Project
What is this project all about?
In March 2013 the lights went out for C/O Berlin in the legendary Postfuhramt in Berlin-Mitte. In Autumn 2014 the internationally renowned art venue will turn the lights back on in a new location – Amerika Haus in Berlin-Charlottenburg.
Amerika Haus is currently being converted and renovated according to the regulations for listed buildings. C/O Berlin is financing the interior fittings including air-conditioning and safety features, floor covering, exhibition walls, display cabinets and lighting. Large investments are required in order to fulfil the strict conditions set by international museum partners and bring the most interesting photo exhibitions to Berlin.
What is the project goal and who is the project for?
With the crowdfunding campaign we want to call on our many friends, partners and fans to help finance the 100 000 euros still needed for the interior work. Perhaps a large sum of money for one sponsor alone but achievable through small contributions made by many individual supporters. Each individual commitment makes a difference.
Why would you support this project?
C/O Berlin brings people together and is a place of encounter and cultural exchange – direct, diverse, alive. As a non-profit foundation under civil law C/O Berlin is not institutionally funded by the state or federal government. The exhibition and educational programme is financed by entrance fees, donations, sponsoring and project funding.
Since its founding, C/O Berlin has been organized in a way that is autonomous, democratic and participatory. Together with our partners and friends we have realized a vision of a modern museum for photography with which we enrich the cultural landscape far beyond the borders of Berlin. With his or her contribution, each supporter secures that C/O Berlin can continue to present exhibitions in a new, permanent location.
Amerika Haus will offer a larger exhibition space and the possibility to show four exhibitions simultaneously. In addition we finally have planning security due to the long-term lease contracts. Until now it was difficult to plan more than six months in advance. Now it is possible to collaborate with international museums – resulting in an enhanced programme.
How will we use the money if the project is successfully funded?
Every euro will go towards the conversion of Amerika Haus into a contemporary exhibition venue – more specifically it will be invested in the high-quality lighting technology and the air-conditioning of the rooms according to modern museum standards. Also, in Amerika Haus we will at last be able to show rare vintage or valuable art photographs, which was not possible in the temporary venue at the Postfuhramt.
Who are the people behind the project?
During the last thirteen years, a spontaneous initiative – supported by the civic commitment of the photographer Stephan Erfurt, the designer Marc Naroska and the architect Ingo Pott – has developed into an acclaimed institution for the promotion of photography. Since 2000, unrestricted by commercial interests, the non-profit C/O Berlin Foundation has presented a lively cultural programme of international standing with exhibitions of renowned artists, events, competitions for young talents and visual journeys of discovery through our image culture.
