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.
Diese Entscheidung trifft die Falschen . Shutdown für Kultureinrichtungen
This decision affects the wrong people . Shutdwon for cultural institutions
by Maria Ossowski (29 Oct 2020)
Original source: rbb24
Not only lack of understanding, but above all anger is great among all creative artists and culture enthusiasts in Germany. For one month, all facilities have to close, despite the fact that sophisticated hygiene concepts have made them the safest places to be during the pandemic. Maria Ossowski - herself a member of the high-risk group, by the way - feels at home there and in her commentary sums up the lack of understanding: Because the governments have not been able to get a grip on the infection and especially on party culture, culture must now pay for it again. So this measures sound the death knell for many smaller cultural institutions.
Ossowski derives why culture cannot be an exception from the following three points: First, politics is currently populist, driven and relies on no studies. Secondly, it is assumed that artists do not fight back, but rather hire themselves from the nearest supermarket out of existential need. Thirdly, many retailers and businesses will not survive the crisis, so why should the gross value added in the cultural industry be taken into account?
In this way, the importance of culture is being trampled underfoot not only for the individual, but for our entire society. Read More Read Less
Ossowski derives why culture cannot be an exception from the following three points: First, politics is currently populist, driven and relies on no studies. Secondly, it is assumed that artists do not fight back, but rather hire themselves from the nearest supermarket out of existential need. Thirdly, many retailers and businesses will not survive the crisis, so why should the gross value added in the cultural industry be taken into account?
In this way, the importance of culture is being trampled underfoot not only for the individual, but for our entire society. Read More Read Less
tag Existenzrelevanz Lebensrelevanz November-Lockdown Partykultur Hygienekonzepte Infektionsketten All sections Kommentar
»Als ob Kultur nur Bespaßung wäre« . Louwrens Langevoort über Corona-Maßnahmen
. Louwrens Langevoort about Corona measures
by Louwrens Langevoort, Carsten Beyer (29 Oct 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk Kultur
That's the perversion of the whole story. We are not a swimming center. It's not like we can close in one day and on December 1st we open again and the audience is back.
The director of the Cologne Philharmonic has to cancel 30 events for November. Whether and when he will be allowed to reopen his house is still written in the stars. Since concerts require advance notice, he would have to know by now whether he will be allowed to play again on December 1, otherwise it would be impossible to organize a performance. Basically, a certain frustration is exp ressed in the conversation: even though Langevoort, as director of the Philharmonic, must expect the worst, he had hoped that the intensive advertising for the well-designed hygiene concepts in theaters, operas and concert halls, among others by the German Stage Association, would be noticed by politicians. The second lockdown for cultural institutions seems to him to be exaggerated, especially since he has the impression that politics does not do exactly that in those places where it would have to take consistent action. The fact that the Chancellor talks about having to reduce the total mass of encounters because of the incomprehensible chains of infection is completely understandable to him. Nevertheless, the disappointment is great - also about Markus Söder's statement that one does not want to offend anyone who has made an effort. The cultural industry feels that it suffers a snub in the face of current events.
Asked about the promised compensation payments, Langevoort is skeptical. Also in the spring support was promised. These were only implemented very slowly and many companies and solo self-employed persons did not benefit from them. He also points out that artists want to perform and not to become welfare recipients. In addition, the houses also see themselves as cultural institutions with an educational mission. They want to fulfill this mission even in times of pandemic. Read More Read Less
Asked about the promised compensation payments, Langevoort is skeptical. Also in the spring support was promised. These were only implemented very slowly and many companies and solo self-employed persons did not benefit from them. He also points out that artists want to perform and not to become welfare recipients. In addition, the houses also see themselves as cultural institutions with an educational mission. They want to fulfill this mission even in times of pandemic. Read More Read Less
tag Konzerthäuser Philharmonie Köln Soforthilfe November-Lockdown Planungssicherheit Angela Merkel Markus Söder Deutscher Bühnenverein Bauernopfer Music Interview
Corona-Pandemie: »Kultur merkwürdigerweise in dieser Krise marginalisiert«
Corona Pandemic: »Culture strangely marginalized during this crisis«
by Julian Nida-Rümelin, Änne Seidel (18 Oct 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk
»Aufstehn für Kultur« [stand up for culture] is an appeal for a demonstration in Munich. The goal is to address as many people interested in culture as possible and to motivate them to participate in the demonstration. The importance of this is explained by one of the initiators, political scientist, philosopher and former Minister of State for Culture Julian Nida-Rümelin, in an interview with the German radio station Deutschlandfunk.
