United Buddy Bears

One World Buddy Bear
United Buddy Bears — Exhibition Paris 2012

Buddy Bears is the name given to painted, life-size fibreglass bear sculptures developed by Klaus and Eva Herlitz, in cooperation with sculptor Roman Strobl. The raised arms of the standing Buddy Bears are aligned on the dissemination of friendliness and optimism, and thus mediate a positive mood. "The Buddy Bear has become an unofficial ambassador for Germany and is a symbol of Berlin since 2001. The story of the Buddy Bears started with an artistic event in Berlin in 2001. Inspired by the idea of bringing art in the streets of a metropolis like the cow parade in Zurich and New York."[1] In addition to the Classic Buddy Bears presented far beyond Berlin’s city limits, the circle of United Buddy Bears came into being in 2002. The Exhibition travel around the world promoting "peace, international understanding and tolerance among the nations, cultures and religions of this world".[2]

Buddy Bear Berlin Show

Two Buddy Bears at Kurfürstendamm 21, Berlin
United Buddy Bears, Exhibition
Rio de Janeiro,[3] Copacabana 2014

The first activities were presented as the Buddy Bear Berlin Show. In 2001, artists painted approximately 350 bears to appear in the public domain, as decorative elements in the streets of Berlin. Four different bear designs (one standing on all four paws, one standing on two legs, one standing on its head and one in a sitting position) took part in this activity in the city centre of Berlin.[4] Afterwards, many of the bears were sold at auctions in aid of child relief organisations. Nowadays, these Berlin Buddy Bears are exclusively presented on private premises, in front of hotels and embassies as well as in the foyers of various office buildings.

There have already been exhibitions of the original Buddy Bears — designed by local artists — in the cities of Shanghai (2004), Buenos Aires (2005) and St. Gallen / Switzerland (2006).

United Buddy Bears

United Buddy Bears, Exhibition, Berlin 2006
United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Vienna 2006
United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Cairo 2007
United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Jerusalem 2007
United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Buenos Aires 2009
United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Astana (Kazakhstan) 2010
United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Helsinki 2010, Senate Square
United Buddy Bears, Exhibition Sofia 2011, Square St Nedelya

United Buddy Bears is an international art exhibition with more than 140 two metre tall fibreglass bears. Under the motto: "We have to get to know each other better, it makes us understand one another better, trust each other more, and live together more peacefully", more than 140 countries acknowledged by the United Nations are represented, promoting "tolerance, international understanding and the great concept of different nations and cultures living in peace and harmony". The bears stand "hand in hand" in a "peaceful circle" (The Art of Tolerance[5]).

The bears were on display between June and November 2002, in a circle around the Brandenburg Gate. Around 1.5 million people visited this first exhibition.

On 6 November 2002, the bears were moved to new locations, including their respective countries embassies in Berlin, or back to country that they were based on. Some of the bears were auctioned off to raise money for UNICEF.

After the circle of "United Buddy Bears" had been such an overwhelming success in 2002, a new circle was created in 2003. The idea was to send the circle on a global tour.[6]

On their global tour, the "United Buddy Bears" promote peace, love, tolerance and international understanding. The circle changes every time it reaches a new city. This is not only due to the local conditions, but also to their constantly changing order, as the bears are always set up in alphabetic order, following the local language of the host country. This always leads to new and sometimes politically very interesting proximities.

Entry to the exhibitions is always free. This makes it possible for many school classes to visit the exhibitions in the morning — as part of their lessons — to explore and learn a lot about the culture, history, landscape, economy and music of all five continents in a playful manner. During past exhibitions more than 35 million visitors have already admired the colourful United Buddy Bears.

