At night, in a town somewhere in South Dakota, years after a devastating flood. Houses and streets have been rebuilt. We are in the Rapid Motel, room 115, someone is talking. Let’s call him*her AD. Extremely talkative, AD unpacks one story after another, offering entertainment. The mood changes when the monologue turns into a dialogue, the undertones of which don’t suit AD at all. Sometimes witty, sometimes analytical, he*she navigates around his*her own worldview.

Who is this AD? Is AD passing through? On vacation? Or one of those residents who have missed the new start, permanently staying in a motel because they don’t have the money for more? What we know: AD is waiting for a motel guest to return. And the longer the stay, the more the room develops a life of its own: it fills with images and sounds, times overlap, spaces blur.

In the interaction of acting, musical field recordings, documentary film sequences and deconstructed soundtracks, the American Dream peels itself off like an onion, exposing the confusion its promises generate.

Rapid Motel is like psychoanalysis, with the American Dream on the couch.

November 18, 2022 Leipzig, November 20, 2022 Berlin, January 20, 2023 Zurich

Can digital and hybrid presentation revolutionize the future of art?

Over the past decade, technological innovations have regularly expanded aesthetics and modes of representation in art, communication, and discourse worldwide. The conference showed how and under what conditions artists* are using technological innovation to build strong, resilient narratives and find responses to advancing economic, climatic, and political crises. “Cyber Attack: Digital Art and Activism” brought together artists, curators, scholars, and producers from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the United States to share their approaches to new art production, existing power structures, and new creative responses to pressing issues of our time.

The event was held in English with German, Ukrainian and Russian summaries and in international sign language.

Program: https://cyberattack.nordwind-festival.de/program/?lang=en

Part movement, part immersive dance, the ensemble piece “All things under dog, where two things are always true” explores notions of the mafia as a secular ecosystem. Along with the soundtrack by musician Aaron David Ross (ADR) with music by Eartheater, collaborating movement artists Reed Rushes, Kate Williams, Joy Norton, and Maxi Hawkeye Canion experiment with what occurs within both socially-coded systems and empathetic exchange.

Quelle/source: www.hebbel-am-ufer.de/creamcake

„… I am the German teacher at La Grange High School in La Grange, Texas. As part of our ongoing exchange with the Kaiserin Augusta Schule in Cologne through the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) we accompagnied a group of 8 high-school students to Germany from May 31 to June 24. La Grange, is a small town of 5,000 inhabitants. The trip to the German capital of 4 million was an eye-opening experience on various levels. Overall, the time in Berlin was a positive growth experience and one of the major highlights was making new friends at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Schule (FMBS), where we made presentations to two different 10^th grade classes. … We presented and answered questions during the first block. In the second block, we had them break into small groups for continued discussion on a more personal level. Some students even exchanged contact information. …”

Source: From the project report

„… In summary, with the extra funds provided by the Checkpoint Charlie Foundation, we were able to plan and execute an excursion to Berlin for four teenage boys, five teenage girls and two chaperones with a blend of activities that resulted in an unforgettable and extremely successful trip. … to point out exemplary three of the historic and meaningful spots during our nine-day visit: In conjunction with a visit at the Berlin Senate Department for Education, “Lernort Keibelstraße” gave the kids an opportunity to interact and have a discussion about life in the current city of Berlin, as well as gaining insight into the ways of life during the Cold War. The tour of a modern type of prison, with the opportunity to immerse themselves in a “feel” of a prison, will not likely be forgotten. … The East Side Gallery gave the kids an opportunity to not only view the Berlin Wall, but they asked many questions about what life was like in both East and West Germany. … and the visit of the Reichstag gave a lecture about the workings within the current German Parliament which demonstrated the similarities as well as differences between the workings of the German democracy and the more familiar concept of the American democratic system. …”

Despite Corona concerns and fears about the approaching war in Ukraine, five veterans made their way to Berlin to participate in the Welcome Home Program. First of all, we would like to thank our program partner, BUSMVA, for the excellent cooperation! But also to our local partners, the BUNDESWEHR and the STIFTUNG LUFTBRÜCKENDANK.

The former American military personnel who served in Berlin between 1972 and 1983 came back and experienced within one week how Berlin has changed. They visited their former duty stations and held discussions with students at Berlin schools. For the first time, the group was received by the police chief, Dr. Slowik. This program has been organized since 2008.

After two years, it was finally possible again for four Grossmont students* to receive the scholarship, which consists of 2 weeks of language school and 2 weeks of internship, with accommodation with a host family, during their summer semester break. The very well supervised internships were made possible by the “Stiftung Gedenkstätte Lindenstraße” in Potsdam, the “Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Spandau – Zitadelle”, “Cultural Vistas”, a non-profit exchange organization that promotes international understanding and global cooperation between people and institutions, and “Hanser Berlin”, the branch of “Hanser Literaturverlage” in the capital.

A human being, as a rule, lives and acts in various networks. They provide a safe environment that supports that human, and at the same time they motivate and inspire us to grow and evolve in any imaginable direction. In our modern, digital, and globally oriented lives, our networks increase. Regardless of space and time, cultural identities can be supported and trans-national relations can be fostered. However, the increase of trans-national relations also hold risks. Worldwide financial crises could only arise through global networks. Health crises like the corona pandemic have therefore been fed. During and after crises, another question arises: How can we use our networks in such emergency times for a better solidary? n-e-t-w-o-r-k-i-n-g represented people and their networks through a multi-disciplinary performance. In a mixture of contemporary dance, live-installation, and composition, performers show how to create and use networks and how they can help to overcome times of crises

animi motus is a contemporary dance company, formed in March 2018 and based in Berlin, whose work responds to cultural and educational policy issues. A fusion of several art forms, but grounded in performance, animi motus seeks out collaboration with international artists. Company’s moving language is based on a physical and abstract way within the Contemporary Dance, and includes influences of urban, classical, and other dance genres with strong theatrical pictures. The pieces have already been performed in Berlin, Leipzig, Cologne, Würzburg, Bonn, Munich, San Francisco, Marina, Mountain View and Brussels.

The production was financially supported by the Foundation as well as by the Goethe-Institut San Francisco, Fonds Darstellende Künste and the Senate of Berlin.
“n-e-t-w-o-r-k-i-n-g”, was a co-production with Uferstudios Für Zeitgenössischen Tanz, Berlin.

Techno is a new genre in music’s recent history. Originating from different music genres, techno developed in Detroit and Berlin, two urban places with two very different historical developments. At the time of techno’s emergence, both cities were undergoing drastic changes: in Detroit, big industry had left; and in Berlin, the city’s former divide was at the center of Germany’s reunification.

The exhibition “The Birth of Techno. From Detroit to Berlin” examines the developments of the techno movement in both cities. The focus is to show the relationships between the techno movements of the two cities.

By including actors from Detroit and Berlin, new perspectives on the mostly “white,” Eurocentric narratives about techno in this country are becoming possible as African-American influences on techno in Detorit are becoming visible. Here, it becomes apparent that Detroit techno draws its artistic and aesthetic references from Afrofuturism and other utopian narratives. Berlin’s techno history is strongly influenced by Detroit, not least through exchanges and performances by Detroit artists. At the same time, the Wende era, which was marked by deindustrialization and fragmented urban development, is important context for the development of Berlin techno.