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THE ART OF STAYING MANY | Leipzig

Grafic: In the background rays with color gradient, on it the text: The art of staying many. Nationwide forums on art, freedom and democracy. Berlin, Leipzig, Düsseldorf, Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Berlin, Potsdam, Erfurt, Weimar, Dresden.

01. and 02.06.2024 | LOFFT – DAS THEATER + Residenz Schauspiel L​​eipzig

Attacks on art (freedom) vs. the potential for good debate and resistant subcultures are the focus of the two-day discussion and performance program in Leipzig. On stage at LOFFT, WESSER | MECKERT & Band's "WIR KRIEGEN EUCH ALLE!" will examine the so-called "baseball bat years," while Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué's "SUNNY SUNDAY" at the Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig will explore the impact of nationalist hero myths using the example of recent events in Poland.

Program overview

Saturday, 01.06.2024

11 a.m.

Opening & keynote speech: "HASS / Von der Macht eines widerständigen Gefühls”

Opening with Şeyda Kurt

At the beginning of the first day of the forum, the journalist and author Şeyda Kurt will talk about a "politics of emotions" referencing her current book "Hass", thus opening up a space for reflection, in which surprising insights into personal and political emotional states emerge and "strategic emotions" become (tangible) as potentials for empowerment and resistance in the political space/struggle.

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Working phase I: Workshops & discourse formats

Knowledge: Discussion between Şeyda Kurt und Heike Geißler

Discussion between Şeyda Kurt and the writer Heike Geißler about "political emotions" and the associated possibilities and strategies for effective action - against the right and for a future of diverse coexistence.

  • Venue: Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig


Alliances: DIE KUNST, VIELE ZU BLEIBEN (Part1)

Discourse format on networking initiatives with artists from kompliz* from Saxony in conversation with Eva Hartmann

Alliances and solidarity are necessary to strengthen and improve democracy. In recent years, many civil society alliances have joined forces with actors from the arts and culture in order to stand up for the rights and freedoms of our democracy enshrined in the Basic Law and to fight hatred, agitation, discrimination and right-wing extremism through action, communication and exchange.
The Saxon alliance kompliz* will present its work and latest actions in this workshop, shortly before the European Parliament elections on June 9 and the Saxon state elections on September 1. Other action alliances and initiatives will be guests at this workshop (including BFDK/Programm: Demokratie fördern). The aim is to transfer knowledge and share experiences as well as practical and proven examples of how each individual can actively participate. Questions about how, where, when, with whom and in what way are very welcome.
The first part of the working round is about presenting the current work and organization of kompliz* and guests.

  • Venue: LOFFT – DAS THEATER, Studio


Practice: “Schön aufmischen! Eine Übung zu anregendem Wahlkampf” (“Mix it up! An exercise in stimulating election campaigns”) (Part1)

Activating-activist workshop by and with Tanja Krone.

This workshop provides insights and instructions on how to run a stimulating (good) election campaign. A grassroots movement with a difference. Here you learn not only to know better, but also to do better. And along the way, campaign texts are created for the program of the future, campaign songs and potential campaign teams for a world that inspires hope.

  • Venue: Theater truck, meadow/open-air grounds (in front of teh Luru-cinema) of the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei
1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Joint lunch break

  • Venue: Theater truck, meadow/open-air grounds (in front of teh Luru-cinema) of the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Work phase II: Workshops & discourse formats

Knowledge: "Volkstheater – Der rechte Angriff auf die Kunstfreiheit” ("The far-right attack on artistic freedom")

In his book of the same name, journalist Peter Laudenbach collects over one hundred examples of right-wing attacks on artistic freedom – a report on attacks on an open, liberal society.


Alliances: DIE KUNST, VIELE ZU BLEIBEN (Part 2)

Discourse format on networking initiatives with artists from kompliz* from Saxony in conversation with Eva Hartmann

The second part is about upcoming actions and projects, their planning, organization and participation, especially yours!

  • Venue: LOFFT – DAS THEATER, Studio


Practice: “Schön aufmischen! Eine Übung zu anregendem Wahlkampf” (“Mix it up! An exercise in stimulating election campaigns”) (Part 2)

Activating-activist workshop by and with Tanja Krone.

From getting involved to the MECKER choir, Tanja Krone explores the act of arguing as a performative-artistic and political strategy and thus awakens civic resilience forces.

  • Venue: Theater truck, meadow/open-air grounds (in front of teh Luru-cinema) of the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei
4:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Coffee break

  • Venue: Theater truck, meadow/open-air grounds (in front of teh Luru-cinema) of the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei
5 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Greetings & Keynote speech

Greeting from Dr. Christiane Schenderlein (CDU MdB)

Impuls: “Machloket: Richtig Streiten Lernen" von Mirna Funk

Author Mirna Funk reports on how a good culture of debate works from a Jewish perspective and how we can relearn how to argue productively and withstand contradictions as a social coexistence – followed by a panel discussion with other guests.

