#WB: quoting Walter Benjamin: Paris, die Hauptstadt des XIX. Jahrhunderts

Print compilation of daily short connotations reflecting the contemporary relevance of Walter Benjamin

walter benjamin, paris 1937 photographer unknown, archive: dhm berlin

alexandra reill [ed.]: #WB: quoting Walter Benjamin: Paris, die Hauptstadt des XIX. Jahrhunderts, 2010

The structure of Facebook as a social networking tool and magazine with decentralized notes, essays and media publications, in a mixture of private and public statements coming from all kinds of content fields, enhances the concept of short daily updating and interactive communication.

Walter Benjamins essay Paris, die Hauptstadt des XIX. Jahrhunderts relates to interdependencies of media technologies coming up in XIX. century and having an influence on society and the arts in early XX. century. The essay is pioneering and many approaches of rethinking structures of society still seem to apply to the so-called information age in its current states.

The concept of daily short quotes and thoughts on the theme, afresh introducing the approaches of one of the most pioneering philosophers of the early XX. century on a social networking platform like facebook with its millions of members is a socially effective contemporary adaptation of Walter Benjamin‘s typical approaches to his own creation of texts and – as approach in itself – gives new appreciation to his ouevre in all its contemporary relevance.

The daily short notice creates different attention and ways of perception than reading a book in chronological order. On facebook, an interactive framework / web 2.0 platform, it is interesting to experience actions and reactions on Walter Benjamin‘s ideas and reflections today. #WB: quoting Walter Benjamin: Paris, die Hauptstadt des XIX. Jahrhunderts is a communication project applying a social networking tool to interactively discuss developments of European society in the early XXI. century while experimenting with new forms of perception.

In 2010, kanonmedia published this chronological development of daily short connotations posted on facebook in 2009-2010 in form of a print compilation. The limited edition served as poetic-literary material for the collective analog-digital performance #WB: quoting Walter Benjamin: Paris, die Hauptstadt des XIX. Jahrhunderts staged by Alexandra Reill in the Jewish Theater Austria and the compilation was given to the audience / guests / participants / contributors as a gift. For the re-staging of the performance in the Jewish Theater Austria in 2011, the compilation #WB: quoting Walter Benjamin was re-published with a slightly changed layout.

#WB: quoting Walter Benjamin: Paris, die Hauptstadt des XIX. Jahrhunderts supported by

— department of culture of the city of vienna / section media art / 11
— commission of culture 1070 vienna / 11
— commission of culture 1070 vienna / 10
— department of culture of the city of vienna / section science and research / 10

Furthermore, our thxs go to

— all co-authors who contributed with postings on facebook

#WB: quoting Walter Benjamin: Paris, die Hauptstadt des XIX. Jahrhunderts – [enacted] presentations at

— a trilogy of interactive real-time performances | serde latvia / aiz / lv / 13
— a trilogy of interactive real-time performances | upgrade!zagreb / hr / 13
— innovationspreistage.12 / moe / vie / a / 12
— jewish theater of austria / vie / a / 11
— a trilogy of interactive real-time performances | eopictureNight10+5 / vie / a / 11
— jewish theater of austria / vie / a / 10
— facebook / int / 09-10

#WB: quoting Walter Benjamin: Paris, die Hauptstadt des XIX. Jahrhunderts featured by

— mojzagreb.info / zagreb / hr / 13
— moderna vremena / zagreb / hr / 13
— martin a. hainz online / vie / a / 10
— noema lab / ravenna / i / 09
etc.

kanonmedia

conceptual media developments

#WB: quoting Walter Benjamin: Paris, die Hauptstadt des XIX. Jahrhunderts