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.
Zurück zur Sache, Schätzchen . #allesdichtmachen: Debatte ohne Bodenhaftung
Back to the point, sweetie . #allesdichtmachen: Debate loosing touch with the ground
by Nils Markwardt (02 May 2021)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk Kultur
Referring to Peter Sloterdijk's Luhmann critique, Niklas Markwardt accuses the actors of #allesdichtmachen of no longer asking about the what as the core, but only about the how. Their critique is thus merely a second-order observation in the system-theoretical sense, which is why Markwardt calls for "back to the matter, darling" in an already arrogant manner. What the philosopher overlooks here: The second-order meta-reflection of reality has always been art's very own quality. It is precisely the artistic refraction of reality that constitutes its str ength.
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tag #allesdichtmachten Niklas Luhmann Peter Sloterdijk Systemtheorie Philosophie Schauspieler*innen Ironie All sections Statement
#allesdichtmachen: Die infektiösen Folgen der Infodemie
#allesdichtmachen: Die infectious consequences of the infodemic
by Markus Gabriel (26 Apr 2021)
Original source: Frankfurter Rundschau
The philosopher misses too much the humanities that reflect media and artistic discourses such as those triggered by the actors' videos of #allesdichtmachen. He sees the quality of artistic statements precisely in addressing mechanisms and stereotypes in relation to Corona. Instead of classifying and analysing, he accuses the media of being too willing to let social media such as "some arbitrary Twitter account lead the thought process" - infodemics as twittocracy.
tag #allesdichtmachten Jan Josef Liefers Ulrike Folkerts Twittokratie Infodemie Schauspieler*innen Philosophie Performing Arts/ Cinema Statement
Darum ist Liefers' Kritik so wichtig!
This is why Liefer's critique is so imporant!
by Ralf Schuler (25 Apr 2021)
Original source: Bild
In his commentary, Schuler points to parallels between the actors' contributions to #allesdichtmachten and the strategies of dissidents in the GDR. The ironic exaggeration in Jan Josef Liefer's contribution in particular resembles that of a submissive party obeisance, which at the same time undermines the party line. With this East German perspective in mind, Schuler points out: "Perhaps in the end it really is the biographical background that makes people more sensitive to the mechanisms of conformity pressure, which today no longer emanate from a repressiv e state apparatus, but more and more often from a political-media group dynamic."
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tag #allesdichtmachten DDR Gruppendynamik Schauspieler*innen 1989 Performing Arts/ Cinema Kommentar
Sind die #Allesdichtmachen-Videos gerechtfertigt?
Are the #Allesdichtmachen videos justifiable?
by Jennifer Wilton, Andreas Rosenfelder (25 Apr 2021)
Original source: Welt
One accusation against the actors who took part in the #allesdichtmachen action is that they have no empathy for the Corona patients. Andreas Rosenfelder shows from the reactions to the action that their critics lack empathy. The actors, on the other hand, have shown that they can empathise with the worries and needs of a society in a state of emergency.
Jennifer Wilton finds the action less convincing. She feels that the clips not only lack content, but for her the videos express mockery, irony and cynicism that affect people who have been living in cons tant fear for a year.
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tag #allesdichtmachten Schauspieler*innen Empathie Satire Angst Unsicherheit Performing Arts/ Cinema Statement
Guérot: „Es gibt keinen Raum mehr für legitime Kritik“
Guérot: „Es gibt keinen Raum mehr für legitime Kritik“
by Ulrike Guérot, Stephanie Rohde (24 Apr 2021)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk
The political scientist and co-signatory of the "Open Society Manifesto" considers the #allesdichtmachen campaign an important initiative. She personally understood the irony in the contributions. She finds it worrying that the actors in the homogenised media landscape of the pandemic are exposed to a shit storm, because this pushes legitimate criticism into a right-wing corner where it does not belong to.