In every metropolis, the United Buddy Bears exhibitions are supported by the government, the foreign ministries, the mayors and the UNICEF organisations. Heads of state - for example the Japanese Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, the German Federal President, Horst Köhler and First Lady of Egypt, Suzanne Mubarak as well as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors such as Sir Peter Ustinov,[7] Jackie Chan,[8] Christiane Hörbiger, Mia Farrow,[9] Iris Berben and Ken Done have opened these exhibitions all over the world. United Buddy Bears Special Ambassador is the actress Dennenesch Zoudé.[10]

The bears have been displayed at the following Stations since the beginning of the tour:

Year Country / City
Site of exhibition 		Patron of the exhibition / Opening by
2002
June - November 		 Germany
Berlin, Right next to the Brandenburg Gate - Pariser Platz 		Joschka Fischer, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs
Klaus Wowereit, Berlin’s Governing Mayor
2003
July - November 		 Germany
Berlin, Right next to the Brandenburg Gate - Pariser Platz 		Sir Peter Ustinov, Actor and UNICEF World Ambassador
2004
January - February 		 Austria
Kitzbühel 		Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Horst Wendling, Mayor of Kitzbühel
2004
May - June 		 Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Victoria Park 		Jackie Chan, Actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
Patrick Ho, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Home Affairs
2004 / 2005
December - January 		 Turkey
Istanbul, Tepebaşı Pera Square, Beyoğlu 		Ahmet Misbah Demircan, Mayor of Beyoğlu
Rainer Möckelmann, German General Consul in Istanbul
2005
April - May 		 Japan
Tokyo,[11] Roppongi Hills 		Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan
Horst Köhler, President of the Federal Republic of Germany
2005
October - November 		 South Korea
Seoul, Olympic Park 		Messages of greeting from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Korea, Ban Ki-moon
2006
March - April 		 Australia
Sydney, Sydney Opera House – Circular Quay 		John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia
Ken Done, Artist and UNICEF Ambassador
2006
June - July 		 Germany
Berlin,[12] Bebelplatz 		Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
Karin Schubert, Mayor of Berlin
Mia Farrow, American actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador
2006
September - October 		 Austria
Vienna, Karlsplatz 		Grete Laska, Deputy Mayor of Vienna
Karin Schubert, Mayor of Berlin
Christiane Hörbiger, Film actress and UNICEF Ambassador
2007
April - May 		 Egypt
Cairo,[13] Gezira Promenade Zamalek 		Suzanne Mubarak, First Lady of Egypt
Hans-Dietrich Genscher, former German Foreign Minister
Abdel Azim Wazir, Governor of Cairo
2007
August - September 		 Israel
Jerusalem, Safra Square 		Tzipi Livni, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel
Yigal Amedi, Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem
Iris Berben, German actress and winners of the Women's World Award 2004
2008
May - June 		 Poland
Warsaw, Castle Square 		Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, Mayor of the City of Warsaw
Klaus Wowereit, Governing Mayor of Berlin
Anne Hidalgo, First Deputy Mayor of Paris
2008
July -August 		 Germany
Stuttgart, Schlossplatz 		Wolfgang Schuster, Lord Mayor of Stuttgart
2008
October 		 North Korea
Pyongyang,[14] Moran Hill Youth Park, close to the Kim-Il-Sung statue 		Mun Jae Chol, Foreign Affairs of North-Korea
Thomas Schäfer, German Ambassador in North Korea
2009
March - April 		 Argentina
Buenos Aires,[15] Plaza San Martin 		Mauricio Macri, Mayor of Buenos Aires
Hernán Lombardi, Minister for Cultural Affairs
2009
May - June 		 Uruguay
Montevideo,[16] Plaza Independencia 		Tabaré Vázquez, President of Uruguay
Ricardo Ehrlich, Mayor of Montevideo
Bernhard Graf von Waldersee, German Ambassador in Uruguay
2009 / 2010
November - April 		 Germany
Berlin,[17] Hauptbahnhof,[18] Indoor 		Ursula von der Leyen, Federal Ministry of Family Affairs
Dennenesch Zoudé, German actress and United Buddy Bears Special Ambassador
2010
May - July 		 Kazakhstan
Astana, Right next to the Bayterek Tower 		Imangali Tasmagambetov, Akim of Astana
Rainer Schlageter, German Ambassador in Kazakhstan
2010
September - October 		 Finland
Helsinki,[19] Senate Square 		Jussi Pajunen, Mayor of Helsinki
Peter Scholz, German Ambassador in Finland
2011
April - May 		 Bulgaria
Sofia,[20] Square St Nedelya 		Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia
Klaus Wowereit, Berlin’s Governing Mayor
Matthias Martin Höpfner, German Ambassador in Bulgaria
2011
June - October 		 Germany
Berlin,[21] Kurfürstendamm 		Klaus Wowereit, Berlin’s Governing Mayor
Monika Thiemen, Mayor of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
2011 / 2012
December - February 		 Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur,[22][23] Right next to the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur[24] 		Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Sultan of Selangor
Ahmad Fuad Ismail, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur
2012
March - May 		 India
New Delhi,[25][26] Connaught Place 		Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi
Klaus Wowereit, Berlin’s Governing Mayor
2012
June - August 		 Russia
Moscow,[27][28] Alexander Garden, right next to the Palace Square 		Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
Joachim Gauck, President of Germany[29]
2012
October–November 		 France
Paris[30][31][32] / Eiffel Tower - Champ de Mars 		Guido Westerwelle, German Minister of Foreign Affairs
Bertrand Delanoë, Mayor of Paris
Pierre Schapira, Member of the European Parliament
2014
May - July 		 Brazil
Rio de Janeiro,[33] Copacabana 		Eduardo Paes, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro
Jürgen Trittin, German Federal Ministry for the Environment from 1998-2005
Harald Klein, German General Consul in Rio de Janeiro
2015
January - March 		 Cuba
Havana,[34][35][36] Plaza San Francisco de Asis[37] 		Eusebio Leal, Ambassador of Good Will of the United Nations
Peter Scholz, German Ambassador in Cuba
Eva and Klaus Herlitz, the initiators of the United Buddy Bears activities
2015
April - June 		 Chile
Santiago de Chile, Vitacura, Parque Bicentenario 		Heraldo Muñoz Valenzuela, Foreign Affairs Minister of Chile
Hans Henning Blomeyer-Bartenstein, German Ambassador in Chile
2016
August - October 		 Malaysia
Penang,[38][39] George Town 		Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang

