8 Talk in the series 'Producing the Future: Art and
Globalization' organized by the Center for Place, Culture
and Politics, City University of New York Graduate Center
(April 24 2003)
Sabine Bitter / Helmut Weber
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urban agriculture

 Showroom at the Hilton Caracas: governmental programs and projects on urban space - urban agriculture. Projects of urban - rural land reform try to reinforce the country´s agricultural production.

In a prominent place in the cultural site of Parque Central, Belles Arte, an exhibition of governmental initiatives to enable families and community organizations to grow vegetables in the city. The vegetable garden is laid out like a masterpiece in urban land art. In concept -- if they work out – this urban agricultural production could decrease the amount of food imported from the countryside into the city and the importation of agricultural goods into the country.

The social, economic and political conditions in the countryside remain mostly in the background in current urban discussions but are mainly causing the ongoing migration into the city.
global alliances

Plaza Venezuela: protest against bush-war on Iraq











urban alliances

Private commercial media versus public state media and community-based media initiatives.

The media-scape of Venezuela is dominated by private run companies driven by economic and political interests -- it shapes political polarization through an obvious disinformation policy.

Community-based media focus on the laws regulating media, the right to information, and the right of access to the media-scape.


Images from a visit at CATIA TVe, a protagonist in community-based media production. CATIA TVe reconstructs the identity of the barrio and its peoples by opposing the coverage of dominant media which represents the people of the barrrios as criminal and uncivilized and not as citizens.

As the state-run channel was off the air, it was up to alternative media organizations to capture footage from the events in April 2002, when the failed coup attempt took place. During the coup attempt the dominant broadcasting channels continued their regular programming and only covered the failed attempt in the final moments.

Screenshots from scenes when progovernment supporters moved to Miraflores (palace of the president) to demonstrate for the return of President Chavez (in the background 23 de Enero).