Pics taken by Kristin Schmerbach (thanks!):
On September 9, 2006, 112 of the world's most compelling thinkers, artists, writers, scientists, social entrepreneurs, philosophers and humanitarians from around the world will come together in Berlin, Germany, as guests of dropping knowledge.
Seated around the worlds largest table in historic Bebelplatz square, these inspiring individuals, renowned for their lasting creative or social contribution, will engage with 100 questions out of the thousands donated to dropping knowledge by the international public.
Using dropping knowledge's question-rating system, the public identified 500 questions as those most likely to initate open dialog on a social topic of most relevance to them. This group of questions will yield the final 100 Questions -- representing a truly global sampling of cultures, themes and ideas -- to be asked at the Table of Free Voices and beyond.
Ask Yourself
Asking questions is fundamental to the practice of dropping knowledge. There is no better way to initiate a dialog than with a question, no better way to challenge conventional thinking, discover new viewpoints and stimulate fresh ideas. To promote the practice of questioning, dropping knowledge has launched an international 'ask yourself' outreach campaign, encouraging individuals, communities and organizations around the globe to raise the questions that matter to them and donate these to our website.
Over 10,000 questions have been submitted to dropping knowledge and rated by the global public. Using criteria to identify the most compelling and "open" questions - those that will inspire dialogue at the Table of Free Voices on September 9th and beyond - the public identified 500 most highly rated queries. This edited group of questions will yield the Top 100 Questions reflecting an international cross section of people, themes and ideas. In the future the entire process -- submitting, editing and selecting questions -- will be driven by the public participants themselves.
Anyone can participate in the voting process. Simply rate questions according to these basic guidelines: first, does the question inspire open dialog? Second, does it cover a social topic relevant to you?
"Now, That's What I Call A Table!"
Last month, dropping knowledge's Berlin office had its first glimpse of what the world's biggest table will look like. Built from environmentally friendly, FSC-approved MDF board, the prototype specimen boasts three steps rising to a curving base-platform on top of which rests one fifty-sixth of The Table of Free Voices. Designed by Million Devushka Architekten, the finished Table will measure 37.92 meters in diameter and 119.13 in circumference. This September 9th, 112 great minds will take their seats at the giant wooden table as it arcs around Berlin's historic Bebelplatz square in a perfect circle... In the meantime, an application has been registered with Guinness World Records to have the Table of Free Voices officially declared the largest table ever built.
dropping knowledge Project Management Assistant Chris Trott knows a thing or two about BIG. He's well over six foot; he's from Australia; and, for the last six months, he's been helping to oversee the construction of the largest table known to man...
At a secret location known only as "The Station" (but which, rumor has it, is in the region of Berlin Tempelhof), the biggest table ever built is being finished, polished and readied for its date with destiny -- this 09.09.06.
Last week, Trott had his first glimpse of the outlandish object that has come to monopolize his working-life. "I felt dwarfed," he says...
"It's on a daunting scale. The sheer size of it is just overwhelming. But after months of envisioning and theorizing its existence, to finally see the tangible results of our work was deeply satisfying and hugely motivating... The symbolic significance of it all really came home to me. It was almost palpable, the meditative atmosphere the Table radiates. It couldn't be more conducive to calm, clear contemplation... I felt like I was in the presence of a sacred object."
August-Bebelplatz spanned by a perfect circle -- The Table of Free Voices -- 38 meters in diameter, 108 in circumference. Camelot, eat your heart out...
Participants
For The Table of Free Voices event, dropping knowledge is bringing together 112 visionaries whose innovative, creative or humanistic impact on the international public can deliver fresh ideas, perspectives, approaches and new solutions.
Chosen from over 1,000 names put forward by the dropping knowledge community, visitors to our website and members of the wider public, the final list of participants can be found below. This list will keep on growing until all 112 have been selected.
Abiola, Hafsat - Adnan, Yassin - Almada, Martin - Aloni, Udi - Antoschka aka Ekaterina Moshaeva, - Aridjis, Homero - Arkoun, Mohammed - Arnove, Anthony - Aziz, Jwan M. - Baggio, Rodrigo - Baron, Dedi - Benecke, Mark - Bengochea, Ana Lucy - Bensedrine, Sihem - Berger, Roland - Botha, Andries - Boullata, Kamal - Bruguera, Tania - Bumacas, Donato Bayu Bay - Carlotto, Estela Barnes de - Chibememe, Gladman - Conal, Robbie - Cosic, Bora - Dürr, Hans-Peter - Dafoe, Willem - Dan, Wang - David, Catherine - Earle, Steve - El-Zayat-Erbakan, Sabiha - Evans, Jodie - Fahrer, Benjamin - Federman, Raymond - Feidman, Giora - Figueroa, Viviana - Gage, John - Gangadean, Ashok - George, Susan - Granoff , Jonathan - Green, Jesper - Gyatso, Palden - Halilbegovich, Nadja - Hariramamurthi, Govindaswamy - Ho, Mae-Wan - Holt, Lillian - Hvid, Kigge - Hvorecky, Michal - Iyer, Pico - Joy, Bill - Kasapi, D - Keitetsi, China - Kiuchi, Takashi - Knight, Paul - Koirala, Anuradha - Kosal, Song - Krause, Kai - Laitman, Michael - Laszlo, Ervin - Lhamo, Yungchen - Lijun, Fang - Lovink, Geert - Lyberth, Angaangaq - Mahdavi, Sohrab - Maluleke, Livingstone - Mander, Jerry - Marikkar, Neela - Matser, Fred - Meese, Jonathan - Mehta, Mayank - Melnikova, Valentina - Miller, a.k.a. DJ Spooky, Paul D. - Mittal, Anuradha - Mwaura-Muiru, Esther - Nianchun, Liu - Norberg-Hodge, Helena - Olivera, Oscar - Pesic, Vesna - Pheko, Mohau - Ping-Kwan, Leung - Possuelo, Sydney - Potiguara, Eliane - Pragyapad, Swami - Prieto, José-Manuel - Primor, Avi - Rahman, Monira - Rampolokeng, Lesego - Restrepo, Alvaro - Roncagliolo, Santiago - Russel, Masuma Bibi - Sahtouris, Elisabet - Saionji, Masami - Satyarthi, Kailash - Shaobin, Yang - Sheehan, Cindy - Shekarloo, Mahsa - Shiva, Vandana - Sivaraksa, Sulak - Smiley, Tavis - Solanas, Fernando - Soundararajan, Thenmozhi - St. Auby, Tamas - Stack, Jonathan - Tangiora, Pauline - Toscani, Oliviero - Totten, Michael J. - Tschinag, Galsan - Venegas, Benson - von Barloewen, Constantin - Wali, Sima - Weiming, Tu - Weinberger, Eliot - Weller, Brian J. - Wenders, Wim - West, Cornel - Yasina, Irina - Yurdatapan, Sanar
ZDF-SHOWACTS AUF DER IFA --
Montag 11.09.2006 - 12.57 Uhr
Die chinesische Formation Jade besteht aus Cissy, Jia Jia, Yan und Ting, die vier Gewinnerinnen der erfolgreichsten chinesischen TV Talentshow "Sprite My Show". Sie konnten sich gegen 50.000 Konkurrenten durchsetzen. "Finally" ist der Titel ihrer Debütsingle aus dem Ende September erscheinenden Album "Flying With A Dragon".