Birte Friebel

Bio

"Currently I am studying Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology at Frankfurt University in Germany.

Last year I finished my course of studies in fashion design. I spent some months studying and working in India, focussing on gender and improving craftsmen's livelihoods. After returning from India, I stumbled into the commons by contemplating over the link between fashion and open source software. Then I realised that the online sewing community, which I am part of, has already been a commons for many years.

Last summer I attended the first German Summer-school on the Commons, and spent several weeks visiting and helping out in commons projects of other participants. I wish to understand how the current economic and social system is embodied in our everyday behaviour, our relationships, our bodies, our communication, the way we lead our lives, the way we fulfill our needs, and how this could work differently."