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.


 

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

»Viele Kollegen von uns mussten Hartz IV beantragen«
»Many of our colleagues had to apply for Hartz IV social security«

by Wiebke Eymess, Jörg Burger (23 Sep 2020)
Original source: Die Zeit

With 80 performances a year, the cabaret duo "Das Geld liegt auf der Fensterbank, Marie", consisting of Wiebke Eymess and Friedolin Müller in the time before Corona, were able to finance themselves well. Together with their two children, the couple lives in the countryside and therefore has very reduced running expenses. Nevertheless the Corona crisis was a shock. As the couple was fully booked for two years in advance, Wiebke Eymess reacted to the cancellations with a panic attack in March. It took time for her to adjust to the new situation. She describe d her feelings and fears in a blog. The fact that the German radio station SWR3 now prints them twice a week as a column helps the family make ends meet. In addition, donations from loyal fans and craftsmanship help them keep their heads above water. The state support they received from the emergency aid programs was minimal. Even if the public has the impression that a lot is being done for culture, hardly anything of it is trickling down to the people affected. Although the ban on employment is being eased somewhat at the moment, and the first theaters and event venues have reopened, one can speak of it more as a hobby than as a job, due to the minimal fees involved. Also the incautiousness of politicians in their choice of language can have devastating consequences. Health Minister Jens Spahn warned of events recently, but actually meant family celebrations. The consequence: ticket sales for cultural events collapsed abruptly.

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tag Kabarett Berufsverbot Kulturförderung Soforthilfe Panikattacke
Performing Arts/ Cinema Interview

»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."

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tag Popkonzerte Konzertveranstalter Streaming #AlarmstufeRot Neustart Kultur
Music Bericht

»Vielen von uns droht die Supermarktkasse«
»Many of us are at risk to sit at the supermarket checkout«

by Heinz Rudolf Kunze (17 Sep 2020)
Original source: NDR Info

In an interview with the NDR, the German singer and songwriter Heinz Rudolf Kunze talks about his experiences during the Corona pandemic and the situation of the music industry. All the central topics of the discussion are addressed in the interview. The picture he draws is depressing. In the music industry, too, live performance is the most important source of income today. CDs are primarily produced to promote concerts. Kunze openly calls streaming an exploitation, because the musicians cannot finance themselves from the cents they receive. Even successful accompanying musicians can only survive the Corona crisis by working in other industries. Although open-air concerts could be held in the summer, the number of visitors was usually limited. In contrast to the adjacent gastronomy, the event industry has to fulfill strict hygiene requirements. Kunze doesn't mince his words when it comes to the regulations that vary from region to region. Here "little princes" are at work, who rule arbitrarily. In autumn and winter, no concerts are possible. His own tour has been postponed until spring; whether it can actually take place is written in the stars.
For the future Kunze hopes that the cultural industry will be recognized as an economic factor. At the same time, the cultural offer in Germany, which according to its perception is the largest in the world, must be maintained. This requires the prudent promotion by politics. Kunze equates the breaking away of this offer with the deforestation of the rainforest. Thus he chooses a very drastic picture for the danger in which he currently sees his industry.

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tag Popmusik Hygieneregeln Berufsverbot stiller Tod Streaming Konzerte
Music Interview

Deutsche Filmbranche sucht Auswege aus der Corona-Krise . Filmkunstmesse in Leipzig
German film industry seeks ways out of the Corona crisis . Film art fair in Leipzig

by Ole Steffen (17 Sep 2020)
Original source: mdr Kultur

The film art fair takes place in Leipzig. The event was the first industry meeting in Germany since the beginning of the Corona crisis and thus also served to reflect on the current situation.
As an introduction to a panel discussion at the Alte Handelsbörse in Leipzig, the Minister of State for Culture, Monika Grütters, had the opportunity to make a statement on cultural funding during the Corona crisis. This was followed by a panel discussion with, among others, Carlo Chatrian, festival director of Berlin, and Michael Kölmel, managing director of Weltkino distribution. The latter assessed the film industry's funding awards - for producers, distributors and cinemas - as fundamentally positive, but complained that film distributors only receive funding for German films. Since the film business is now international, this hardly helps at all. Monika Grütters pointed out that the extra billion for culture is financed by taxpayers' money, which is why it is necessary to look very closely at how the funding is distributed.

