BERLIN DAYZ
Berlin Frames: The Power Of Language – Die Macht Der Sprache – In Images
01 – 26 Nov
Baillieu Library, The University of Melbourne
Percy Baxter Learning Centre and Atrium, circular stairwell
Mon–Thu 8.30am–11.00pm, Fri 8.30am–6.00pm, Sat, Sun 11.00am–5.00pm
Free Admission
Tel.: +61 3 83446823 / +61 3 83449582
„Die wahre Heimat ist eigentlich die Sprache.“ (Wilhelm von Humboldt, Scientist & Intellectual)
No other medium possesses as much power as the human language. From the most delicate flower to the most glorious empire, it can create anything in our imagination, and paint our entire world (and other worlds beyond it) in the most vibrant colours. And yet no other medium is so complex and confused. The flipside to this wealth of diversity is the fact that more than 6000 different languages and uncounted dialects are babbling away in the global confusion of this modern Babel. Surely any attempt to communicate the power of language internationally must be doomed to failure?
The idea was as obvious as it is unusual: As the popular saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. But at the same time, the language of images is a universally comprehensible code, accessible worldwide. On this basis the Goethe-Institut launched an international photographic competition calling on both professional and amateur photographers to capture the power of language in an image. Whether eye-catching, abstract, intimate, ironic or reflective – the selected works display very personal interpretations of human understanding from the most diverse regions of our world.
Accompanying Events:
Opening and Performance by Bas Böttcher
Fri 05 Nov, 5.30pm -7.00pm
Guided Tours
The Goethe-Institut is offering school classes free guided tours of the exhibition with accompanying activities. Tours by appointment from 15 to 26 Nov. Classroom materials to assist in preparing students prior to visiting the exhibition will be emailed on request.
Contact:
education1@melbourne.goethe.org 
Booking form (PDF, 35KB)
Guest:
Bas Böttcher (1974) is a Berlin based writer and spoken word artist. He regularly appears at Slam Poetry Festivals around the world – with the power of his own language. Bas started out with his own band 'Zentrifugal' in the late 1990s; as a solo artist who visualises words and makes words perform, he has travelled the globe as an ambassador for the German language.
This exhibition is presented by the Goethe-Institut Australia in cooperation with Baillieu Library