Politics reacts to public debates. Therefore, Nida-Rümelin is convinced that it is now necessary for eve ryone interested in culture to raise their voice now. The cultural workers be only helped, if the public pressure by the cultural consumers grows. That is particularly important after seven months of stagnation, because anyone who decides to change careers now is lost to culture. This means that the unique cultural asset in Germany is permanently threatened. Even if the artists reacted very creatively to the crisis during the first lockdown, this must not obscure the existential need.
Even if politicians have tried to support cultural workers so far, it must be said that the programs that have been implemented so far are not sufficient. With regard to an unconditional basic income for artists, Nida-Rümelin explains that he considers it the task of politics to ensure that no existences are destroyed in the crisis. Anyone who has been able to live from art up to now can prove this, for example, through tax assessments. In addition to the economic and social cushioning, the former Minister of State for Culture also sees a problem in the fact that cultural life has been reduced to a minimum. If there are no cultural events and no debates, this has an impact on the constitution of society. Politicians must counteract this in order to limit the damage to immaterial values caused by the crisis as much as possible.
Nida-Rümelin does not consider a second, European lockdown to be feasible. The resulting costs cannot be mitigated a second time. The result would be a depression. In 1929 we saw what psychological, social and cultural consequences such a crisis can have. The foundations of coexistence and democracy would then be shaken. European society must prevent this danger at all costs. Read More Read Less
Politics reacts to public debates. Therefore, Nida-Rümelin is convinced that it is now necessary for eve ryone interested in culture to raise their voice now. The cultural workers be only helped, if the public pressure by the cultural consumers grows. That is particularly important after seven months of stagnation, because anyone who decides to change careers now is lost to culture. This means that the unique cultural asset in Germany is permanently threatened. Even if the artists reacted very creatively to the crisis during the first lockdown, this must not obscure the existential need.
Even if politicians have tried to support cultural workers so far, it must be said that the programs that have been implemented so far are not sufficient. With regard to an unconditional basic income for artists, Nida-Rümelin explains that he considers it the task of politics to ensure that no existences are destroyed in the crisis. Anyone who has been able to live from art up to now can prove this, for example, through tax assessments. In addition to the economic and social cushioning, the former Minister of State for Culture also sees a problem in the fact that cultural life has been reduced to a minimum. If there are no cultural events and no debates, this has an impact on the constitution of society. Politicians must counteract this in order to limit the damage to immaterial values caused by the crisis as much as possible.
Nida-Rümelin does not consider a second, European lockdown to be feasible. The resulting costs cannot be mitigated a second time. The result would be a depression. In 1929 we saw what psychological, social and cultural consequences such a crisis can have. The foundations of coexistence and democracy would then be shaken. European society must prevent this danger at all costs. Read More Read Less
tag Grundeinkommen stiller Tod Systemrelevanz Aufstehn für Kultur Lockdown 1929 Depression Kulturstaat All sections Gespräch
Ein Lebenszeichen aus der Szene, die am Abgrund tanzt . »Tag der Clubkultur« am 3. Oktober
A sign of life from the scene dancing to the precipice . "Day of Club Culture" on 3 October
by Jakob Bauer (02 Oct 2020)
Original source: rbb24
On October 3, the "Day of Club Culture" is celebrated in Berlin. In times of Corona there is no dancing to live music in a confined space, but the clubs have come up with creative concepts to draw attention to their situation. For example, there are two live concerts for 16 visitors at the Schokoladen. The tickets were raffled off on Facebook, the visitors sit on bar stools at bar tables to control the distances. A dinner with music accompaniment awaits the guests at the Ritter Butzke. At all events, consistent attention is paid to the adherence to hygiene conc epts. In this way, the club committee together with Berlin's Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer wants to set an example: Currently, the impression is often created that the danger of infection is particularly high in clubs - without being able to prove it. Since the clubs also have hygiene concepts in place, the organizers are convinced that the risk of infection is much higher at parties in the park than in their rooms. And so the "Day of Club Culture" is a sign of life for an industry that is one of the big losers of the Corona crisis. In Berlin, Klaus Lederer is fighting for their survival; in other cities, clubs receive less support.
