Quo vadis ars?

The situation in the cultural sector has been described and discussed in numerous interviews, corona diaries, comments and reports in the past few weeks. Our annotated collection of currently 193 sources gathers voices from different sectors and media. This creates a picture of the cultural landscape in crisis, whose temporal transformation can be explored interactively via a dedicated tag cloud.


 

Aufgestaute Kreativität . Klassik-Profis in der Pandemie
Pent up creativity . Classic professionals in the pandemic

by Frederik Hanssen (02 Feb 2021)
Original source: Tagesspiegel

At the annual press conference of the German Orchestral Association this year, everything revolved around the nationwide silence in theaters and concert halls. Although short-time work is securing jobs in many city and state theaters and, with the exception of a few municipalities, no budget cuts have yet been felt this year, managing director Gerald Mertens urges that the houses must be opened as soon as possible. Thereby not country-wide incidence values should be taken as a basis, but those of the respective district. This early new start is especially important for f reelance musicians, who have been without income for almost a year. According to a representative survey, around 30 percent are already considering a change of profession. A temporary suspension of the artists' social security fund could help this professional group through the crisis. In the long term, an unemployment insurance system should be considered, which could be modeled according to the bad weather allowance of the construction industry, in order to avoid a similar critical situation in the future.

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tag Deutschen Orchestervereinigung Kurzarbeit stiller Tod Planungssicherheit Inzidenzwert Künstlersozialkasse Arbeitslosenversicherung
Music Bericht

Kino in Corona-Zeit . Rückblick aufs (Katastrophen-) Filmjahr
Cinema in times of Corona . Review of the (disaster) film year

by Walli Müller (20 Dec 2020)
Original source: NDR

The annual reviews begin in mid-December. The film industry and cinema operators were particularly hard hit in 2020. While the start of the year with the 'Kangaroo Chronicles' still looked quite good, the Corona pandemic led to a 70 percent drop in sales for the year as a whole. The reason for this are not only the Hollywood blockbusters, which will not be screened until next year, and the competition from streaming providers, but above all the reduced space available and the renewed lockdown in November. German productions like 'Undine' and 'Berlin A lexanderplatz' reached only a small audience despite awards and good reviews. Only the children's film was able to show good attendance figures with 'Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13', despite the small amount of space available, November started promisingly.

On a positive note, 2020 saw the revival of drive-in cinemas and hybrid film festivals that made it open to more than just local visitors through online access. Nevertheless, the closures and the competition from streaming platforms are making it difficult for cinemas to operate. Three cinemas had to file for insolvency this year due to corona; whether these are the only victims of the industry will become clear in 2021.

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tag 2020 Kino Filmstarts Umsatzverlust Streaming Insolvenz
Performing Arts/ Cinema Jahresrückblick

Bayerische Theater entsetzt über neue Corona-Regeln
Bavarian theaters appalled by new corona regulations

by Christoph Leibold (22 Oct 2020)
Original source: BR24

Following the announcement last week in North Rhine-Westphalia of a limit on the number of spectators for theaters due to rising corona infections, Bavaria is now following suit. Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder announced that regardless of the size of a house, when an incidence rate of 100 infections per 100,000 inhabitants is reached, only 50 participants will be allowed to attend a cultural event.
In Bavaria's theaters, the outcry is great. Up to now, the rules of distance have been generously adhered to, and every house has a well-developed hygiene concept. In Bavaria, too, there are no infectious diseases among visitors to cultural events. Instead of recognizing this success, the new decree destroys it. Those involved in culture accuse the State Chancellery of not having gained an impression of the situation in the houses so far. Even the »representatives of the cultural scene« apparently involved in the decision could not be identified so far. No director of the large Bavarian theaters was asked to comment. So it is not surprising that the director of the Kammerspiele, Barbara Mundel, accuses the state premier of »purely symbolic politics« at the expense of the cultural institutions. For these institutions, the new decree is tantamount to a new lockdown. Another aspect that Mundel addresses should not be forgotten in the current situation: Theater and other open spaces of art offer the opportunity for exchange and reflection. This is the place to reflect on the consequences of the Corona crisis for our society.

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tag Theater Inzidenzwert Hygieneregeln Bayern Markus Söder
Performing Arts/ Cinema Bericht

Kinos in Not . Betreiber fordern finanzielle Hilfen – und blicken neidisch nach Bayern
Cinemas in need . operators demand financial aid - and look enviously to Bavaria

by Tim Spark (05 Sep 2020)
Original source: Handelsblatt

The film industry is suffering from the Corona crisis. Above all, German cinema operators do not see how they can maintain their program offerings in the long term. Michael Pawlowski, co-partner of the Filmpalast Group, reports a 50 percent drop in visitors in North Rhine-Westphalia. In federal states with stricter visitor regulations - in NRW only one seat has to be vacated - the decline is even more serious. This means that cinema operations are currently being run from reserves, as the revenues are not sufficient to cover them.
This is the situation that 68 med ium-sized, family-run movie theaters have to address in an open letter to Monika Grütters. The cinema operators need financial support and a relaxation of the hygiene rules. Since the movie theaters are well ventilated and the visitors do not speak during the screening, the risk of infection is lower in the cinema than in the office, according to a study by the Hermann Rietschel Institute of the Technical University of Berlin.
But it is not only the rules of distance that make life difficult for cinema operators. Film distributors are currently holding back on film releases because the number of visitors is currently not very attractive.
Although the German Minister of State for Culture has already released funds to support cinemas, these funds are tied to conversion, modernization and equipment measures and are therefore not helping to save the cinemas in the current liquidity squeeze.
In Bavaria, there is currently an aid program in place that compensates cinema operators for every visitor they have less than last year. In the other federal states, this model is seen as an opportunity to at least cover the fixed costs of the cinemas and prevent a cinema from dying out.

