Recalculating the Route

How can arts professionals help that people and societies don’t lose track in an increasingly complex world? And how can we retain authorship over our lives in the face of rapid technological change? The second edition of the three-day international cultural symposium, taking place in June in Weimar, Germany and organized by Goethe-Institut will revolve around these questions.

Under the title "Recalculating the Route" over 300 international participants from the fields of culture, economy, academia, journalism and politics will examine the topic from various perspectives. From 19 to 21 of June 2019 a programme consisting of lectures, discussions, participatory debates and artistic interventions will take place in Weimar, Germany.

Three years after the success of the first Kultursymposium, the Goethe-Institut is presenting a new edition of the event. The second Kultursymposium Weimar will focus on the question of how we can find our bearings, both socially and ideologically, in a world that is becoming increasingly unstable and difficult to grasp.

All around the world, future pathways are being recalculated. Rapid technological development is producing fundamental changes in society, culture, and the economy, and is introducing unforeseen possibilities and posing many new questions. At the same time, the desire for manageable and easily understandable circumstances seems to be increasing worldwide. Straightforward answers to a more and more complex world are in high demand, and not only in the political sphere.

Among many others the Kultursymposium will host the authors Panashe Chigumadzi (Zimbabwe), Assaf Gavron (Israel) and Pankaj Mishra (India), the expert for artificial intelligence Toby Walsh (Australia), the professor of law and technology Katrin Nyman-Metcalf (Estonia), the entrepreneurs Sarah Chen (USA/Malaysia) and Stephanie Kaiser (Germany), the human resources expert Immanuel Hermreck (Germany) and the sociologist Steffen Mau (Germany). The opening keynote will be held by designer and Superflux founder Anab Jain (Great Britain).

The programme of the Kultursymposium 2019 focuses on four key topics under the headlines ORIENT//ATION, AUTO//NOMY, RE//GRESSION, and DIGI//NOMICS.

ORIENT//ATION. Across times and cultures, people have faced the challenge of navigating unknown waters, finding their bearings in changing situations and developing new opportunities for action. Today, technical possibilities and societal scopes of action are perhaps as broad as ever. Nevertheless, there is uncertainty about the values and normative foundations which are to ensure successful orientation in the future.

RE//GRESSION. We are currently readjusting the political compass. We are experiencing a world which has gone off the rails in many places. Questions of war and peace have returned to the European continent. The return of nationalism is threatening the project of European integration. Identitarian politics - in Poland, Hungary and the US, for example - follow promises of a return to the supposedly safe harbours of cultural tradition and homogeneity. We are experiencing a strong need for a new political and ideological orientation. The route is being recalculated.

DIGI//NOMICS. The economic situation is also characterised by constant change and the danger of disruption. Existing business models, products and services are being replaced or supplanted with increasing speed. Companies face the challenge of constant renewal and innovation. In doing so, they not only have to meet changing customer expectations and legal requirements, but also have to live up to their responsibilities toward their staff and toward society. Which coordinates, guiding principles and values are companies using to orient themselves?

AUTO//NOMY. The perspective of artificial intelligence also has an impact on our self-perception as humans. Forms of unconscious intelligence that can carry out tasks such as diagnosing illnesses, playing chess or driving cars better than humans are already being developed. Algorithms are often in a better position to assess a person's dispositions and personality than work colleagues, friends, family members or partners. It is foreseeable that intelligent algorithms will at some point know us better than we do ourselves. How can we still remain authors of our lives? How can the digital projects of the 21st century serve all people?

In the run-up to the Kultursymposium Weimar, accompanying events will take place at numerous Goethe-Institutes around the globe. Cultural traditions, local initiatives, artistic interventions and scientific approaches will enrich the symposium in Weimar with new voices and perspectives.

The Kultursymposium Weimar is a series of events organised by the Goethe-Institut in which an international group of experts, artists and speakers from a range of disciplines discuss the social issues that are affecting us globally. The first Kultursymposium Weimar took place in 2016 on the subject of The Sharing Game - Exchange in Culture and Society.

For more information and tickets visit the website: www.goethe.de/weimar

Until 4th of April you can save 20% with the code "EARLYBIRD#KSWE": https://shop.ticketpay.de/98ZWBBF7

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