International films played an important role in the discussion, because blockbusters from America usually attract visitors to the cinemas. At present, US films are being held back by German distributors, which is why many cinema owners complain that they are not only restricted by hygiene rules, but that the reduced number of films on offer also attracts hardly any visitors to the cinemas. Carlo Chatrian, festival director of the Berlinale, pointed out that defocusing American productions could also be an advantage. He also sees therein an opportunity to stimulate a new reflection on the quality of films and a European film culture.

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tag Filmindustrie Filmverleiher Filmkunstmesse Blockbuster Leipzig Monika Grütters Carlo Chatrian
Performing Arts/ Cinema Bericht

»Die Leute haben eine Sehnsucht in die Theater zurückzukehren« . Kultur in Bayern
»People have a longing to return to the theater« . culture in Bavaria

by Sara Maria Behbehani (13 Sep 2020)
Original source: Süddeutsche Zeitung

At the beginning of the new season, Sara Maria Behbehani explores at theaters in Bavaria how theater professionals are facing the opening of their houses and how the corona rules are perceived in everyday life. The joy of regaining contact with the audience and the intensive work on corona-compliant themes is common to all the theaters.
The Theater an der Rott has already hosted successful open-air events in the summer. For the indoor events, the program was completely rewritten once again - not only to implement the corona rules and incorporate them conceptually into the plays, but also to do justice to the loss of income.
At the Landestheater Niederbayern, the journalist talks to the freelance director Sarah Kohrs. She is happy that she has a new engagement and tries to bring her new play on stage as corona-conform as possible.
The lockdown at the Junge Theater Regensburg was extremely productive. Maria-Elena Hackbarth and her team tried to keep in touch with the young audience with various offers. Also the implementation of the distance rules is not considered problematic here. Family islands offer a personal atmosphere, which at the same time offers protection from infection. The lockdown will probably also play a role thematically, since the theater is starting the new season with Kafka's "Metamorphosis".
At Ingolstadt City Theater, Andrea Frohn is not allowed to open the season with a cabaret evening as planned. Since she is pregnant, she is not allowed to perform. Nevertheless, Frohn is looking forward to the new season, as the audience is incredibly grateful that it is now starting again.

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tag Theater Bayern Spielzeitauftakt Hygieneregeln Kabarett
Performing Arts/ Cinema Bericht

„Wo ist die Empathie des Herrn Spahn?“ . "Where is the empathy of Mr. Spahn?"

by Matthias Goerne, Manuel Brug (13 Sep 2020)
Original source: Welt

In an interview with the newspaper Die Welt, the successful lied singer Matthias Goerne expresses his displeasure about the treatment of the concert world during the Corona crisis. He recently took part in a discussion round with the Minister of Health Jens Spahn. The disappointment about the minister's behavior is great: His answers were only evasive; culture as an economy is still not recognized. Although there are subsidies for institutions, the many solo self-employed still look anxiously to the future. The clubbing and stabbing among the concert organizers has a lready started, as the agencies are also struggling to survive. The situation is very difficult at the moment, especially for the young professionals. Many of them will not succeed in gaining a foothold in the market. On the other hand, there are colleagues who have slipped into basic welfare and are now looking for a new job. There is no common voice on the music market. Goerne is even disappointed by the agencies, as they do not argue with sufficient power. Those who work as freelancers are getting more and more immoral offers, because the public houses can save money reducing the number of guests. Yet it is precisely these guests who attract the public.

Goerne shows particularly little understanding for the fact that distance rules do not apply in public transport, but that in concert halls large distances between visitor seats are required. The festival season and above all the Salzburg Festival, which was realized successfully and without infections, has demonstrated that the audience of concert events is highly disciplined and that seating arrangements in a checkerboard pattern can be implemented without danger. Being happy to attend concerts again, the visitors abtstain from conversations in the hall. In addition, many concert halls have excellent ventilation systems that minimize the risk of infection. Goerne cannot understand why the economic power of the industry is not taken into account here giving it a chance to generate income again. Instead, politicians are accepting the death of theater and opera on a large scale.