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tag Kinobetreiber Filmwirtschaft Neustart Kultur Filmproduktion Monika Grütters Hygieneregeln
Performing Arts/ Cinema Bericht

Es sieht düster aus, bilanziert die Schweizer Museumsbranche . Corona-Folgen für Museen
It looks rather gloomy, concludes the Swiss museum industry . Consequences of Corona for museums

by brik/kusv (10 Aug 2020)
Original source: Radio SRF 2 Kultur

"It's terrible what you just see and hear informally," says Tobia Bezzola, President of the Swiss Association of Museum Professionals ICOM, commenting on the situation of museums in Switzerland. There has been a 50 to 80 percent drop in visitor frequency. Site location, type of funding and the proportion of inter-regional visitors are currently determining the extent of the losses. Using the example of the Museum of Science Kulturama in Zurich, the Museo d'arte della Svizzera Italiana MASI and the Museum of Natural History St. Gallen, the article illust rates the concerns of museum directors in Switzerland. At present, they are able to cope with the operation with the help of reserves and the support of the cantons, but if the crisis lasts longer, job cuts and a reduction of the cultural program must be taken into consideration.

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tag Museen Besucherzahlen Finanzen öffentliche Finanzierung Claudia Rütsche Tobia Bezzola Toni Bürgin
Visual Arts/Design Bericht

Besucheransturm auf Museen nach Lockdown bleibt offenbar aus
Visitor rush on museums after lockdown apparently is missing

by Wolfgang Ullrich (14 Jul 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk

The museums are open again, but the expected visitors are missing in many houses. In an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio, Wolfgang Ullrich explains why the offer is so hesitantly accepted and how the museums will change in the coming years.
An important approach for understanding the hesitant return of visitors after the opening of the museums lies in the changed perception of the museum visit.The idea still prevailed that visitor contemplate before the works and enjoy the peace and quiet. In that context, it is often forgotten that the museum has become an im portant social place. You visit it with friends and acquaintances to experience something there. This is not yet the case. The obligation to wear masks and the limited number of visitors is a deterrent to many people.
Wolfgang Ullricht basically assumes that the exhibitions will change in the next few years. Large blockbuster exhibitions will no longer be economically viable with lower visitor numbers. Museums will therefore have to concentrate more on their collections again and use these to design attractive exhibitions for a local audience. 

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tag Museen Besucherzahlen lokales Publikum Onlineangebote Blockbuster
Visual Arts/Design Interview

Contra: Kunst hat eine schlechte Klimabilanz . Pro und Contra Kulturreisen
Contra: Art has a poor carbon footprint . The pros and cons of cultural travel

by Catrin Lorch (05 Jul 2020)
Original source: Süddeutsche Zeitung

With the new requirements for visiting exhibitions, mega-exhibitions are a thing of the past. Visitor numbers are becoming incalculable, and even the municipalities themselves will probably be short of money in the near future. With a reduced number of visitors, horrendous costs for loaning and for the exhibition concept can no longer be paid. It is not only the climate balance and economic efficiency, but also common sense that calls for a return to the local audience.

tag Bildende Kunst Kulturtourismus Klimabilanz lokales Publikum
Performing Arts/ Cinema Diskussion

Das Eine-Milliarde-Euro-Baby
The One-Billion-Euro-Baby

by Dirk Peitz (05 Jun 2020)
Original source: Zeit

Dirk Peitz explores the question of how the crisis of culture in Germany can be described exactly and who is currently bearing the costs that arise in the cultural sector. The »latent lack of systemic relevance« could become a problem for the industry if the economic crisis becomes more severe or lasts longer than currently expected. While the approximately 1.7 million employees are currently an argument in favour of artists, cultural funding could be discontinued very quickly in times of tight budgets.

tag Monika Grütters Konjunkturpaket Kulturförderung Systemrelevanz
All sections Analyse

»Die Blockbuster haben ausgedient« . Museen nach dem Shutdown
»The blockbusters had their day« . Museums after shutdown

by Hans D. Christ, Iris Dressler (23 May 2020)
Original source: Welt

In a conversation with WELT newspaper, the heads of the Württembergischer Kunstverein in Stuttgart Iris Dressler and Hans D. Christ make an argument to take advantage of the lockdown for a deeper reflection on the art world. Their text is not only a plea for a reasonable payment for the artists, but at the same time an invitation to the art institutions not to focus on a mass audience in the future, but rather to understand the houses as spaces of ideas and discourse, in which sociopolitical issues are negotiated.

tag Museen Blockbuster Honorar
Visual Arts/Design Interview

Kultur in der Corona-Krise . Erwacht endlich aus der Schockstarre!
Culture during Corona Crisis . Finally wake up from freeze mode!

by Marco Frei, Christian Wildhagen (01 May 2020)
Original source: Neue Züricher Zeitung

Translation

tag Klassische Musik Konzerthäuser Gleichbehandlung Bundesliga Großveranstaltungen Onlineangebote Hygieneregeln
Music Beitrag

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The Team

Facing arts is a projet by STORM.

STORM is an acronym playing with the initials by Miriam Seidler & Tim Otto Roth, who are hit both by the Corona crisis. Dr. Miriam Seidler is a scholar in German literature and currently works as specialist in public relations. Dr. Tim Otto Roth is a scholar in art and science history and works as a conceptual artist and composer. He is known for his huge projects in public space, cooperations with leading scientific institutions and his immersive sound and light installations. Miriam and Tim collaborate regularly for years. With facing arts they reaslize their first common art project.
You find more informatin on both initiators on www.miriamseidler.de and www.imachination.net.

Special thanks to Paco Croket for the tag cloud programming!

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