Interview with the communication designer Andreas Uebele and two designers from Hanoi about the value of intercultural exchange.

For the cultural hackathon Coding da Vinci Süd, the Goethe-Institut invited 15 cultural professionals, coders and hackers from Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania to Munich to present ideas and innovative apps for the digitisation of cultural assets.  

The last Berlinale under Dieter Kosslick has come to an end: with an unusually meticulously-conceived competition – and heated debates.

Adam’s parents are splitting up – which hits him like a bolt from the blue and drives him to an extreme act. In the end, he learns that his parents have kept a secret from him the whole time. This suspenseful coming-of-age story marks Natalie Buchholz's debut as a novelist.

At age 23, when his first novel was published by Diogenes in 2008, Benedict Wells was the youngest author of the renowned publishing house. This novel has since been made into a film and his next three books were also successes. Now Wells presents a collection of short stories that can be considered virtually classic.

If you think art and robotics have nothing in common, think again. Artificial intelligence is a tool for creative minds, and increasingly their competition. The digital revolution also provides art with plenty of fodder for critical reflection.

Social engagement and climate-adapted construction are central topics in international architectural discourse. Anh-Linh Ngo, architect and co-editor of the journal ARCH+, was born in Vietnam and has lived in Germany for many years. He elucidates current developments in Vietnam on these issues and what we can learn from Vietnamese architects.

High quality, utility and sustainability: German architects are internationally successful. The architectural critic Falk Jaeger presents his favourites among Germany's creative architects in short portraits.

Alexandra has been regularly going to the Monaliesa Feminist Library. The translator and author started a reading club there – in her opinion the Monaliesa from its history is the perfect place. 

In January 2017, the artist Nguyễn Phương Linh exhibited an installation in Goethe-Institut Hanoi. We talked to her, the curator Trương Quế Chi and to Linhs father Nguyễn Mạnh Đức, co-founder of Nhà Sàn studio.

Carrying on research next door to Nobel laureates – this is possible at several institutions in Germany. For young international scientists, Germany is also an attractive research location because of its good infrastructure and excellent academic supervision.

The Framework of Reference for Pluralistic Approaches to Languages and Cultures serves as the basis for teaching and learning processes in the promotion of multilingual and intercultural skills. How can it be integrated into the teaching of German as a foreign language?

Shipwrecks, giant bronze drums, dragons’ heads and an 8m-high walk-through temple: Vietnam’s Archaeological Treasures is an exhibition that brings spectacular finds from Vietnam’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites to Germany for the first time, presenting ten thousand years of history in a single show.

In libraries knowledge and things have been exchanged from time immemorial. They are part of the share economy, even if many are unaware of this. But the “sharing” trend places libraries before a new challenge.

The lifeblood of German children's television is the use of successful formats. With new productions, however, the movers and shakers in this TV domain should show more innovation, says media researcher, Professor Dieter Wiedemann.

Some German publishers are testing digital formats for very young readers. Although the new products offer many learning possibilities, they have not yet gained widespread favour among parents and pedagogues.
 

In digital text communication small symbols are becoming increasingly important. What emojis do Germans like to use, and what influence do they have on our language?

At the German Emigration Centre visitors get an idea of what flight and emigration mean for the individual. Furthermore, the museum in Bremerhaven makes emphatically clear that many Germans were forced to leave their homes.

Games enable people to immerse themselves in a culture and to experience history hands-on, says Thorsten Unger, CEO of the Bundesverband der deutschen Games-Branche.

At the German Emigration Centre visitors get an idea of what flight and emigration mean for the individual. Furthermore, the museum in Bremerhaven makes emphatically clear that many Germans were forced to leave their homes.

Europe faces many challenges, and nationalist tendencies are becoming increasingly popular in some countries. Is the European idea falling apart – and what can culture do to prevent this from happening? An interview with Andrew Murray, the director of EUNIC, the network of European Union National Institutes for Culture.

The global community set itself ambitious targets in Paris. Considerable efforts will also be needed in Germany if they are to be reached.

Pop-up spaces are springing up like mushrooms after the rain. Both small and large-scale entrepreneurs are making use of this opportunity to promote their products in a targeted manner for a short period.

Horror films, thriller or an Alpine western – young directors are bringing a new genre diversity to German cinema, but can they also gain the trust of cinema-goers?

Has our memory capacity declined since we have come to rely on smartphones? Are we perhaps even at risk of suffering “digital dementia”? On the contrary, claims memory researcher Emrah Düzel.

Dr Hannelore Vogt, head of Cologne’s prize-winning city library, talks to us about the relevance of libraries in the digital age, whether the term “library” still fits and about her own library’s recipe for success.

Books for young readers constitute an important segment of the German book market. German-language literature for children and young adults is characterized by ambitious themes and thoughtful illustrations.

Smartphones have changed the way people flee. They have maps to show the refugees where the border crossings are, Facebook provides them with weather reports and, if necessary, a human trafficker is just a Whatsapp message away.

Too many foreign students still break off their studies. Gebhard Reul of the German Academic Exchange Service explains what German universities can do to foster integration.

Living in a Multigenerational House – behind this is the idea that young and old can mutually support one another. In Germany, this form of living is becoming increasingly popular.

Up to now the concept of the “smart city” has generated attention mainly through Asian mega-projects. But in Germany too the idea is playing an increasingly important role.

Germany is a “country of music” because of its cultural heritage and the concentration of orchestras, concert halls and festivals unrivaled anywhere else in the world. Fostering this rich variety is essential.

Cinema does not necessarily need a movie theatre. In cities like Hamburg films are projected onto the facades of buildings. These mobile film performances have opened up new perspectives in the way public space can be used.

Paula Rosolens Choreografien bewegen sich lustvoll zwischen Tanzgeschichte und Populärkultur. Ein Interview mit der aus Argentinien stammenden Choreografin.

In Düsseldorf, the photographer Bernd Becher and his wife Hilla Becher trained artists who went down in art history as the Düsseldorf School of Photography.
 

Education programmes – for almost a decade now there has been hardly a concert house in Germany that has not taken up activities in the field of musical education for the young.

They should be part of every good book store. The International Literature Festival Berlin dedicates a special section to comic biographies. One of the most successful comic artists is Berlin-based author Reinahrd Kleist

Numerous comics remind us of the dictatorial regime that ruled the GDR and the peaceful end of the East German state.

The conflict of young adults being caught between the traditions of the old country and the freedom of the new country is often reflected in movies.

German jazz is multifaceted. Hardly any other jazz scene in Europe has such a range of styles, traditions and techniques.