Elsa Vieira, Lisbon, Portugal 

How does free culture look like in your city/country?
„Abertura.“ It is a one-day event which presents VJing and realtime audiovisual performances, presentations and installations by national and international artists.  We explore a variety of approaches people are using to make an impact on their immediate and global surroundings in the making of „live performance“, and its related expression and dissemination. The event has a strong experimental component, and brings to Portugal a large international palette of people and work.  You are invited to plug yourself in, turn on and do with that information what you will…

Web:
http://www.visual-agency.net/abertura
www.visual-agency.net/abertura2/index.html
http://www.visual-agency.net/abertura3/index.html
Contact: roguewaves@earthlink.net

What do you think about „free culture“?
As a practitioner and proponent of free culture, for me it is the irreversible future of digital media production and dissemination.

Bart van Poll, Amsterdam, Netherlands

How does free culture look like in your city/country?
Free music and dance events mostly from the lively squatting community, in places like De Nieuwe Anita, OT301 (Bart Verbunt wrote about these on Amsterdam cityblog). It’s usually very friendly, and open.

Web:
http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/ot301
http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/cinemanita-de-nieuwe-anita 

Free art: mostly in office buildings in Amsterdam that are currently not rented because of the economic crisis. Heavily subsidized by Amsterdam government in places like Volkskrantgebouw (http://www.spottedbylocals.com/amsterdam/canvas-op-de-7e)

What do you think about „free culture“?
Love it! My partner is going to a free concert in De Nieuwe Anita tonight, I’ve been dancing like crazy on a free dance night at OT301 last Friday. 

Herrmann Königs, Berlin, Germany

How does free culture look like in your city/country?
There’s a website specialised on helping with free cultural happenings.
http://www.freeguide-berlin.de/. There are probably numerous sites for every city out there if you search the net, but this is one of many that one of my friends actually uses (though I usually don’t). Most of the stuff described is not sooooooo rocking but ok.
Reflecting my cultural life, there are a few places that I actually do visit; only thanks to you I now remember that they were free. For example, I love to visit Jazz Clubs/Bars that offer free Jam Sessions or entry free concerts on some days of the week:

Web:
http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/a-trane
http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/bflat-jazzclub-jam-session 

A very interesting monthly event, which I have been to yesterday, is the CUE:
http://www.spottedbylocals.com/berlin/cue-berlin-improvisation-plat…
I think the article gives you a clear picture of what it is.

Next, there is a monthly open screening in the cinema sputnik:
http://www.sputnik-kino.com/index.cfm?id=1164&as=14145
Where everyone is free to bring independant (short) movies with discussion about the films afetrwards. Very interesting, often funny.

What do you think about „free culture“?
Can be good. But it’s not what I look for for going out. I rather think this way: „Quality comes with the price“ – though I know that can be stupid.

Franziska MK, Vienna, Austria

How does free culture look like in your city/country?
In Vienna free culture is seen in streetart, free cultural events where consuming and participating is free and open to everybody (like share vienna, pecha kucha night), online platforms/networks like tagr.tv and transforming freedom, a part of public foundings of the City of Vienna is distributed via netznetz that provides a basic democratric form of decision making, the more and more off spaces for art open, and so on…

What do you think about „free culture“?
Free culture depends on individuals who decide to support and live free culture in what way ever… so don’t talk about it, do it!

Web:
http://www.tagr.tv
http://netznetz.net
http://www.myspace.com/sharewien
http://www.transformingfreedom.org/
http://www.pechakucha.at/ 

Tagr.tv

Our aim is to tag the world wide web with information about media art events, artists and their work. As we are a non-commercial platform we have no boundaries in choosing our subjects of interest and the form of documenting. For example: we developed our so-called “umbrella” that is in fact an umbrella equipped with light and a camera which is used for interviews.

The content producers are a network of editors, external bloggers, artists and maybe you! Feel free to get in contact with us and start to report about art happenings in your neighborhood! We are curious about what is going on in Prague as well as what you find interesting news. Let’s tag together!

www.tagr.tv