Curator Hans Ulrich Obrist Presents his ‘Handwriting Project’: me Convention Announces Official Program

More than 150 speakers in panels, talks and workshops: Mercedes-Benz and South by Southwest are announcing the official line-up and program of the first-ever me Convention taking place in Frankfurt from 15 to 17 September 2017: me Convention Program. Furthermore the me Convention has recruited another high-calibre speaker: The prolific curator and the artistic director of London's Serpentine Galleries, Hans Ulrich Obrist, will present 'The Handwriting Project', his ongoing digital exhibition that protests the loss of handwriting.

For months the organizers of the me Convention have been developing topics for an inspiring dialogue about the future, recruiting speakers and bringing together the most exciting conversational partners for the talks and panels. Transferring the spirit and approach of SXSW on the new platform, the program explores the future through the lens of technology, design and art, including speakers such as the astronaut and rocket scientist Buzz Aldrin, Head of Industrial Design at X - The Moonshot Factory, Nick Foster, avant-garde artist and cyborg Neil Harbisson, Project Director at Snøhetta Jette Hopp, Head Stemette Anne-Marie Imafidon, IBM Fellow John Cohn, fashion icon Amber Valletta, designer Hartmut Esslinger, media artist and choreographer Christian 'Mio' Loclair, Director of Wikimedia Foundation Katherine Maher, Vice President Marketing of Lufthansa Alexander Schlaubitz, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab multimedia specialist Sasha Samochina, professional explorer and adventurer Mike Horn, Tibetan Buddhist Monk and mindfulness specialist Gelong Thubten - just to name a few.

The Festhalle is one of Frankfurt's most iconic buildings and its central level is an ideal setting for the me Convention. The premium location is reserved for convention attendees only and it is spacious enough to host the big set-piece panel debates, workshops and keynotes, but intimate enough to encourage networking, socializing and relaxing. In the centre of the venue with its four stages and three workshop areas attendees will find an open platform with lounges, bars, co-working spaces and playgrounds in a festival-like atmosphere. Now the first program with a detailed time schedule has been published on www.me-convention.com.

Furthermore me Convention is honoured to announce another high-calibre speaker:

Hans Ulrich Obrist is considered the most influential figure in the international art world. He is artistic director of London's Serpentine Galleries where he has recently staged solo exhibitions with Zaha Hadid, Jonathan Latham, Arthur Jafa, Rachel Rose, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Marina Abramovic, and Adrián Villar Rojas, among many others. Since his first exhibition, 'World Soup' (The Kitchen Show), he has curated more than 300 exhibitions. He has also published 28 books, including several volumes drawn from more than 2000 hours of interviews conducted with leading artists, architects, and other thinkers and innovators. Most notable amongst these are the Do It series (1993-), which has evolved into 50 different manifestations, Take Me (I'm Yours) in London (1995) and Paris (2015); and the Swiss Pavilion at the 14th International Architecture Biennale in Venice (2014).

'The Handwriting Project' will be the subject of his presentation at the me Convention. Since 2012, Obrist has gathered handwritten messages by creative luminaries and posted them on Instagram and Twitter (@hansulrichobrist) to protest the disappearance of handwriting in the digital age. Since the project began he has collected messages from artists, architects, philosophers and scientists like Yoko Ono, Björk, Pharrell Williams, Gerhard Richter, John Baldessari, Marina Abramovic, Steve McQueen, Olafur Eliasson, Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid, and David Adjaye, among thousands of others.

'The Handwriting Project' is a digital protest promoting the preservation of this analog form of expression. The project has evolved into an open, ongoing public art exhibition called POST_, produced with Los Angeles organization ForYourArt. The me Convention will also host the project throughout the Festhalle and will site handwritten messages in various locations throughout Frankfurt's Bahnhofsviertel. The participating speakers will also be invited to contribute notes about the future to #POST_.

About South by Southwest

SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, TX, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film and music industries. SXSW proves that the most unexpected discoveries happen when diverse topics and people come together.

About me Convention

The me Convention offers an open and inspiring platform for creative people from many different fields, with the focus clearly on dialogue, interaction, networking, and entertainment. Content at the 'me Convention' will cover relevant issues for shaping the future. Together with SXSW, Mercedes-Benz has identified five relevant themes along its future strategy CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric): New Creation, New Urbanism, New Leadership, New Realities and New Velocity. The motto of the convention is: #createthenew.

For more information about the topics of the me Convention, the events and the speakers as well as the evening side program go to http://www.me-convention.com/. To get inspired, please watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o6PFFyqATs

Tickets for the me Convention can be purchased online at

https://me-convention.sxsw.com/products.

If you are interested in getting media credentials, please sign up by completing the accreditation form on the 'media' page at www.me-convention.com/press. You will also find media information and images for download there.

Contact me Convention:press@me-convention.com