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tag Konzerte Konzerthäuser Konzertagenturen Solo-Selbständige Studierende stiller Tod Salzburger Festspiele Schachbrettmuster Jens Spahn
Music Interview

Buchhandel setzt auf Digitalpräsenz . Frankfurter Buchmesse ohne Aussteller
Book trade focuses on digital presence . Frankfurt Book Fair without exhibitors

by Alexander Skipis, Britta Bürger (08 Sep 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk Kultur

At a press conference, the director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Juergen Boos, announced the cancellation of the presence fair in the exhibition halls in Frankfurt. The decision was made together with all publishers and representatives of the national booths. In the end, the restrictions, especially the travel restrictions, were too great to adhere to the presence event.
The fair is an important pillar for the book industry. Since a digital offering was also planned from the outset, Alexander Skipis, General Manager of the German Publishers & Booksellers Associ ation (Börsenverein des deutschen Buchhandels), assumes that the presence of books will be maintained. As before, there will also be physical events in Frankfurt where authors can be experienced live.
As a further mainstay, a digital rights trading platform will enable publishers to handle the rights business, which has been important at the fair to date. However, personal exchange will not be possible at this point.
Another important pillar of the Book Fair is intellectual exchange and freedom of opinion and the press. These topics will also be dealt with online and in face-to-face events. Such online offerings will certainly not reach as many readers as a presence fair. The intensive encounter will therefore play a major role in 2021.

There will be a series of physical events in Frankfurt. In addition to the award ceremonies - Book Prize and Peace Prize - there will be readings in the festival hall. They will be distributed simultaneously through the media and can be accessed worldwide. Nevertheless, it should not be overlooked that the lack of attention to the book will damage the book market. Sales will probably not really be satisfactory in the autumn of 2020 either.

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tag Buchbranche Buchmesse Frankfurt Lesung Alexander Skipis virtuelles Angebot
Literature/ Text Interview

Coronaregeln in Theatern . Gute Chancen für weitere Lockerungen
Corona regulations in theatres . good chances for further easing

by Ulrich Khuon, Vladimir Balzer (07 Sep 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk Kultur

The theaters, operas and concert halls are the safest public spaces. Ulrich Khuon, director of the Deutsches Theater in Berlin and president of the German Stage Association (Deutscher Bühnenverein), is convinced that infections in theaters are largely ruled out. The ventilation systems in most theaters are excellent, and strict attention is paid to the observance of hygiene rules by the audience and staff. Even in the event of an infection, the tracking of people is no problem, unlike in the bus and train. And so Ulrich Khuon pleads - also in view of the successful Salzburg Festival - for further relaxation in the event area, which should be as uniform as possible for all federal states: one meter distance is justifiable based on current experience. The confidence of the visitors has also grown in recent weeks to such an extent that the innovations have been accepted.
Khuon sees a danger in the tendency of many houses to start the season with short plays. Quickly edible formats that do not cause any problems should not dominate the program. One could also reconsider breaks at the moment.
Khuon critically refers to a current statement by Bavarian Prime Minister Söder, who has drafted a clear hierarchy of easing: First comes economic life, then schools and daycare centers. If things run smoothly and without contagion here again, one could also take care of sports and culture. The fact that even after half a year, one of the most important figures in crisis management has still not come to the conclusion that culture is an important economic factor in Germany outrages the chairman of the German Stage Association.

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tag Theater Abstandsregeln Schachbrettmuster Salzburger Festspiele Deutscher Bühnenverein
All sections Interview

Culture shock: COVID-19 and the cultural and creative sectors . OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

by Ekaterina Travkina, Pier Luigi Sacco, Benedetta Morari (07 Sep 2020)
Original source: OECD

The 50-pages long report of the OECD analyzes the serious socio-economic consequences for the cultural and creative industries, which are the most affected by the crisis besides tourism, using extensive sources and figures.  The effects vary regionally and according to sub-sectors. Whereas many performing artists are currently without employment, the game industry is booming.  Aglomerations in particular are affected, and with them the ecosystem of countless freelancers and suppliers, which is particularly threatened - implying long-term consequences.
In addition to this detailed analysis, the authors also provide examples of various public and private measures to support the sectors. The authors emphasize that public measures are often inappropriate because the creative workers do not fit into classical support frameworks. In the appendix, the measures are compared in tabular form, sorted by country.
The authors not only point out the economic importance of the cultural and creative industries, but also, especially in view of a Postcovid19 era, the immaterial importance as a driver of innovation in the economy and society as a whole, with synergies especially for education and health.

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tag OECD Wirtschaftsfaktor postcovid19 Bildung Ballungszentren
All sections Wissenschaftliches Paper

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The signet of facing arts joining the faces of STORM.

Facing arts is a non-profi project. Feel free to support it and get in touch with us!

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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