5:30 - 7 p.m.

Consensus / dissent / culture of debate

A discussion with Mirna Funk (journalist, author), Prof. Dr. Oliver Decker (Director of the Else-Frenkel-Brunswik Institute for Democracy Research at Leipzig University), Tanja Krone (performer, musician, action artist) / Moderation: Antonie Rietzschel (Leipziger Volkszeitung)

7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Possibility to have dinner

  • Venue: Theater truck, meadow/open-air grounds (in front of teh Luru-cinema) of the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei
8:30 p.m.

„Was ist denn da im Osten los?“

A staged, participatory discourse format for the documentary punk performance "WIR KRIEGEN EUCH ALLE!" by WESSER | MECKERT

If you want to understand East Germany, you have to connect the time periods before, during and after the fall of the Wall and understand the connections. Without the stories of this chaotic and brutal time, the rise of right-wing and neo-Nazi groups and the success of the AfD cannot be understood, because these years have a far-reaching impact on the present day. With scenes from the performance, live music, participatory moments and discussion, the audience is invited on a discursive journey through time that poses relevant questions.
The documentary punk performance "WIR KRIEGEN EUCH ALLE!" will be performed on Sunday, June 2 at 6:30 pm at LOFFT.

  • Venue: LOFFT – DAS THEATER
  • Further information & tickets at: www.lofft.de
8:30 p.m.

"Sunny Sunday”

Performance by Lina Majdalanie & Rabih Mroué

Based on a true story, Lebanese artists Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué explore the hybrid, eclectic narratives and symbols that are at work in political discourses in Poland and question their socio-political mechanisms. The story-telling performance by Mroué and Majdalanie unfolds on stage like a graphic novel based on illustrations by Lebanese artist George Khoury (JAD).

  • Venue: Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig
  • Further informatione & tickets: www.schauspiel-leipzig.de
  • Language: In English with German subtitles

Sunday, 02.06.2024

11 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

keynote speeches

By Cesy Leonard (Radikale Töchter) // Ntando Cele // Komuna Warszawa

After a review of the first day of the event, the artistic practices of political-performative activation will continue.
In her keynote speech, Cesy Leonard will provide insights into her work as a performance artist and founder of Radikale Töchter. She is particularly interested in the political empowerment of people at the intersection of art and politics. Until 2019, she was a permanent member of the artistic staff of the "Zentrum für Politische Schönheit". Radikale Töchter is a project that blurs the boundaries between art and non-art. People are inspired to take action, to stand up for democracy, freedom, equality and fraternity.

  • Venue: Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig
  • Language: English and German
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Work phase I: Workshops & discourse formats

Knowledge: "Performance vs. Embodying"

The performance artist Ntando Cele, who was born in South Africa and lives in Bern, explores the difference between a "performative" and an "embodiment" approach to figures and identities. She asks:
What is the difference between performing and embodying a character or a story? Through failure, we draw on our forms of artistic expression and examine the blind spots in our practices that prevent us from taking other perspectives beyond what we expect.

Alliances: Keynote speech and open discussion with Reason Now! - residency artists, HELLERAU and Komuna Warszawa

The residency program "Reason NOW!" offers artists from the performing arts in Saxony and Warsaw a cooperative working process in May, August and September 2024 - with a focus on the development of artistic projects within the framework of residencies, feedback sessions, mentoring and discussions. As mentor and curator, Rabih Mroué will explore the theme of reason together with selected artists.

  • Venue: LOFFT – DAS THEATER, Studio
  • Language: English

Practice: "MUT-Muskel"

Workshop with Radikale Töchter

In their workshops, the Radikale Töchter teach approaches to action art and artistic activism that are geared towards the fundamental values of democratic coexistence and the challenges of our time. With their work, they empower (not only) young adults to formulate their concerns and goals with the means of action art and to develop ways to achieve them.

  • Venue: Theater truck, meadow/open-air grounds (in front of teh Luru-cinema) of the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei
1 p.m. - 2 p.m.

Joint lunch break

  • Venue: Theater truck, meadow/open-air grounds (in front of teh Luru-cinema) of the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei
2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Work phase II: Workshops & discourse formats

Knowledge: "Performance vs. Embodying"

The Bern-based South African artist Ntando Cele has been developing theater and performance projects since 2005, masterfully blurring the boundaries between physical theater, video installation, stand-up comedy and performance. In her workshop, she opens up a performative approach to anti-discrimination. In 2014, together with Raphael Urweider and Simon Ho, she founded the company Manaka Empowerment Prod, with which she deals with identity, racism and stereotypes in a humorous and charming way and shows different (anti-discrimination) perspectives by asking: "What is the difference between performing and embodying a character or a story? Using failure, we draw from our artistic expressions and examine the blind spots within our practices that hinder us from embracing other perspectives beyond what we expect.”

