we actually ended up accepting a few more people than we had originally thought – there were so many interesting applications and the selection process was simply too difficult. There are thus 110 participants in total – with the lecturers, interns, people giving presentations and guests, there will be 150 people sitting round the dinner table.

In the next couple of weeks, the lectures will get in touch with the participants of the different courses asking you to prepare some material and do some research in advance.

Thus we have a few questions right now for all the participants:

we have invited an author, a photographer, a video artist and two
musicians to accompany the Academy. In a sort of field study, they
will examine this "imagined community" and use it as living archive in order to create different documentations using various types of media.

Here are the three questions for everyone:

I. The author Annett Grцschner will write a compiled text – a
Mobile Academy hypertext.

“ Friday 13th August 2004 – a Collective Text for an Academy”

She would ask everyone (regardless of where they are) to describe
their own personal 13th August and to send us the text. This text
could consist of the main points, a few notes, a commentary about
how your day went or could be a properly formulated story. Please
structure the description of your day according to the time of day,
hour by hour. Our day goes from 0.00 to 24.00.

The text should not be more than 5 pages long (about 10 000 characters) but everything else is up to you. If possible, it should be written in English or German. During the first week of the Mobile Academy, Annett Grцschner will then weave your texts and materials together into a complete account, at the same time the material will be exhibited.

On 13th August 1961, the wall was built which was to divide Berlin for 28 years. That day was a Sunday – this year the 13th falls on a Friday. In some cultures, this is a day that really provokes misfortune. Should some of you not leave the house due to superstition, then you must still describe the room in which you will spend the day. Please send us your text by 23rd August at the latest, with Friday 13th August as its title.

(You can also include 1-2 photos (in jpg. Format) that are characteristic for your 13th August as an attachment or simply bring them with you)

II. The photographer and city research artist Stefanie Bьrkle will
create a souvenir for the Mobile Academy:

“The Fakelore Bag – Sightshopper”

Bьrkle will create bags and shoppers for all participants. In order to
design the material for these bags, she will need pictures to print on
them. Each student is to bring at least 2 photos to Berlin with them:
there are in each individual city, regardless of the size of the city - urban situations where you immediately feel comfortable and welcome and urban places where you feel rejected.

Please send or bring a picture of a place, location, building or monument in your City where you feel welcome and comfortable. Another picture of a place, location, building or monument where you feel excluded should be brought / sent as well. Send us your choice as soon as possible!

(Pictures can be sent as jpg (not bigger than 1.5 mb each) via e-mail
- Title: souvenir. They can also be sent as photos or postcards via post. If you cannot do it immediatly, please bring the pictures with you to Berlin on the 30th August.)

III. Lucky Kitchen, Alejandra Salinas and Aeron Bergman will create

"Folktronic for an Academy"

a found-sound, field recording, folktronic CD both out of the material
you bring to Berlin and the sounds they will record during the three
weeks. They would ask you to bring with you some sort of folk culture
from your country in the form of an audio CD, a drawing, or an object,
- it could be folk music, or recordings of a family event etc. Please bring or think of a love song from your country as well.

We will collect the stuff from you on the day of arrival.

Thanks a lot for your help, best wishes, we are looking forward meeting all of you soon

Hannah Hurtzig

PS.: Please send all the material to Steffi Muller
(steffi.mueller@mobileacademy-berlin.com) and always as a copy to her
colleague Daniela Schoeler (daniela.schoeler@mobileacademy-berlin.com)