A Cosmopolitan State of Affairs
In 2011 Haus der Kulturen der Welt continues its commitment to an international interdisciplinary approach, pioneering a contemporary exploration of how our dreams and destinies have been woven together by globalization: A cosmopolitan state of affairs.The year starts with a debate on Germany’s Muslims and European Islam, hosting keynote speaker Tariq Ramadan. “The Germans” and “the Muslims” too often still appear to represent polar opposites within general public perception. A truly pluralist society must engage in a historical, sociological, and culturally well-founded discussion with Islam in Germany, one which actively incorporates contemporary European forms of Islam. (January 21, 2011)
The Art of Flying, an exhibition curated by Thomas Hauschild and Britta N. Heinrich, runs from March 4 to May 8, 2011. Dealing with art and science from the Baroque to the contemporary, it includes artists such as David Altmejd, Lisa D., Andreas Hofer, Res Ingold, Chi Peng, as well as pioneers like Gustav Mesmer or “jetman” Yves Rossy.
In the early summer the performing arts festival IN TRANSIT under its new artistic director Jens Hillje will set a new landmark in the program series at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. Spectator will be re-styling the Haus der Kulturen der Welt as a site of experimentation in which both artists and audiences can be actors and observers at the same time.
Ten years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, a series of cultural scientists, politicians and media specialists will animate the theme days 9/11 Ten Years on Politics, Language, Images in the 21th century. Further, LifeLines #4, is dedicated to outstanding artistic and cultural live achievements, and will honour Édouard Glissant, the Caribbean writer, poet and cultural theoretician. The series WortWelten (Word Worlds) will focus in 2011 on the global ecological crisis and issues of sustainability.
The summer open-air festival Wassermusik combines concerts on the Spree with experiences and reflections on the essential nature of water. In 2011, music and literature are dedicated to the theme of the desert. (July 17 – August 7, 2011)
The renowned filmmaker and documentary-maker Ulrike Ottinger invites the public in this year’s Asia-Pacific Weeks Berlin to a very sensual experience of foreign (culinary) culture with Floating Food. Meridian I Urban, is a site specific project on health, plus the curatorial workshop Synapse will be another highlight.
The Kulturstiftung des Bundes and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt are jointly launching a two-year program entitled ÜBER LEBENSKUNST. Together with partners from all over the world, they have set themselves the goal of developing and testing new approaches to the art of living and surviving in the 21st century. All of these different activities will come together at the international festival which will take place from August 17-21, 2011.
Music primes the end of the year. Translating Hip Hop, is an event series about the contents of Hip Hop. Many ‘Rap’ music lyrics not only passes the audience by, it often evades a majority of its own protagonists. Translating Hip Hop aims to address the issue, with renowned and non-mainstream Hip Hop artists from as far a-field as Berlin, Bogotà, Manila, Nairobi and Beirut, the protagonists will meet, perform, and debate matters. (November 10 – 13, 2011). This is followed by WORLDTRONICS 11, which will present the latest international developments in electronic music currently at the cutting edge of world music traditions.
Some additional highlights of our busy 2011 program include the multimedia project Tracing Mobility – Artistic Perspectives on a Socio-Cultural Phenomenon by Anette Schäfer and Miles Chalcraft (Trampoline) with among many others Simon Faithfull (UK/DE), Köbberling & Kaltwasser (DE), Esther Polak (NL). Also Bodybits: Analogue Bodies in the Digital Era features the steadily increasing role of the Internet in our lives and the current tensions between the digital and analogue world. These co-production with ZDF German Television premiere at Haus der Kulturen der Welt from March 28 to April 1. Last but not least The International Literature Award – Haus der Kulturen der Welt 2011, will be awarded June 29, 2011, where for the third time an author and their translator will be recognised for an outstanding work of international prose translated into German.
With partner events such as the transmediale.11 (February 1 – 6, 2011), the international festival for digital art and culture, and the Generation section as part of the Berlinale (February 10 – 20, 2011) where young, enthusiastic audiences from kids to teenagers discover new films from all over the world, as well as the 21th Rencontres Internationales showing films situated between cinema and art, organized in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou, Paris, and the Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, this year underlines the Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s unique position within Berlin’s cultural topography.
The Haus is financed by the State Minister for Culture and Media at the Federal Chancellery in accordance with a resolution of the Deutscher Bundestag, and receives project-related funding from the Federal Foreign Office.
Further information:
Haus der Kulturen der Welt
John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 1010557 Berlin
www.hkw.de
Contact:
Anne Maier
Press Officer
Haus der Kulturen der Welt
+49 (0)30 39787 153
anne.maier@hkw.de