tag #allesdichtmachten Jan Josef Liefers Meret Becker Ulrich Tukur Schauspieler*innen Kritisches Potential der Kunst homogenisierte Medienlandschaft Legitimität Dietrich BrüggemannSelbstverantwortung Gelassenheit All sections Interview
Beendet den kulturellen Notstand! . 100 Tage Kultur im Lockdown
Stop the cultural emergency! . 100 Days of Culture in Lockdown
by René Schlott (08 Feb 2021)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk Kultur
Cultural institutions in Germany have been closed for 100 days. The representatives of the interests of those working in the cultural sector are barely succeeding in making their voices heard. Emergency decisions such as the closure of all Berlin theaters until Easter are hailed as a victory for planning security, rather than a loss of cultural participation. Instead - as historian René Schlott notes with surprise - statements that fuel the closure of the theaters are increasingly heard in the media. For example, the cancellation of the Leipzig Book Fair was greet ed with hope in a Berlin newspaper as a sign that other major events will soon be canceled.Positive examples such as the successful staging of the Salzburg Festival are no longer mentioned. On the last weekend in January, the mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, declared a »cultural state of emergency« as part of the »Théatres Ouverts« initiative. This must also be ended as quickly as possible in our country.
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tag kultureller Notstand Lockdown Theater Museen Planungssicherheit Benoît Payan Théatres Ouverts Berichterstattung All sections Appell
»Die freien Schauspieler sind überhaupt nicht abgesichert« . Metropoltheater München in der Coronakrise
by Jochen Schölch, Maja Ellmenreich (29 Dec 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk
Independent theatres are particularly affected by the crisis. The Metropoltheater itself, as Jochen Schölch, artistic director and founder of the Metropol, reported in an interview with Deutschlandfunk, will get through the crisis thanks to a grant from the city of Munich. Nevertheless, the theatre is currently short about 450,000 euros, which were financed from reserves from previous years. The shortfall is due to the fact that the theatre pays the actors, all of whom are only booked for individual productions, the equivalent of short-time allowance, to which actor s working on freelance contracts are not entitled. Since actors often switch between permanent employment and freelance contracts, they currently fall through the cracks of state aid. In addition to the city of Munich, the theatre is supported by non-refunded tickets and donations from the Friends of the Theatre.
Even though the theatre has come through the crisis well so far, the artistic director is still worried whether the audience will return to the theatre after the lockdown or whether they have become so accustomed to Netflix and the like that they will no longer leave the house to visit the theatre in the evening. The question of whether actors will still be available is also on his mind. Those who have the opportunity are currently signing a contract for a television series in order to be able to fall back on a permanent income.
In an online presentation with short, associative video clips, the Metropoltheater has reflected on what theatre after Corona could look like. There is no streaming offer, however, as they are convinced that theatre can only be experienced in analogue form. Read More Read Less
Even though the theatre has come through the crisis well so far, the artistic director is still worried whether the audience will return to the theatre after the lockdown or whether they have become so accustomed to Netflix and the like that they will no longer leave the house to visit the theatre in the evening. The question of whether actors will still be available is also on his mind. Those who have the opportunity are currently signing a contract for a television series in order to be able to fall back on a permanent income.
In an online presentation with short, associative video clips, the Metropoltheater has reflected on what theatre after Corona could look like. There is no streaming offer, however, as they are convinced that theatre can only be experienced in analogue form. Read More Read Less
tag Theater Schauspieler*innen Streaming Unterstützung Finanzierung Kurzarbeit Quo vadis ars Performing Arts/ Cinema Interview
Schauspielhaus-Intendant Stemann: «Uns ist die Fähigkeit abhandengekommen, mit anderen Menschen mitzufühlen»
by Julia Stephan, Nicolas Stemann (22 Dec 2020)
Original source: Tagblatt
Working creatively and productively with the resistances that the Corona crisis means for theater professionals, that is the trademark of Nicolas Stemann, the co-director of the Schauspielhaus Zürich. Already last spring, he accompanied life during the pandemic critically and humorously at the same time with columns for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung and the 'Corona Passion Plays'. In his home office he wrote songs for the Passion Plays, as it was not possible for him to discuss developments during the suspended rehearsals. Nevertheless, he also sees the nega tive sides of the pandemic. Workflows have to be rethought, premieres postponed, casts minimized, schedules rescheduled - of course, this also means a great burden. On the one hand, this increases the workload for many, and on the other hand, it is extremely stressful, especially for actors, if they cannot rehearse with a goal in mind. This is one of the reasons why the Schauspielhaus Zurich very successfully offers a live-streamed performance once a week.
