A trace from the border apparatus during the division of the city, the former GDR watchtower on Schlesischer Busch has a long tradition of cultural and artistic production ever since Reunification. Under the care of Flutgraben e.V. since 2004, the building has hosted several exhibitions, talks, screenings, and residencies.
The Watch consists of a group of artists and cultural producers working on a voluntary basis. Every year this group decides on the thematic content, formats, and programming of the watchtower either through direct invitations or open calls.
The Watch is currently Jean-Ulrick Désert, Franziska Koenig-Paratore, Dominique Hurth, Irina Novarese and Jo Zahn. Coming from the fields of theatre, scenography, visual arts, writing, performance and curating, an interdisciplinary and collaborative practice is at the core of The Watch informed by feminist, queer and non-hegemonic strategies.
Projects
HIER & JETZT: CONNECTIONS since 2017
HIER & JETZT: Connections is an exchange and residency program with artists in exile. The initiative was launched in 2017 by artists based at B.L.O. Ateliers in Berlin-Lichtenberg and is funded through the Cultural Office of Berlin City District Lichtenberg, Art and Culture Department.
Artistic direction: Kristen Cooper, Christa Fülbier, Irina Novarese, Özlem Sariyildiz
Talks series @ B.L.O. Ateliers – Berlin – 2021
*OH! Queer* is a series of events with cross-cultural artists, which takes place in Lichtenberg, at B.L.O. Ateliers. From June to November 2021.
Program: *oh! Queer* ?️??️⚧️?? (@oh_queer_berlin) • Instagram-Fotos und -Videos
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KIN*K – Beamerübernahme mit Kunst
International video-art screenings and presentations * 2015-2018
KIN*K took place each month at BLO-ATELIERS in Berlin, Lichtenberg.
Curated by Irina Novarese & Marco Pezzotta, with the great support of BLO-Ateliers LockKunst e.V. and all the invited artists.
The Project was funded by Bezirkskulturfonds Lichtenberg
A*BOUT
Silke Bauer, Irina Novarese and Viola Thiele
* since 2011
A*BOUT – ARTIST GROUP
We got to know each other during the MA program “Art in Context” at the UdK Berlin. Our own biographical and parallel interests in artistic forms such as situative installations and process-oriented, project-based work encouraged us to develop participatory and interdisciplinary projects. One of these included the project Hydromemories, which has been presented in four exhibitions in Europe and Venezuela.
SHADOWBOXING
A project of Bastian Aarler & Irina Novarese
Shadowboxing is an exercise used in training, especially, as the name implies, in boxing. It is used mainly to hone the muscles and reflexes. In shadowboxing, a sole participant throws punches at an imaginary opponent. The name was coined because boxers would practice by using their own shadows or a mirror as a sparring partner. An interesting paradox arrises from the notion of a fight against oneself, as it is impossible to win or lose the match, the only certain result being that one will tire oneself out. Incidentally, in psychology shadowboxing refers to the process of overcoming a negative self-image which, for example, prevents one from achieving success.
HYDROMEMORIES
Hydromemories is an interdisciplinary artistic project on the theme of water that originated from the collaboration of an international group of artists in cooperation with the group Engineers without Borders. Hydromemories is a nomadic and flexible project, a laboratory of images which brings together international artists who have dedicated a part of their research to the theme of water.
First exhibited in a former swimming pool in Berlin, then in the frame of the Berlin Water Fair; and at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas, the 2012 exhibition in Turin was hosted in an annex of the Museum of Natural Sciences.
Through installations realized by some of the artists, Hydromemories concretely supports the work of Engineers without Borders, as well as other NGO’s working on hydric resources, whose projects employ innovative yet simple engineering methods in order to provide much needed low cost solutions to water access: such as the construction of water tanks in the rural community of Kagera in Tanzania and the rehabilitation of Water Wells in Niger.
MEMOART
MemoArt artistic group: Dominique Hurth, Irina Novarese, Zala Unkmeir, Sabe Wunsch in cooperation with Katja Jedermann.
Conception and Research of the exhibition Forced sex labour in Nazi concentration camps.
In collaboration with Institute for Art in Context, UdK Berlin, Ravensbrück National Memorial, Dr. Robert Sommer, Dr. Christl Wickert (2006-2009)
VELO-CITY
Project in cooperation with UNOAUNO Studio Arch. Alberto Ulisse, Marino La Torre, Pescara.
Presentend at the X Architecture Biennale of Venice, Italian Pavillon 2006
ZIMMER FREI PROJEKT
Exchange and living space for contemporary art as reaction to the one of the first gentrification-moment in Berlin
With 22 international artists (photography, installation, performance, music, theatre).
2005-2006
IL MAGNETE
Interdisciplinary artistic project and group: Marco Callea, Irina Novarese, Alessandro Quaranta, Gianluca Sudano
2001-2005
The artistic project Il Magnete was grounded in 2001 from the necessity to create alternatives art spaces organised by artists. Together with Marco Callea, Gianluca Sudano and Alessandro Quaranta we started a series of events like exhibitions, lectures and a series of printed issues concerning the principal items broadened during the events.
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EX-FERGAT
Permanent photographic wall installation in public space for the renovated building of the former FERGAT factory in Turin, Italy. 2001
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