Highlight

The Minis

In the autumn of 2003, the circle of United Buddy Bears-The Minis — was presented in Berlin for the first time.[49] Since then, this circle has been shown in Frankfurt/Main, in Potsdam and at the Sony Center in Berlin — to name just a few locations. Since 2012, they have also been travelling to destinations outside of Germany, e.g. Bratislava in  Slovakia, Borås[50] in  Sweden, Calais in  France and in  Russia in Yekaterinburg[51] and Kazan.[52]

Aid for children in need

Buddy Bear activities and help for children in need have formed an inseparable unit. New United Buddy Bears are often designed to replace the previous unique sculpture of a particular country. Many countries are already represented with the third or fourth bear. The previous bears designed on behalf of the respective countries are generally sold at auctions.

As of December 2015 donations and selling Buddy Bears at auction had generated a total of Euro 2,100,000 in aid of UNICEF and of local organisations helping children in need.

Involved artists

In the early years, the Bears were designed by regional artists and Berlin celebrities for the exhibition Art in the City.[53] From 2002 onwards, thanks to support from Lufthansa, Air Berlin and the Berlin Hotel Association, artists from all five continents took part in the international project United Buddy Bears. More than 240 artists from over 150 countries have taken part in this project to date,[54] such as, for example Arik Brauer, Hernando León, Ibrahim Hazimeh, Carlos Páez Vilaró, Seo Soo-Kyoung, Helge Leiberg, Leda Luss Luyken, Ludmila Seefried-Matějková – this is also echoed by the artist and UNICEF Australian National Ambassador, Ken Done.

