Ela Kagel is digital strategist and expert for commons-based economies specialized at the intersection of society, technology and business. She holds an M.A. in European Cultural Planning from the De Montfort University in Leicester / UK and is a member of Public Art Lab since 2005. She co-initiated the Mobile Studios project and Upgrade! Berlin Network among other PAL projects. Since the 1990s, she has been producing media art exhibitions, designing spaces for cultural exchange and helps build digital platforms, networks and communities.
From 2009 to 2011 she was programme curator for the Transmediale Festival for Art and Digital Culture in Berlin. During her time at Transmediale, Ela developed the Free Culture Incubator, a series of workshops and events based on free and open culture. At the center of Ela is the supporting bottom-up initiatives as she is deeply rooted in specific communities of practice. Since 2010 Ela is co-founder and managing director of SUPERMARKT, an independent center for digital culture and collaborative economy. Ela is member of the board of Platform Cooperatives Germany eG and advises commons-oriented projects and organizations in the start-up phase. In recent years, Ela has organized numerous conferences and events on the topics of commons and community governance.
Contact: ela.kagel[at]publicartlab.org