  • Venue: Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig
  • Language: English

Practice: "MUT-Muskel!"

Workshop with Radikale Töchter

In their workshops, the Radikale Töchter teach approaches to action art and artistic activism that are geared towards the fundamental values of democratic coexistence and the challenges of our time. With their work, they empower (not only) young adults to formulate their concerns and goals with the means of action art and to develop ways to achieve them.

  • Venue: Theater truck, meadow/open-air grounds (in front of teh Luru-cinema) of the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei
2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

„BLICKWECHSEL – Publika und Politiken der Darstellenden Künste“

Documentary film by Janina Möbius

The relationship between audiences and artists is becoming more important than ever against the backdrop of the current social challenges and the increasing polarization caused by the pandemic. Möbius' new film, which was commissioned by the Fonds, takes a look at this connection and explores the transformative potential of the performing arts in interviews with CHICKS*, Katharina Warda, Rimini Protokoll, Sibylle Peters, Julia Wissert, Peter Laudenbach and numerous other personalities from the arts, culture and academia.

  • Venue: Cinema on the grounds of the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei
  • Tickets: Free admission
3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

Break

4:15 p.m. - 5 p.m.

„Über Gastfreundschaft und Körper” | "On hospitality and the body"

Lecture performance by Isabel Lewis (Berlin)

Isabel Lewis is an American dancer, performer, musician and visual artist with Dominican roots. She has expanded the field of contemporary art to include the format of "Occasions". Lewis creates alternative forms of sociality between human and non-human entities with a persistent love of experimentation and research methods that arise from bodily experiences. For Lewis, the classification of certain sensory perceptions is already inherent in every format. This makes the way we deal with formats a highly political question. The focus of her fundamentally collaborative practice is on affective physical experiences that appeal to all the senses. Isabel Lewis has been Professor of Performance at the HGB Leipzig since 2021. In 2022, she produced the production "Total Romance, Partial Repair" at Reisdenz.
5:15 p.m. - 6 p.m.

“Ein sonniger Sonntag. Das Märchen der populistischen Narrative, basierend auf wahren Geschichten” (“A sunny Sunday. The fairy tale of populist narratives based on true stories”)

Lina Majdalanie, Rabih Rabih Mroué und Fadi El Abdallah (Spokesman at the International Criminal Court in Den Haag). Moderation: Thomas Frank

The book "A Sunny Sunday" was created as a continuation of the debate on nationalist narratives in the production "Sunny Sunday", in which the performance text by Mroué and Majdalanie was expanded to include essays on the construction of nationalist narratives. In his keynote speech, Fadi El Abdallah discusses phenomena in art that aim to use traditions as an exclusionary and hegemonic strategy by means of pseudo-historical narratives. The subsequent discussion will also address the question of which means are suitable for demythologization.

6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Possibility to have dinner

  • Venue: Theater truck, meadow/open-air grounds (in front of teh Luru-cinema) of the Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei
6:30 p.m.

"WIR KRIEGEN EUCH ALLE!“

Documentary punk concert performance by WESSER | MECKERT & Band

A project about the last days of the GDR and the chaotic and violent years that followed reunification: the so-called "baseball bat years". In collaboration with five former GDR punk musicians from well-known bands such as L'Attentat, IchFunktion or Herbst in Peking, among others, the performance was created in a process lasting several months, partly in public. It gets loud, it gets wild, it gets tender. The theater hall becomes a corner pub, a church, a living room, a prefab building, a punk concert - dancing is allowed!

The staged, participatory discourse format "WAS IST DENN DA IM OSTEN LOS?" to the performance "WIR KRIEGEN EUCH ALLE!" will take place on June 1 at 20:00 at LOFFT.

  • Venue: LOFFT – DAS THEATER
  • Further information & tickets at: www.lofft.de
8:30 p.m.

"Sunny Sunday”

Performance by Lina Majdalanie & Rabih Mroué

It was a sunny Sunday in 2016 when a very strange wedding took place in a small church in a small town in Poland. It brought together the living and the dead, combining fiction and reality, politics and fairy tales.
Based on a true story, Lebanese artists Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué explore the hybrid, eclectic narratives and symbols that are at work in political discourses in Poland and question their socio-political mechanisms. The story-telling performance by Mroué and Majdalanie unfolds on stage like a graphic novel based on illustrations by Lebanese illustrator George Khoury (JAD).

  • Venue: Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig
  • Further information & tickets: www.schauspiel-leipzig.de
  • Language: In English with German subtitles

Registration and Accessibility

Registration information will follow shortly.

Please note the accessibility information for the venues LOFFT – DAS THEATER and Residenz Schauspiel Leipzig.