INST-Presentations 2004 / 2005 The Unifying Aspects of Cultures

DEUTSCH  | ENGLISH  |  FRANCAIS

Context

On the occasion of the publication of the documentation "The Unifying Aspects of Cultures"(Hardcover Book, Documentary Film on DVD and approximately 1050 contributions from 72 countries on CD along with an overview of 10 years of INST, founded on 14 November1994), presentations have been taking place in more than 40 countries since 18 September 2004.

The presentations are intended to examine the importance of culture in contemporary processes. They are directed at a broad public, especially at scientists, artists, pedagogues, journalists and politicians as well as all those, who, on the one hand, are concerned in a direct and indirect way with the production of knowledge, and, on the hand, find interest and pleasure in making new discoveries about the world.

These presentations stand in the context of the radical changes in the world during the recent years and decades, especially in the context of the INST projects, INST publications, INST expeditions over the course of the past ten years. They begin with a prologue in the form of a monologue about the divided world ("Heidelberg - Marrakesch, One Way"), proceed to the polylogue in the form of a documentary film by Alex Grimm and describe the settlement of the world in the space of approximately 3 million years, a concrete measurement of time, which has only been made possible by contemporary (scientific) methods.The "extreme points" are the first finds of Hominids in the far reaches of Kilimanjaro and a very late discovery of the north of Europe (Svalbard: "Die kalte Küste"; The Cold Coast).

In every phase of the presentations, tradition, including myths, signs, pictures, writings, languages, arts, structures, potentialities, transformations, and the contemporary preservation of knowledge, plays a central role. The presentations attempt to show the importance of the imagination, which in a highly complex society with a division of labor cannot be limited to any ruler (and also not to an "elite"). The success of contemporary societies can only be based on democracy. How under these preconditions the handing down of knowledge (reproduction), the reorganization or modification through innovation and the new structurings of societies could or should take place will be the central focus of the new INST program (events, research projects).