SVG2BVG uses custom computer vision software to detect graffiti tags, sends the ensuing shape to a diy laser cutter, and then outputs the tag as a stencil in realtime, creating a bridge from the physical to the digital and back. The stencils are conveniently sized for the television screens in the Berlin U-Bahn system, allowing you to create cheap, non-permanent, light-based graffiti in the comfort of your own transit system. Name-Tag and Lanyard options also supported! graffitiresearchlab.de

A drag performer, a cartoonist, a curator, a filmmaker, an author and a painter – Urban Observations is a multi-media series that follows 6 artists through New York City and 6 through Berlin. Each one has a story to tell. Each one has a past. Each one has dreams. The 12 videos of the series form a mosaic; a portrait of New York City and Berlin in the age of recession. Director Janosch Delcker will present the stories he collected on urbanobservations.de

We will link conference locations through GPS and transform the data into a sonic accompaniment for participants’ travels to and from the various locations. A beta test of our Pure Data sound engine, SoniCity will be developed into a live Android application in 2011. SoniCity is an ongoing research project on creating sonic maps that unfold through time. By tracing paths in this way, the maps reflect the complexity and transformation of the city as experienced through flow. Listen to the tracks while walking between CoCities events and let us know what you think. Audio files are available here memelab.ca

Join us for a one-of-a-kind urban scavenger hunt presented by the CoCities Team. Navigate your way through Berlin in teams of 4 and discover new ways of interfacing with the city and its inhabitants. With tasks unique to this event, some requiring daring and others requiring a smart phone, the scavenger hunt will be something to remember.

Utopia London is director Tom Cordell’s journey in film through the city he grew up in, meeting the architects who designed it, and reuniting them with the buildings they created. Join us for a screening (82 mins.) and Q&A with the director.

This workshop presents a study of “informational cities, ”which are prototypical urban forms of the knowledge society. According to Manuel Castells, in these cities, spaces of flow (flows of money, power and information) tend to override spaces of place. ICT infrastructures, cognitive infrastructures (as a groundwork of knowledge cities and creative cities) are of great importance. This research is based on findings of information science, urbanistics and urban planning.

2 Sessions. How can art in public space serve as a catalyst for sustainable urban development? How can art contribute to urban infrastructures, the well-being of the greater public, or the promotion of environmental awareness? The goal of the workshop is to develop a set of criteria that on the one hand can be used by artists and creative professionals during the working process, and on the other hand by curators, urban planners, and decision makers in the selection of particular artists or artworks. Such criteria should help guide the implementation and evaluation of art when it is intended to operate as a tool for sustainable urban development.

Our cities are filled with technologies that we can’t see. We are surrounded by an invisible landscape of networks and data.’Immaterials: Light painting WiFi’ is a new film from Einar Sneve Martinussen, Jørn Knutsen and Timo Arnall about exploring and visualising WiFi networks in the city. We use a 4 metre tall rod of lights and long exposure photography to create images that reveal material and spatial qualities of WiFi networks. Einer will talk about unpacking, communicating and discussing the networked city through design. He is a designer and researcher at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design doing a PhD on design, technology and urban life.

How can we begin to animate, inspire, and involve the populations of cities into creating the kinds of futures we want to be a part of? The Sentient Cities project takes an embodied approach to exploring this question, and you are invited to be part of a workshop in which we will attune ourselves to our sensory experience of the organism commonly known as Berlin. The results of our experiment are presently unknown, but whatever insights emerge will be valuable nutrients for us participants and the project’s growth. Email ben@fleetfootstudios.com to reserve your spot.

Participate in our open temporary think & do lab! In recent violent events in Lichtenberg and throughout Germany, there has been a notable absence of good Samaritans.We seek to discover the state of awareness of moral and civil courage in society and encourage people to pay more attention to their environment. Techniques of Design Thinking such as active teamwork will be used to approach a user-centric view and a practical outcome. The goal is to present a solution at the end of the workshop. Email wir@inventedhere.de to apply! www.inventedhere.de

Nexthamburg, a partner of the city of Hamburg, is a community-based open think tank for the city’s future urban developement. Working with citizens, it aggregates and crowdsources opinions, wishes and ideas for the city of tomorrow – both online and offline. A series of public workshops invites interested parties to work on various initiatives, such as establishing a citizen-driven vision for Hamburg’s urban pursuits. Nexthamburg’s research into new forms of public participation is officially supported by the German government. nexthamburg

Participate in making a documentary about coworking in the betahaus! Learn techniques for telling stories using social media and get feedback on your storytelling skills from an audience of your peers. In this workshop, we’ll tell stories and engage in a group critique about the formal and narrative aspects of them. We’ll then discuss some of the questions raised about coworking on Quora and interview you about coworking! Bring a laptop, camera, and USB stick. Join the conversation on Twitter – #peopleinbeta. KS12