Waffles and Coffee 2014 – Are We Living in a ‘Society of Self-Improvers’?

TAKT Academy and Contemporary Art Exchange present

Waffles and Coffee 2014 – Are We Living in a ‘Society of Self-Improvers’?

May 29^th 7-9pm at TAKT Kunstprojektraum
Weserstrasse 11, 10247 Berlin
Cost: By donation

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? 

We want to discuss with you whether we’re living in a ‘Society of Self-Improvers ’!

Please RSVP to Kate@contemporaryartexchange.org so we know how many waffles to prepare!

About Waffles and Coffee

 “Waffle” can be defined as both the delicious sweet desert we are all familiar with but also as “to talk or write a lot without giving any useful information or any clear answers”(http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/waffle_1)

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

Waffles and Coffee is a series of Discussion Groups organised by Contemporary Art Exchange (CAE) – Australian curator and arts educator Kate Martin 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 Kate’s 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. You don’t have to be an academic or an artist – anyone from any background or discipline is welcome. We’ve posted up some articles and video clips we think are relevant (but are in no way obligatory). Feel free to add to the list too!

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/apr/19/change-your-life-stop-being-busy?CMP=fb_gu

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2014/01/do_what_you_love_love_what_you_do_an_omnipresent_mantra_that_s_bad_for_work.2.html

http://www.zeit.de/themen/gesellschaft/selbstverwirklichung-perfektes-leben

Photo: Holio Flickr CC