It is important for Stemann to emphasize that the theaters consider the closure of the houses to be an important contribution to the fight against the pandemic. His only concern is that it may have too little impact by placing too few restrictions in other areas. With regard to the concerns and problems of people during the pandemic, he considers art and culture to be extremely important in order to negotiate the open questions together in a discussion space and to find an outlet for emotions. The fact that this is not available at the moment, but that instead emotions such as hatred and incomprehension are acted out in social networks, is for him one of the major problems of the theater closures. Read More Read Less
It is important for Stemann to emphasize that the theaters consider the closure of the houses to be an important contribution to the fight against the pandemic. His only concern is that it may have too little impact by placing too few restrictions in other areas. With regard to the concerns and problems of people during the pandemic, he considers art and culture to be extremely important in order to negotiate the open questions together in a discussion space and to find an outlet for emotions. The fact that this is not available at the moment, but that instead emotions such as hatred and incomprehension are acted out in social networks, is for him one of the major problems of the theater closures. Read More Read Less
tag Theater Tod Streaming Arbeitsalltag psychische Belastung Quo vadis ars Performing Arts/ Cinema Interview
Kulturzeit extra: Theater im Lockdown
Kulturzeit extra: Theatres during lockdown
by Vivian Pekovic (Moderation) (18 Nov 2020)
Original source: Kulturzeit
The German TV program Kulturzeit focusses in this issue on the situation of the theaters during lockdown. The first contribution inspects the situation at the Volksbühne in Berlin. There, the project »Spielplanänderung« (Change of play program) aimed to bring back to the stage unjustly forgotten plays by important authors. But now the theatre is not only fighting for the authors, but also for not being forgotten as institution. The actors not only play, but also discuss the role of the theater. What bothers them about the political discussion is the disrespectful tone, because they all agree that the theater offers an important outlet for society. It is the place for a discourse on topics that are discussed by a broad audience. They consider it a luxury to be allowed to rehearse, yet the current situation costs a lot of energy - especially since for many actors who do not have a permanent contract with a theater, the income breaks off. The demand that the theaters be allowed to reopen soon is not only demanded by cultural workers, but also by the Senator for Culture in Berlin, Klaus Lederer.
The theater critic and author Simon Strauß developed the program for the ›Change of program‹. He points out that it is currently dangerous to over-adapt as theater and to play down one's own status. Subsidies and the standing of the theater as a psychological and humane institution could be lost.
An important experience for the actor Lars Eidinger was not being allowed to play for seven months. During this time he realized that for him, working on stage is the creative center of his work. For him, the central characteristic of theater is immediacy, which no other medium can achieve. However, he sees the theater not as a moral institution, but rather as a free space in which one does not have to distinguish between good and evil.
However, there are also voices that demand that theater professionals use the crisis to reflect on their own position. Simon Strauß is one of these voices. He would like to see the creative people emerge from the crisis with a new form of consciousness. For the theaters this means, among other things, revising play programs, making them more diverse. But new formats must be developed on stage. He sees streaming only as a substitute, a consolation for the time until the houses can play again. For him theaters make an important contribution to the psychological edification of people with their immediacy, with their way of raising questions. This has to be defended self-confidently against politics, especially in view of upcoming budget cuts. Theater - as Strauß puts it - is more than systemically relevant, it is »decisive«.