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tag Clubszene Hygienekonzepte Klaus Lederer Music Bericht
Geld allein reicht nicht . Coronafolgen im ärmsten Bundesland
Money alone is not enough . Corona effects in the poorest federal state
by Felicitas Boeselager (02 Oct 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk
An independent theater group, two art students and a small club were interviewed by Felicitas Boeselager for her feature about the independent scene during the Corona crisis in Bremen. What all actors are sharing is the joy of being able to offer events again. The audience at all events was also enthusiastic and grateful to finally be able to experience culture again. The independent scene in Bremen is closely connected by the pandemic, mutual support and exchange about new formats is highly appreciated by those affected. Nevertheless, all of the actors are currently una ble to make ends meet without public funding for culture.
Stephan Behrmann, freelance actor and dramaturge as well as spokesman for the »Alliance of Liberal Arts«, emphasizes that cultural funding in Bremen has been good for both the solo self-employed and the independent scene. However, he complains that the aid did not work so well in all federal states. He considers current scholarship programs that finance the artists' work on projects in an open-ended way to be good. He also rates the support provided by the "Neustart Kultur" program positively - even if one billion does not really seem sufficient considering the size of the industry. Whether the money actually helps the individual artists cannot be predicted at the moment - especially since the administrative effort involved in awarding grants is quite high. How many »silent deaths«, i.e. artists who have looked for a job in another branch, are to be registered, is currently not yet foreseeable. The situation will not improve in the next few years either. Since the municipalities are very much shaken, they cannot afford to support culture. Behrmann therefore considers it an inevitable consequence that the federal government will help out.
Read More Read Lesstag Bremen Kultursommer Bremen Freie Szene Clubszene Kulturförderung Neustart Kultur stiller Tod Insolvenz All sections Feature und Interview
New York’s Arts Shutdown . The Economic Crisis in One Lost Weekend
by Michael Paulson, Elizabeth A. Harris, Graham Bowley (23 Sep 2020)
Original source: New York Times
This feature gives a feeling of the evaporation of the art industry in New York City illustrating the loss with abstracts of 22 (former) art workers and depressing photographs. The shutdown has touched New York in its heart: Before the pandemic, New York state’s arts and cultural sector contributed $120 billion to New York’s economy, or 7.5 percent of the state’s economic output, and employed nearly half a million people. Taxable revenue from performing arts companies fell 85 percent this spring compared to 2019. The perspectives are still dark: T he Broadway theatres remain closed at least until next spring. The Metropolitan Opera has scheduled its reopening for Fall 2021.
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tag New York Theater Tanz USA Schließungen Konzerthäuser Arbeitsplatzverlust Umsatzeinbruch Bankrott All sections Bericht
»Es muss etwas passieren. Sonst gehen alle pleite« . Live-Konzerte
»Something has to happen. Otherwise everyone goes bankrupt« . Live-concerts
by Daniel Gerhardt (21 Sep 2020)
Original source: Die Zeit
While alternative concepts have been developed for other event formats in recent months, the organizers of pop shows are hoping for 2021. The event calendar is already overflowing - but as long as it is not clear whether major events will be feasible again, the organizers are hardly selling any tickets. One problem that the organizers of pop events have had to contend with in recent months has been the ignorance of politicians. Not only the high turnover of the industry, but also its everyday life was completely unfamiliar to many politicians. The fact that support is ne eded here to protect companies from insolvency during the ban on employment has only slowly reached the decision-makers. The support program Neustart Kultur now provides support for music clubs and concert venues, as well as for other members of the event industry, but it seems that the great club and organizer death can hardly be stopped. The consequence? A few large companies will survive the crisis and then events will be streamlined according to a concept. The fun, members of the industry fear, will fall by the wayside, unusual formats will no longer have a chance.
