The Berlin Journals—On the History and Present State of the City are an ongoing series that link artistic, essayistic as well as activist practices. The publications address the social, cultural, and economic changes in Berlin and other cities. The Berlin Journals consider themselves a context for production open to different authors and editors, combining print and digital publishing with organizing events and exhibitions.

Joerg Franzbecker co-curates, -publishes, -produces various formats in the context of art and urban space in primarily collaborative contexts. Florian Wüst is a film curator, artist and publisher. He curates film programs and exhibitions for international art institutions, cinemas and festivals. Both are co-publishers of the The Berlin Journals—On the History and Present State of the City and were most recently members of the nGbK project X Properties (2022), of which the homonymous Berlin Journal #11 was published.

X Properties examines the impact of financial capital on the social and cultural production of the city, its forms of relationality and subjectivity. The texts combine Berlin case studies with global perspectives on the de/financialization of the city. In their presentation, Florian and Joerg introduce the Berlin Journals and describe their views on the increasingly financialized urban space as a starting point for an open discussion.

The talk was held on 25.5.2023 within the framework of “Everyone an Island After All?” which examined the contagions, stratifications, and territorial structures that permeate the city (of Bremen) in its current complexity. The images produced in public space mainly suppress subjective realities instead of addressing them. How can artistic ways of working create a space of imagination in relation to these orders?

With financial support of Der Senator für Kultur der Freien Hansestadt Bremen and Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien im Zusammenhang mit dem Programm NEUSTARTplus Plattformen der bildenden Kunst der Stiftung Kunstfonds