The once heated debate on conscientious objectors, seen by many a German as shirkers, is nearly forgotten now. Civil service is widely accepted nowadays, and the State even relies on conscientious objectors as cheap social workforce. But apart from this change of status, Altea Thauberger was interested in this German institution for a wide range of reasons. For Thauberger's work, which has been dealing with self-representation and individualism in contemporary culture, with a focus on teenagers and young adults, civil service presented an ideal field of research, bringing together young men of various backgrounds in a temporary community. The artist here uses them as protagonists in a fictitious scenario, asking them to stage performances which are then recorded and edited as short films. The rehearsals and recordings are taking place during the opening hours of the exhibition space, Thauberger's installation functioning both as a film set and exhibition architecture.



, Studio 1,
September 1th – September 17th 2006,
Opening: Thursday, 31. August 2006

At the Bethanien, expectations raised by art and culture as concerns their social potential have recently been at the core of a fierce ideological battle over how art can make itself useful and who may take advantage of it. Reacting to this public debate, Reiner Maria Matysik’s project presents itself less as an exhibition in the traditional sense than an open-ended workshop for which various citizens' groups are invited to formulate ideas and utopias.

From 1 to 17 September, Matysik – whose previous work has been concerned with visions in the field of natural sciences and botanical-zoological research as a sculptor – will encourage his guests to develop new visions for themselves and society. The workshop will address the following questions: Which life forms would you like to see in the future? What could future life forms possibly look like? The ideas raised by the debates will be recorded using paper, pens, various tools and modelling material. Participants will be shaping, describing and drawing with the aim of articulating their wishes and thoughts on post-evolutionary beings and life forms. The results will subsequently be shown in the exhibition space. After the workshops, from 7 to 8 pm, Matysik will screen video interviews he has conducted with representatives of NGOs and environmental groups on "whether nature makes sense".



izl – initiative zukünftige lebensformen, Studio 3,
September 1th – September 17th 2006,
Opening: Thursday, 31. August 2006, 19 h

bethanien-fuer-alle.de

Kerry Tribe's films, videos and installations analyse the relations between subjectivity and representation, inspecting the grey zones between the authentic and the scripted, the collective and the specific. The exhibition Subjective Effects encompasses a trilogy of works dealing with perception, coincidence and the phenomenology of memory, shown alongside a series of photos related to the works. Tribe will furthermore show the video work Episode, which was recorded and produced in Berlin. Shot in the DFA [German TV News Agency] studio near the Brandenburg Gate, this “talk show” features a discussion between the artist and two of her childhood friends, presented by a known German talk show host. For the first time in fifteen years, the three women exchange their differing, subjective memories of a long past incident: when they were on a summer trip through the USA, the night sky over Northern Idaho was suddenly lit by strange streaks of light. By means of an informal debate in the guise of a talk show, spectators become witnesses to the differences in subjective perception and the numerous facets of remembrance.



Subjective Effects, Studio 2,
September 1th – September 17th 2006,
Opening: Thursday, 31. August 2006, 19 h