The re:publica as a guest at St. Pauli
From September 19 - 21, 2024, re:publica was part of the Reeperbahn Festival for the second time. A look back.
From September 19 - 21, 2024, re:publica was part of the Reeperbahn Festival for the second time. A look back.
The stage was set: When those responsible for re:publica took to the stage on Thursday evening to officially open the program, the bass was already booming in the background. It quickly became clear that the re:publica x Reeperbahn Festival format is extraordinary. An audience with an affinity for music meets digital and social issues, plus live music, with St. Pauli FC's stadium in the background - and this year even with a late summer that left nothing to be desired.
The first re:publica program item of the festival also left nothing to be desired in terms of creativity. Under the title "Prompteurs, gather! Let the battle begin", the weekend began with a Prompt Battle, moderated by Laura Rohloff (Head of Design Zentrum Hamburg) and Ninu Dramis (Designer & Founder). The aim of the interactive format was to encourage creativity, break down fears and arouse curiosity through a playful approach to the topic of artificial intelligence (AI). The audience was able to follow the prompts of the five participants on the screens at the same time. In the Prompt Battle, the audience also decides who creates the most exciting and creative work in the specified time period.
The live competition, in which five participants compete against each other to prove their skills in creating prompts (AI-generated images), proved to be the perfect introduction to the festival's exuberant atmosphere. This was the second time that re:publica had made a guest appearance at Heiligengeistfeld - and it was noticeably successful. Since it was founded in 2007, the Berlin-based conference has been an annual meeting place for digital enthusiasts and a forum for discussions, talks and workshops on all topics relating to internet freedom, digital society, innovation, current political and social media. This was also the case at the Reeperbahnfestival - where, of course, the focus was also on the music industry. The program attracted visitors with exciting content and numerous expertly selected speakers, including journalists, technology experts, activists and artists.
At the joint kick-off event on Friday morning at SPACE, re:publica and nextMedia.Hamburg hosted a breakfast talk focusing on the topic of innovation culture. Under the title "Crisis, chaos, innovation - how new things are created in companies", Marina and Jannis Schakarian gave a talk in the form of a classic fairy tale complete with royal family and castle.
The learning of the story: Innovation is not done for the result, but for the employees. Instead of focusing on external success, companies should focus on their own structures, processes and employees. After all, innovation can be a powerful driver of positive change within a company - provided it is implemented correctly. Marina and Jannis gave these specific tips:
Innovation does not mean doing something different, but doing something differently.
More than the development of new products, innovation serves the development of employees.
Reducing resistance and getting everyone on board requires more communication than you might think.
After the breakfast talk, the participants made their way to the festival grounds, where the program was already in full swing. The open stage concept on the Heiligengeistfeld invited participants to drift between the various locations, music stages and areas and enjoy the atmosphere. The central Hangar stage in front of the Millerntor Stadium, which could also be visited by visitors without a Reeperbahn Festival ticket, formed the center of the re:publica area. Other areas, such as the Glass House or the Neo House, could be accessed from here.
One of the topics on the Hangar stage was the digital cartography project called "WE ARE HERE". This activist art project by Talya Feldman shows how remembrance work can be shaped as an active form of resistance and change. The project, which was developed in close collaboration with initiatives fighting racism and anti-Semitism in Germany, offers a platform for survivors and relatives of victims of right-wing and police violence.It invites users to imagine a new form of remembrance - from renaming streets to digital memorials.
Two project teams from the "Civic Coding - Innovation Network AI for the Common Good" initiative then presented themselves with the question: "How can AI applications contribute to solving social challenges?". In their presentations, they explained how and why they are using AI for the common good. The first project, "Mother Earth AI", is an open source project that allows users to speak to Mother Earth via telephone and ask questions about the ecosystem. The AI has been trained with indigenous knowledge and answers the questions from the perspective of Mother Earth. With this project, the initiators want to invite people to enter into a dialog with our ecosystem in a playful way.
The "pib@school" project was then presented. pib is a printable intelligent bot. In the project, pupils can build their own humanoid robot using only a 3D printer and thus gain practical experience in the field of robotics and AI. The initiators provide the corresponding help and codes. Afterwards, visitors had the opportunity to find out more about the projects and examine the objects up close.
How does a modern regional editorial office actually work? This question was explored on the Hangar stage on Saturday afternoon. Maria Rossbauer and Florian Zinnecker, heads of the Hamburg section of Die Zeit, gave fascinating insights into their work on the deepening of the Elbe. In conversation with presenter Götz Bühler, they explained how reporting on Hamburg worked on various channels - from the printed newspaper to online articles and podcasts. Using the example of the podcast episode "One city, two cellars, 139 corpses", the department heads described the production process of such reporting and its distribution.
A little later, a panel discussion entitled "Working worlds in transition - AI and change in the creative industry" was held in the Glass House and was dedicated to the topic of creativity in the age of AI. The panel included Paulina Bietz, Ninu Dramis, Jonas Ross and Sofia Kats, who provided in-depth insights into current projects and use cases. The experts from the fields of design, film and audio began by explaining their personal reasons for starting to look more closely at the topic of AI in their industry. At the same time, the panel looked at the specific impact of AI on their respective industries from different perspectives. For example, video producer and presenter Sofia Kats explained that AI enables her to create much more cost-effective mood worlds for concepts than before. Creative producer Jonas Ross cited specific advantages in the editing of podcast productions, where unwanted background noise or inferior recording quality can be quickly and easily edited thanks to AI. At the same time, the panel criticized the lack of a legal framework to date. According to the speakers, it is becoming increasingly difficult to protect intellectual property due to the many possibilities for change and a disregard for authors.
Overall, re:publica in Hamburg was an impressive demonstration of how diverse and interdisciplinary the topic of innovation can be - from artificial intelligence and the culture of remembrance to creative work. The program offered the perfect platform to develop new ideas, exchange ideas and develop ideas for the future together. The open area on Heiligengeistfeld created a relaxed atmosphere that invited people to let themselves drift and be inspired without getting stressed. We'd love to do it again!