The Audio-Project on the occassion of World Aids Day 2010
Stimmen in der Stadt from stimmeninderstadt on Vimeo.
Many thanks to CINEBUREAU!
A short version of our film trailer could be seen from 25.11. through to 08.12.2010 in the Berliner Fenster in BVG trains. We wish to offer our sincere thanks to Berliner Fenster GmbH for their support.
With these photos we would like to thank everyone who helped to make this project possible, and wish all of our readers a Happy New Year!
The project »Stimmen in der Stadt« for World-AIDS-Day 2010 in Berlin has officially ended today, Thursday 9.12.2010, at 00:00 A.M. The interviews will remain available here on our website. The audio stations have been taken down.
We were especially thrilled to see people standing at the audio stations, either alone or in groups, and listening to the interviews, regardless of the extremely cold and snowy weather. The extensive press coverage helped to make the project known far beyond the Berlin city limits. The press coverage also contributed to the great numbers of visitors to our website, who have used the opportunity to listen to the interviews online.
The Stimmen in der Stadt have also become Stimmen on the radio. Also, several different newspapers and magazines reported on the project. We’ve collected a selection of press coverage that you can now read and listen to on our website, under the new category PRESS.
On November 24. Stimmen in der stadt took off with a press coference and vernissage at the Axel Hotel berlin.
Former Federal Minister of Health and honorary Patron of Stimmen in der Stadt, Ulla Schmidt, sexologist and Author Martin Dannecker, as well as project managers Christoph Weber and Martin Kostezer presented the project, and Annabelle Mandeng moderated the evening.
We would like to thank Jochen Hick for filming and Kathrin Heller for photographing the vernissage.
On the ocassion of its 25th anniversary, the Berliner Aids-Hilfe is showing a selection of documentaries and films centered on the theme of HIV and Aids. The films document the force with which Aids hit personal biographies and social structures in the 1980s. These films represent a cultural history in their own right, and one that has been shaped by no other disease as stongly as by HIV in our lifetime.
»PositHIVe Screenings« runs from 1. through 5. Dezember in the cinemas Kant and Hackesche Höfe. Stimmen in der Stadt is represented with the film trailer in the preview program.
We’ve just received the news that the listening station at Kanstanienalle and U-Bahn stop Eberswalder Staße, which has been erroneously removed and confiscated by the police, is now installed again. Thank you Thomas Schulz from Iland for reinstalling it.
Berlin, Prenzlauer Berg district on November 25th, 2010: »Today around 4am several citizens called the police independently of each other and complained that the traffic light on Kastanienallee/Schönhauser Allee was speaking loudly to passerbys.«
We were more than surprised as the police report was sent to us yesterday. Talking traffic lights – what a great communication concept! Why didn’t we think of it sooner? Nowhere does one pass so much unused waiting time than at Berlin traffic lights. »Through the loudspeaker citizens were informed about health issues (AIDS prevention)« is how it was described in the report. What could be better?
But apparently there was an irritating moment: »As the police arrived the collegues on the other side of Kastanienallee 3 noticed on lighting pole No. 4, that 3 meters up an electric plug had been set up.« Oops. Stealing electricity or what? For informing about health topics? But that wasn’t all: on a sign slightly below at around 2.5 meters were the words »dear virus, you gave me diahrrea, I eat to counter the diahrrea …«.
Ouch – something’s fishy. The traffic light can speak to passing persons about health issues for a long time. But as soon as messages like the one mentioned above are posted, the informative experience is ruined. Consequently: »At 5:10am the loudspeaker was taken down by representatives of the company Alliander Stadtlicht GmbH and secured by police officers according to clause 15.« And if anyone should encounter another speaking stoplight don’t hesitate to contact the police! Oh the irony …
Meanwhile the confiscated loudspeaker device was turned over to us after several apologies. Of course we will be able to re-install it at the same place. After all, it is officially approved and certified, and it was never about a noise disturbance complaint. Quite possibly some administrative offices are in need of a well-engineered communications concept. We’ve got an idea …
As soon as the date changed into November 25, our voices started speaking. And exactly 24 hours later, they were gone again. This was not due to the weather, but rather an incorrect technical setting in the speakers. We were able to fix the problem and the voices are now speaking again. We appologizes for any inconvenience caused by this and for any futile visits to our stations.
Since 0:00 AM today, the voices have been turned on. In 15 locations around Berlin, people tell their stories of living with HIV/AIDS. Their voices can be heard over loudspeakers placed at 4 meters high. The stations are marked with the Stimmen in der Stadt logo.
Stimmen in der Stadt took off yesterday with an opening event and press conference. The Honorary Patron Ulla Schmidt expressed her respect to the seven people who have given their interviews, openly sharing their stories. It is in these personal stories that the potential lies for bringing the themes of HIV and AIDS back into the public discourse.
The voices will be heard night and day until December 8. A map of the city indicating the 15 station can be found on this website under STADT.
Also, the voices are available on the website too. Under STIMMEN you’ll find the seven interviews in full length. Three of the interviews are accompanied by photo reportage taken by photographer Daniel Rosenthal.
Uhlandstraße, corner of Kurfürstendamm, earlier today: the first listening station of Stimmen in der Stadt is set up.
