Vostell First Announcement 1966

Curator: Vostell’s "First Announcement" appears to be a map, charting an international Happening across continents. What strikes you about it? Editor: It feels like a proposal or a plan. I notice the names of different cities – New York, Berlin, Buenos Aires – connected by dotted lines. The writing feels urgent. What was Vostell trying to communicate? Curator: It’s a fascinating insight into the networked thinking of the 1960s. This was a period of radical social upheaval, think Vietnam War protests, Civil Rights movement. Vostell visualizes art as a global event, transcending borders. How does this resonate with today’s world? Editor: The immediacy of the internet and social media make global collaboration seem so much more commonplace now. I wonder how radical this felt at the time? Curator: Precisely! Seeing it as a proposal helps us understand Vostell’s activist approach to art, as a tool for sparking social and political change on a global scale. Editor: I hadn’t considered that. I now see it as a call to action, using art to break down barriers and foster connection.