Meanwhile, the industry alliance #AlarmstufeRot draws attention to the situation of the organizers and formulates demands. At a demonstration on September 9th, attention was drawn to the situation of the industry. Many people symbolically put off their shirts in front of the Reichstag - yet here, too, the organizers were polarized: "Every action with which it seeks help could at the same time contribute to prolonging the pandemic."
Read More Read Lesstag Popkonzerte Konzertveranstalter Streaming #AlarmstufeRot Neustart Kultur Music Bericht
»Auch Kunst ist systemrelevant« . Kultur in der Corona-Krise
»Art is also a systemically relevant« . Culture during Corona crisis
by Katharina von Tschurtschenthaler (13 Aug 2020)
Original source: tagesschau
Since 6 weeks the Hamburg Tivoli-Theater at the Reeperbahn is playing again. However, a lot of things are different than in pre-Corona times. Every house has to present its own hygiene concept and needs to have it approved. At the Tivoli, currently only 250 instead of 630 tickets per performance can be sold. But in contrast to the successful Hamburg musicals, which are still unable to perform, at least the operation is secured here. Support from Hamburg's cultural authority makes it possible for the Tivoli to make ends meet despite the lack of income. Nevertheless, t heatre boss Corny Littmann is disappointed that the importance of culture in Corona times has not really been discussed. The focus was on Lufthansa and daycare centres.
The team is happy to be able to perform again. Singers are doing admission controls or take over the moderation of the evening. After four months without engagement every job is accepted. But what is still missing is interaction with the audience. They are happy that they can attend cultural events again. Read More Read Less
The team is happy to be able to perform again. Singers are doing admission controls or take over the moderation of the evening. After four months without engagement every job is accepted. But what is still missing is interaction with the audience. They are happy that they can attend cultural events again. Read More Read Less
tag Tivoli-Theater Hygieneregeln Bilanz Kulturförderung Hamburg Musical Performing Arts/ Cinema Bericht
»Was in Berlin passiert, ist ziemlich einmalig« . Corona-Hilfe für Klubkultur
»What's happening in Berlin is quite unique« . Corona aid for club culture
by Laura Aha (20 Jul 2020)
Original source: Spiegel
Clubs were the first cultural institutions to close, and they will most likely be the last to be allowed to reopen. In Berlin alone, 140 clubs and as many club event agencies employ around 9000 people. In Berlin, Senator for Culture Klaus Lederer has launched a 30 million euro aid package for clubs. Cologne and Hamburg have also granted support to the scene at a very early stage. The situation is different in cities that have not yet promoted pop culture. Here, clubs are falling through the ranks of the various support models and are fighting for recognition as cultural institutions. Currently, the open-air season is making it possible to compensate somewhat for the slump in sales. But the scene needs a long-term strategy to avoid falling victim to the crisis.
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tag Clubszene Berlin Soforthilfe Konjunkturpaket Klaus Lederer Music Bericht
Die Maske ist hinnehmbar . Dreharbeiten in der Pandemie
The mask is tolerable . Filming during the pandemic
by Jörg Seewald (16 Jul 2020)
Original source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The corona requirements confront the film industry with great challenges, but also lead to more concentrated work. The actors are grateful that they are allowed to work again - even if the rehearsals with masks are a challenge. A point of contention regarding payment is currently the quarantine days before shooting, which are rarely paid for the actors.
A lot has changed on the film set itself. The most important man is now the hygiene officer. He is familiar with the applicable rules, advises on the implementation of the script and decides who is to be tested and which measures are appropriate. As the assessments of the situation change weekly, this task requires flexibility and tact, as the hygiene requirements also result in high costs. In the case of cinema films, these can amount to up to 150,000 euros.
There is currently still a rescue fund available for the cancellation or abandonment of shooting, which is to be replaced by the Federal Government's »Neustart Kultur« [Restart Culture] programme. However, this only provides support for cinema film productions and high-quality series productions. Accordingly, broadcasters and production companies must bear the risks for TV productions themselves.
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