Here, and in 14 other locations in Berlin speakers and logos are being fixed onto street lamps until Wednesday night. The voices will start telling their stories on November 25 at 0.00 hours.
Consult our city map under STADT to find the 15 locations.
»Medicine has made tremendous progress in the treatment of HIV patients. However, AIDS is still a deadly virus that gravely affects the quality of life of those infected with it. HIV patients are still stigmatized and discriminated against. There are still HIV patients that conceal the fact of their infection for fear of the reactions of their immediate surroundings. The right way of dealing with the disease and those affected by it is not self-evident.« Read Ulla Schmidt’s full statement regarding her patronage of Stimmen in der Stadt.
Paul, Anneliese, Gerd, Eva, Jan, Michaela and Max have spoken up and shared their stories. We wish for more discussions and exchanges to take place. If you wish to share your experiences and comments, we encourage you to do so here on our website.
All comments will be read before we approve them for publication. We’re looking forward to hearing your voice!
We cordially invite you to the press conference and opening of STIMMEN IN DER STADT on
Wednesday, 24. November, 2010 from 4.30 PM
at the Axel Hotel Berlin, Lietzenburger Straße 13/15
Admission: 4.30 PM
Press conference: 5 PM
Followed by a get-together
With Ulla Schmidt, former Federal Minister of Health, honorary patron of Stimmen in der Stadt, and Dr. phil. Martin Dannecker, sexologist and author. Annabelle Mandeng will moderate the conference.
Please RSVP until November 19 at presse@stimmeninderstadt.de
Stimmen in der Stadt now has an honorary patron. Former Federal minister of Health, Ulla Schmidt, has approved her support of the project already a while back. Her patronage underlines the political relevance of out project. Ulla Schmidt will be present at the opening event of Stimmen in der Stadt on November 24. Her official statement will be published here shortly.
Only seven weeks to take off. The parts for constructing our speakers are waiting in the production line in rank and file. The speakers for the 15 listening stations are manufactured by hand, and our team of handymen is proud of their costume built model for Stimmen in der Stadt. We’d like to thank the people at AUDIUM / Visonik, Berlin for their friendly support.
What is this new AIDS? Is it really as harmless as one is made to believe? Or did it just become less visible? We seek to explore different answers to these questions in our column »The New AIDS«. The latest article in this series was submitted by TAZ-Journalist Jan Feddersen, who asks »Was bloß ist Aids?« (This Article is only available in German).
Stimmen in der Stadt was presented on September 18 with an infostand at the »Reminders Day Gala« at Berlin’s ewerk. In the congress »HIV im Dialog«, which took place that weekend and ended with the gala, one of the interviews from Stimmen in der Stadt was presented as well. A good two months before the launch, we raised awareness to our project and were rewarded with some positive feedback.
Good news, our circle of patrons has expanded. The Förderverein der Bundestagsfraktion DIE LINKE e.V. has shown us their support in the form of a thoughtful contribution. In addition, the Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe e. V. , the roof organization for some 120 regional Aids-Hilfe organizations in Germany, is now also an important patron of our project. The support and accompaniment is highly appreciated!
With this motto, the elledorado e.V. society has been promoting projects in Berlin for over twelve years, bringing transgender, gay and lesbian lives to the foreground in order to fight discrimination and exclusion on the basis of sexual identity. Stimmen in der Stadt has also been chosen for receiving funding from the elledorado e.V. society. We’re delighted to have elledorado e.V. as a new partner and are very grateful for their support!
On the occassion of their 31st anniversary, and for the second time now, the Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (O.S.P.I.) have deliberated Stimmen in der Stadt with a cheque. On Easter Saturday, in the well-attended Café PositHiv, the Sisters passed on donations they collected for various HIV- and AIDS related intiatives. Martin Kostezer presented Stimmen in der Stadt to the guests and thanked the Sisters for their continuous support.
November, 2009, Christoph Weber, doctor and project manager of Stimmen in der Stadt called press and visitors at the BAH’s kuenstler gegen Aids gala to support the audio project planned for world-aids-day 2010. Dr. Keikawus Arastéh, director of the clinic for internal medicine at the Vivantes Auguste-Viktoria-Klinikum Berlin, stressed that attention should be also given to the oftentimes drastic mental and social implications of an HIV infection. The conditions of living with hiv and aids are not to be underestimated. Guests of the sold out gala at the theater des westerns got a sneak preview of the first interview excerpt from the project, spoken by actors Uwe Büschken and Luise Lunow.
December 2009, First Donation for Stimmen in der Stadt!
Immaculate Conception: on the Second Advent, the Stimmen in der Stadt account conceived its first donation. On December 6, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence presented our project managers with the glittery golden check of 500 Euro on the occasion of their Advent get-together at Berlin’s Café PositHIV. This donation will be the footing of the project’s funding. We’d like to say a warm thank you to the Sisters and everyone supporting us.
Copycats welcome! Making a donation to Stimmen in der Stadt is not only the perfect birthday present, it will also round up your tax deductible at the end of the fiscal year. Invest now in a project that’s already enjoying great public interest and positive resonance.
