Harun Farocki, A New Product, 2011-2012, Hamburg, Germany
The New Patrons of Hamburg
Patrons: Quickborn Team
Commission: „We want a film production that critically questions the much-discussed new working and living environment in Hamburg's HafenCity.“
Mediator: Nina Möntmann
Artist: Harun Farocki
Duration: 2011–2012
Partners: The Federal Agency for Civic Education, Fondation de France, Körber Foundation, Hafencity Hamburg GmbH, Hamburgische Kulturstiftung
Budget: 70.000€
A New Product
The staff of Quickborner Team, which moved into new offices in Hamburg‘s HafenCity, take up the mediator Nina Möntmann‘s recommendation and invite Harun Farocki to accompany them in their everyday lives over an extended period of time. In an area where new spaces for living are being constructed, enterprises are exploring new workspaces as well. How do the businesses engage with this new urban space? What is the role of architecture in relation to the organization of workflows? Which resources does the creation of urban density in the HafenCity offer to businesses? For more than a year, Harun Farocki observes the „QT“‘s meetings as a new consulting product is being developed. A group of staff members become participants in the artistic process. The patrons commission Harun Farocki to realize a film production that critically examines their much-discussed new working and living environment.
Harun Farocki was born 1944 in Novy Jicin (Neutitschein) and died in 2014 near Berlin. Since 1966, he completed over 100 productions for television and cinema: children's television, documentaries, essay films, story films. From 1993-1999, he was Visiting Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2004, he was guest professor, in 2006 regular professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. He participated in the documenta 12 (2007) and had exhibitions at Museum Ludwig Cologne (2009/2010), Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus and Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart Berlin (both 2014).
