Busland (English version)
We are seeking a property to establish a Temporary Autonomous Zone—a pilot site for a high-impact urban art and sustainable living initiative. This space would host a curated group of professional artists living in self-contained, design-forward mobile units, reflecting a growing movement toward eco-conscious, flexible urban living.
The zone will include shared creative workspaces and serve as a platform for community-engaged programming—including public workshops, installations, and performances in theatre, new media, and contemporary arts. Artists will contribute meaningfully to the cultural fabric of the city while continuing their professional practices.
This proposal directly addresses the urgent need for affordable live/work spaces for artists, who face increasing instability in the current economic landscape. By providing a structured, short-term solution on underused land, the project offers social, cultural, and economic returns—from neighbourhood revitalization to civic engagement.
It’s time to reimagine how we support the creative sector—not as a subsidy, but as an investment in the cultural and social vitality of our communities.
Unserer Team
David Cassel – Project Leader
David Cassel has worked professionally as a writer, director, designer, teacher and performing artist since 1978. In addition he works regularly as a multimedia designer, digital specialist and film maker.
As an artistic director, he founded a number of performance ensembles and performance spaces from which he toured to over 30 countries. His projects combine different elements, such as comedy, clown, character, narration, acting, juggling, acrobatics, choreography, dance, improvisation and, above all, interactivity. David’s curricula for classes and workshops are presented in many countries. He has also developed learning processes for online education that facilitates accelerated learning.
Winner of numerous international awards including European Outdoor Performer of the Year (Rotterdam 1995) for his solo comedy production of “Hotch’s 3D TeeVee”, David has worked as a clown and writer with the Cirque du Soleil and appears in numerous television and film projects.
Currently he is co director of the Physical Theatre department at Die Etage School of Performing Art.
Benjamin Lorch – Assistant
Benjamin Lorch is an international education specialist and consultant focused on innovation, partnerships and institutional growth. Lorch grounded four schools in Berlin, Germany: two business schools, a campus for international exchange (CIEE) and a coding boot camp at ESMT Berlin Business School.
Lorch began his career working with The Smithsonian Institution to identify and archive early Internet innovations. He later lead The Chicago Public Schools | University of Chicago Internet Project building capacity and leadership in 26 South Side Chicago public schools. From 2007-2016 Benjamin lead The Council on International Educational Exchange Berlin where established the residency of NPR Berlin FM on the CIEE Berlin campus. In 2016-2017 he grounded GISMA Business School Berlin. Most recently Benjamin inaugurated the ESMT Berlin coding boot camp.
An audio enthusiast – music and storytelling – he is a podcast producer and an occasional content contributor to KCRW FM Berlin.
Benjamin holds a BA and an MA from The University of Chicago and served as a Robert Bosch Fellow working at the Germany Ministry of Education and Research Bonn (2006-2007). He is a co-founder of the Association of American Study Abroad Programs in Germany and lives in Berlin-Kreuzberg.
Daniel Brunet-Community Liason Consultant
Daniel Brunet is a director, performer, producer and translator. He was born in Syracuse, New York in 1979 and studied theater and film at Boston College. He moved to Berlin in 2001 with the support of a Fulbright Scholarship and began a career as a freelance theater maker. Brunet founded THE LAB at English Theatre Berlin during his 2003/2004 directing residency. He was the Associate Director/Associate Producer of German Theater Abroad in Berlin and New York from 2005 to 2008.
His work includes the bilingual performance Knick-Knack to the Future | Ruckzuck in die Zukunft, created with the artist collective copy & waste and invited to the 2015 steirischer herbst festival, the world premiere of Amy Evan’s play The Most Unsastisifed Town (April 2016, remounted in 2017) and the The Land of Milk(y) and Honey?, a documentary theater project exploring Israelis in Berlin in coproduction with the ID Festival – Festival for Israeli-German art and culture, which enjoyed a completely sold-out run. Brunet has received multiple awards for his translations of German plays by writers including Wolfram Lotz, Dea Loher, Falk Richter, Roland Schimmelpfennig and Heiner Müller.
His translations and essays have been published in PEN America, The Mercurian, Asymptote, Theater, TheatreForum, Contemporary Theatre Review, alt.theatre and MiGAZIN. He served as a guest professor in the fall of 2017 at the New School University in New York City, where he taught a seminar on German drama and directed a production of his translation of Dea Loher’s The Last Fire with students from the theater program. He has served as the Producing Artistic Director of English Theatre Berlin | International Performing Arts Center since 2012. Since the end of 2018, Brunet has served as the speaker for the performing arts within the Speakers’ Circle of the Coalition of the Independent Arts and as a co-opted board member of LAFT – Landesverband freie darstellende Künste Berlin e.V.
Gabriela Maria Donka – Communications Officer
As the manager and founder of Vitabelle fitness Gabriela Donka has extensive experience in engaging members of the community in the pursuit of good mental and physical health. Her extensive experience in marketing and events has helped her build an understanding of all the essential elements of grass roots communication that involves personability and connection.
She loves people, enjoys observing them in their element and is an excellent listener. She likes to inspire people to do what they feel most comfortable doing. Her ability to to be inclusive and understanding sits at the centre of her success as a communicator.
Gabriella holds a Bachelors Degree in International tourism Management, speaks three languages fluently and is the voluntary coordinator and spokesperson for Alt-Kaulsdorfer Weihnachtsmarktes
Kai Gerhardt – Infrastructure and Logistics Specialist
Kai Gerhardt is a project manager and logistics manager for international events. At the beginning of his career, Kai got to know all corners of Berlin as a bicycle courier. In doing so, he built up a large network in the city and laid the foundation for logistics.
Kai has been an event technician for over 20 years. First as a lighting technician and then in rigging for special constructions. In the last six years he has led large international projects with a focus on logistics management. He likes dealing with multilingual crews and working with different trades. Festivals, trade fairs, TV shows, sporting events and congresses: it’s Kai
Accustomed to reacting to a wide variety of challenges and to achieve the best results for the customer with his teams – often under high time pressure and under difficult circumstances.
To illustrate the whole, a selection of the previous stations:
Lollapalooza Festival, Melt Festival, Eurovision Song Contest (2009 – 2019)
25 & 30 years of the fall of the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate, summer festival of the Federal President,
Echo, Bambi, Golden Camera, Art Weekend Venice, Beijing Car Show, IAA, Doha Asian Games, Youth Olympics Singapore, Fifa Museum Moscow & Paris, Red Bull X-Fighters Rome & Moscow etc.