Publications

References

  1. ↑ Azernews: “Buddy Bear”
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ "CNTV United Buddy Bears, Rio de Janeiro, Copacabana 2014". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Buddy Bears on the streets of Berlin, 2001.
  5. ↑ "The Art of Tolerance". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Global Tour". Buddy-baer.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ "Jackie Chan and the Buddy Bears". Jackiechankids.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  9. ↑ "Mia Farrow and United Buddy Bears". Photos1.blogger.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  10. ↑ "Dennenesch Zoudé and United Buddy Bears". Buddy-baer.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  11. ↑ "Tokyo 2005". Afactor.net. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  12. ↑ "Berlin 2006". Pbase.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  13. ↑ "Cairo 2007". Jackiechankids.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  14. ↑ "Pyongyang 2008". Theseoultimes.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  15. ↑ "Buenos Aires 2009". Gabrielrobledo.com.ar. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  16. ↑ "Montevideo 2009". Elpais.com.uy. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  17. ↑ "Berlin - Hauptbahnhof 2010". Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  18. ↑ CNN-i-Report: "The United Buddy Bears - The Art of Tolerance": 2010 - Berlin Central railway station
  19. ↑ "Photo blog: United Buddy Bears in Helsinki 2010". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  20. ↑ "Video:United Buddy Bears in Sofia, Bulgaria". Downpourbg.com. 2011-04-11. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  21. ↑ "Berlin 2011". Grotte47.blog.de. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  22. ↑ "New Straits Times, 15 December 2011: "Buddy Bears promote global understanding"". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  23. ↑ "Video: United Buddy Bears in Kuala Lumpur". Youtube.com. 2011-12-16. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
  24. ↑ Khairir, Ihsan (2012-01-19). "United Buddy Bears in Kuala Lumpur". Ihsankhairir.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  25. ↑ "New Delhi 2012". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  26. ↑ "Bears of the world unite". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  27. ↑ "The St. Petersburg Times, July 4, 2012". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  28. ↑ "United Buddy Bears in Saint Petersburg 2012". - - Projekte - Официальный сайт Года Германии в России / Offizielle Webseite des Deutschlandjahres in Russland. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  29. ↑ Goethe Institute Russia
  30. ↑ "Paris, Champ de Mars 2012 - Video". Dailymotion. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  31. ↑ "French Embassy in Berlin: "Berliner Buddy Bären unter dem Eiffelturm"". Frankreich in Deutschland. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  32. ↑ "United Buddy Bears in Paris 2012". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  33. ↑ "Colorful bear statues representing UN member states on display in Rio de Janeiro". YouTube. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  34. ↑ Cuba Absolutely: "United Buddy Bears in Havana"
  35. ↑ Latin American Herald Tribune: "Germany to Pack Havana with More Than 100 Bear Sculptures"
  36. ↑ "Germany's United Buddy Bears debuts in Havana"
  37. ↑ "Bears in Havana: Another Step for Tolerance"
  38. ↑ United Buddy Bears in Penang
  39. ↑ bernama.com: "Bear Replica Exhibition In Penang From Aug-Oct"
  40. ↑ China-Net, 2003-7-29: “Ustinov gave the opening address of the exhibition in the presence of more than 70 ambassadors”
  41. ↑ Madeline Chan. "Hong Kong 2004". Worldisround.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  42. ↑ United Buddy Bears Seoul Festival 2005
  43. ↑ The Jerusalem Post, Tuesday, July 31, 2007, P. 7 (NEWS): "Jerusalem bears down for international exhibition" by Yaffi Spodek
  44. ↑ "United Buddy Bears in Jerusalem". Ubb.jerusalem.muni.il. Retrieved 2012-02-10.
  45. ↑ The Seoul Times, Wednesday, June 1, 2016: “Buddy Bears Brings the Art of Tolerance to Pyongyang”
  46. ↑ "Buddy Bears welcome Rio World Cup, May 2nd, 2014". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  47. ↑ IANSlive: "Germany sends peace message through sculptures in Cuba"
  48. ↑ 128 "United Buddy Bears" Arrive in Havana
  49. ↑ DW (Deutsche Welle), April 22, 2016: "Berlin: Bears as Ambassadors for Tolerance"
  50. ↑ "Video Borås". Frequency. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  51. ↑ "United Buddy Bears (The Minis) in Yekaterinburg, 2013.". Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  52. ↑ TV report in Kazan (Russia)
  53. ↑ Eva und Klaus Herlitz: Buddy Bär Berlin Show, page 20, 21 ff, Neptun Verlag AG, CH-8280 Kreuzlingen, ISBN 3-85820-152-9.
  54. ↑ Eva und Klaus Herlitz: United Buddy Bears — The Art of Tolerance, Page 52 - 357, Berlin, 2009/10, ISBN 978-3-00-029417-4.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to United Buddy Bears.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.