G r e e t i n g s

by WOLFGANG JOOP

48 Stunden Neukölln is the embodiment of principles of personal freedom. It was precisely that sort of atmosphere that tempted me to settle in New York in the 1970s. We, the generation that grew up in the oppressive atmosphere directly after WWII and the limited geographical boundaries of my divided home country, were in search of a sense of freedom. Established norms and the notion of setting one's self up in as safe as way as possible were questioned and then abandoned. My generation embarked on a path of individual experimentation.

As someone who has pursued a number of trades without formal training, I am all too aware that you don't get anywhere without a healthy dose of experimentation, of taking risks. The most important factor is curiosity, investigating whether I can direct, drawing on experience and vision, something into a state where it touches a nerve, making people want to wear or merely see an article of clothing. I consider this situation to be a luxurious one; it is, however, not a concrete luxury, but, on the contrary, a metaphysical one.

I am proud to have been selected by 48 Stunden Neukölln as the festival's “spokesperson“ for 2011. And I'd like to relay the following to all participating artists: may the fire of our freedom illuminate all of this old Berlin!

May all the spirit of artists' souls and intensity be palatable in the air in Neukölln, if only for a 48 hour period. To quote Friedrich Nietzsche,“We have art lest we perish from the truth“. Let's seize the freedom to expand our horizons!

Yours,
Wolfgang Joop