protest responses (aka “shitstorms”) by making it easier to protest, thus creating the “Wutbürger” (the angry citizen)? Or are we simply living in an individualistic society, where it has become the norm to give anyone we dislike the middle finger? You can find the full 1.5 hour event podcast below:

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For more information here are links to our reference material for this event:
Biennale of Sydney – Biennale Boycott
Discipline – Biennale of Sydney 2014
The Art Newspaper – Petition to move Manifesta Biennial from St-Petersburg Hits Supporters 
Gothamist – Protesters Shower Guggenheim 
Haus der Kulturen der Welt – On Rage Exhibition

September 2013, tandem BQG, Berlin

Waffles and Coffee: Rethinking Normality – Genetic Engineering and Ableism
In the second edition of Waffles and Coffee, Contemporary Art Exchange invites special guest Rosita McKenzie, leading Blind Photographer and Disability and Equality Consultant from Edinburgh, to discuss with participants whether genetic engineering and its related practices are a form of ableism. Part of the Common Bond project. You can find an edited down 50 minute  version of the discussion below:

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For more information, the quote I read out was from Campbell, Fiona A. Kumari (2009 Contours of Ableism: The Production of Disability and Abledness. Palgrave Macmillan), you can find a link to the Insight programme on Designing Babies here, info about the Technopalyps documentary here, and the artists Stelarc, Orlan and Patricia Piccinini I mentioned.

June 2013, My Flat, Berlin
Waffles and Coffee: Is Germany Fair? 
Kate and David from Contemporary Art Exchange chat to Berlin based creatives Stef Lenk, Witte Wartena, Benson Kobayashi, Estherka, Michael Dooney and Christy Jarvis. 

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November 2010, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Edinburgh
Can (and should) Art Cause Social Change
Kate and David from Contemporary Art Exchange chat to Grant Jeffries from Napier University’s Department of Psychology, Dan Brown from Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Edinburgh Councilor Maggie Chapman and some mates of ours Adam and Johanna. Part of the Life:Death:Edinburgh:And project.

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February 2010, Artisan Roast Cafe, Edinburgh
Artist Residencies – why is displacement important?
Kate chats to Edinburgh based artists Lizz Ross, Haleh Jamali, Becky Campbell and others. Part of the Neither Here Nor There project.

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December 2009, My Flat, Edinburgh
Identity – what has place got to do with it and does it affect what you create?
Kate chats to Edinburgh artists Thea Yabut and Roween Suess.

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