1,700 visitors at the first Publix Open House
Meetings and discussions provided the perfect start to the collaboration, as neighbours and visitors from all over the city came to the open day and demonstrated how journalism and the public go hand in hand.
At the end of the Publix opening week, all the organisations in the building invited interested people and neighbours to an open day on September 15th. On a bright late summer Sunday, around 1,700 people made their way to the new building on Hermannstraße in Neukölln. There was a great deal of curiosity and the events explaining how Publix aims to promote journalism and engage the public, as well as what role citizens can play, werewell attended.
Numerous organisations, including Netzwerk Recherche, Correctiv, Reporters Without Borders, Are We Europe, More in Common, Vertical 52, Salon5 and Tactical Tech presented their work and shared insights on current projects during lively discussions in the building's large garden.
Colleagues from ‘Good Impact’ produced a ‘Good News’ podcast on site, while Wolfgang Krogel led a large group of interested visitors to the adjacent memorial for forced labourers of the Protestant Church. Writer Annika Reich introduced her project ‘Weiterschreiben’, through which Publix is launching a ‘word workshop’ called ‘pipe up’ for young people in the neighbourhood next year.
The Schillerwerkstatt asked the Publix guests: ‘What do you dream of, Neukölln?’ The answers provided an insight into the diverse everyday lives of the neighbourhood's 330,000 residents who were then captured in screen print collages. The campaign – and of course the churros stand with deep-fried dough sticks – were particularly popular with the children. So too was the beginners' course on the boules court..
Meanwhile, to a consistently packed audience, a varied workshop programme took place in the conference room. For the Publix team, it was a day of enriching conversations with neighbours, both inside and outside the building, as well as numerous interested media professionals who have shown great interest in the project. A vibrant beginning to the collaborative work in this ‘House of Confidence’.
Fotocredit: Lucia Hofmaier
