Documenta11_Discussion As a means of activating spaces for discussion, the Documenta11_Education Project is facilitating an on-line discussion list for reflection of the exhibition, the concept and framework of Documenta11, and more general developments in contemporary culture. You are invited to join the discussion list at: http://mail.sarai.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discussion-d11 Click here for a listing of current topics for discussion. (slot listings) Questions or comments can also be sent to discussion@documenta-gmbh.de. The Education Project consists of nine cultural practitioners involved with the realization and critical reflection of Documenta11. The participants are: Montserrat Albores Gleason Elizabeth Gerber Veronika Gerhard Olga Kopenkina Anna Kowalska Arshiya Lokhandwala Jorge Munguia Francesca Recchia Shuko Wada Slot 1 Observation of recent expressions in cultural and artistic production raises several questions, which can problematize a more complex understanding of the present. Some of the curatorial choices in Documenta11 embody a reflection on these issues and represent a particular position within this debate. The actual moment of strong political disaffection we are witnessing parallels and somehow seems to contradict – a broader inclusion in the art field of politically and socially oriented practices. At the same time, the growing number of collaborative, collective, and group projects questions the individualistic logic of the late capitalistic society. These considerations leave open a wide space for criticism and reflection from several different points of view. They highlight the necessity to articulate and acknowledge both new spaces for socio-political expression in the arts and complex socio-political readings of the present through the arts. They challenge the traditional relations between ethics and aesthetics, and question the economic logic of value production in the cultural field. They suggest the struggle to find new meanings in curatorial strategies of selection and display, and also emphasize the problem of producing and presenting information in the field of cultural and artistic expression. Slot 2: Cityscape and Imaginary Territories Within the present context, one of the experiences of contemporary geography is the crucial metamorphoses that cities are undergoing: they are areas of transition, where the old and the new intertwine and get blurred. Vast migratory flows are changing the world’s urban dimension, transforming both the places of departure and the destinations. At the same time, new types of “nomadic” communities are experimenting with different forms of temporary settlements, either in dialogue or in contrast with traditional urban settings. We are witnessing the emergence of a multi-layered map where these flows, micro-communities and subcultures come together, reshaping the cityscape. Cities are also facing the challenge of technology: new media and means of communication are, in fact, questioning their roles as central knots in the international network of decision-making.