{SHOW_CONTENT:CP,4592,12241}

Floodwall: Art Exhibition of Jana Napoli in Berlin

"Drawers Speak - New Orleans Five Years Later"

The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy and German American Chamber of Commerce Networking Evening

(Berlin, Sunday, 26th of September 2010)


Hosted by:
Mark Donfried (Founder & Director of the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy)

Event Report

Executive Summary

On Sunday September 27th, the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy hosted an evening with German American Chamber of Commerce at the art installation project ‘Floodwall’ from New Orleans in Berlin. The evening, which took place on the ‘Kurier’ ship on the Spree River, was attended by around thirty people, including the director of Bader TV, students, and young professionals.

Background

The idea for this networking event arose from a meeting between Mark Donfried and Daniela Daus. Daniela Daus, a member of the German-American Chamber of Commerce, is involved in a transatlantic program where a delegation of a dozen young professionals travel through German cities to form bonds and connections for their future professional working life. The Floodwall exhibition’s presence in Berlin provided the perfect opportunity and appropriate location for such an event.

Event Overview

The Networking Evening was a project between the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy and the German American Chamber of Commerce. It took place on the ‘Kurier ship’ at Stralauer Allee, on the Spree River in Berlin.

Around thirty guests attended, stemming from different work backgrounds such as architecture, language school teachers, journalism, broadcasting, as well as the members of the German-American Chamber of Commerce. The guests boarded the ship moving downstairs to experience the collection of over 380 draws recovered from the floodwaters lost in Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath along with food and refreshments.

Mark Donfried, Founder and Director of the ICD, together with Daniela Daus welcomed the participants and guests. They thanked the organizers of the event, and discussing the impact and lasting effects that Hurricane Katrina had on not only New Orleans, but America as a whole.  Afterwards the artist herself spoke about the exhibition and her own experience collecting these drawers.

Further Information

For further details about the Floodwall program, including the exhibition, the youth outreach program, or the event series, please see the following link: www.floodwall-berlin.de