- Venue
- Wooloo
- Location
- Germany
Flash Job Campaign is the third chapter of a project collaboration started by Art Source Lab and Teenkom which began in Berlin in 2002, born out of joint focus on interdisciplinary activities. At the opening public workshop, it is clear Flash Job Campaign not only dips its toe in to the three central concerns of the New Life Berlin festival, but jumps right in at the deep end. The festival’s three main themes are that of ‘Transnational Communities’, ‘Artistic Social Responsibility’ and ‘Participation and Intervention’. So as you can imagine – the project find itself in some very deep and murky water from the off.
The participatory project ‘Flash Job Campaign’ involves eleven ‘catalysts’ who go out solo in to different sections of Neukölln, Berlin and seek employers who have a one time ‘flash-job’ for a teenager. The two key challenges involve firstly, working in this particular area of Berlin which is known as a ‘no-go’ area, heavily populated by a mixture of immigrants and also high in crime. Secondly the catalysts must bravely approach the teenagers alone, with the added difficulty of a language barrier, as most catalysts speak little or no German. The flash-job lasts a maximum of three hours for a small negotiated wage and must be achievable with little or no training – requiring trust from both parties. The aim is that the teenager gains independence and an insight in to the reality of work and the employer has his work completed immediately with no further compulsory commitment.
The project appears to provide a win-win situation for employer/employee, building new relationships in the area in a ‘flash’. Yet the sustainability of a safe and healthy community based on these one time interventions is a highly dubious prospect. Artist Per Traasdahl, founder of Art Source Lab, sees an ‘inefficiency’ in public school systems in how they introduce teenagers to the reality of work, opting for the ‘artificial’ work placement method. Flash Job Campaign certainly is the opposite ‘hands-on’ approach, thrusting its catalysts in to a weak community and working at a grass routes level to tackle social issues head on. But to what extent is this social intervention and unravelling of popular belief the role of the artist? Whether the ‘flash job’ is just a ‘flash in the pan’ is still to be seen. The project began officially Monday 2nd June 2008, with eleven catalysts and one mission.
Joanna Loveday
Joanna Loveday is a writer based in Yorkshire, UK specialising in writing for performance and live art. www.joannaloveday.blogspot.com. Contact: [email protected]
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