In addition to the theaters, however, other cultural institutions are also threatened by the crisis. Although it is still allowed to perform in Switzerland, many institutions survive mainly because of their parallel cafe and bar operation. The few spectators who are admitted to a performance make it almost impossible to work economically.
One of the few cultural institutions that are allowed to open in Germany are the galleries. They enable the artists at least not to be completely forgotten - after all, they not only suffer from the threat to their existence, but also from not being allowed to show their works. Nevertheless, it is also difficult for galleries to assert themselves on the market at the moment, because new groups of buyers cannot be addressed at present. So the question here is also how art and culture can be valued and rewarded as an essential good for society in the future.
Read More Read Lesstag November-Lockdown Theater Krise als Chance Unmittelbarkeit Streaming Simon Strauß Lars Eidinger Volksbühne Galerien Quo vadis ars Performing Arts/ Cinema Kultursendung
Der verzögerte Kulturinfarkt . Resilienz des Kulturbetriebs
The delayed culture infarction . Resilience of the cultural sector
by Dieter Haselbach, Pius Knüsel (27 Jul 2020)
Original source: Kulturmanagement
The cultural industry has long been a two-tier society. While the state-financed cultural institutions will come through the crisis with the help of much public funding, the many private institutions and artists will fall victim to the crisis. The public institutions are not innocent of this, as they have used the solo self-employed as an inexhaustible reserve army.
In view of the fact that even before the crisis there was a discussion about the dwindling public in cultural institutions and the loss of significance of museums, the authors are irritated by a contri bution by Tobias J. Knobloch, President of the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft, who urged that public funding be expanded in order to avert the consequences of the crisis for the cultural industry. In this context he also speaks of resilience.
Here it should not be forgotten that the crisis is the great time for cultural associations. They are now trying to get a share of the public funding.Differently it looks with the solo independent ones, which fall by the promotion rasters of the federation and federal state governments for enterprises and come thus over the rounds only with an application for unemployment relief ALG II .
Here the authors come to the crucial point of their article: Many artists do not have a business model that would be sustainable and provides for reserves and a sensible old-age provision. Postponing crisis and old-age provision until later is not a model with a future. Even if the state is currently generous, sustainable business practices must be introduced in the cultural sector.
In their outlook, the authors assume that the large state-financed houses will survive the crisis, and that many solo self-employed and privately financed houses will give up. Cultural tourism will also start again in 2021. The only chance the stakeholders have is to create new room for maneuver. A cultural infarction can currently only be avoided if the funding instruments and organizational principles are reconsidered and digitization is promoted. Read More Read Less
In view of the fact that even before the crisis there was a discussion about the dwindling public in cultural institutions and the loss of significance of museums, the authors are irritated by a contri bution by Tobias J. Knobloch, President of the Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft, who urged that public funding be expanded in order to avert the consequences of the crisis for the cultural industry. In this context he also speaks of resilience.
Here it should not be forgotten that the crisis is the great time for cultural associations. They are now trying to get a share of the public funding.Differently it looks with the solo independent ones, which fall by the promotion rasters of the federation and federal state governments for enterprises and come thus over the rounds only with an application for unemployment relief ALG II .
Here the authors come to the crucial point of their article: Many artists do not have a business model that would be sustainable and provides for reserves and a sensible old-age provision. Postponing crisis and old-age provision until later is not a model with a future. Even if the state is currently generous, sustainable business practices must be introduced in the cultural sector.
In their outlook, the authors assume that the large state-financed houses will survive the crisis, and that many solo self-employed and privately financed houses will give up. Cultural tourism will also start again in 2021. The only chance the stakeholders have is to create new room for maneuver. A cultural infarction can currently only be avoided if the funding instruments and organizational principles are reconsidered and digitization is promoted. Read More Read Less
