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.
»Bei Öffnungen muss die Kultur dabei sein«
»Easings need to include culture«
by Carsten Brosda, Daniel Kaiser (11 Feb 2021)
Original source: NDR Kultur
The politicians' promise to present a step-by-step plan for a way out of the lockdown in mid-February was not fulfilled. Some ministers of culture have submitted a proposal that was not taken into account in the federal and state consultations. The question of how efficient the lockdown and the measures associated with it are is being raised more and more loudly. In an interview with NDR, Hamburg's Senator for Culture calls for a little patience. He hopes that the proposed gradual regulation for the opening of cultural institutions will also be implemented in par allel with retail and restaurants, also because of the excellent hygiene concepts in the institutions, so that culture is not disadvantaged as it was last autumn. In this context, he can hardly understand why the opening of hairdressing salons is currently being given priority. At the same time, he is concerned about the long-term consequences for cultural workers of the extension of the lockdown. At least in Hamburg, he does not see the financing of cultural institutions in jeopardy for the next two years. However, there will be no return to a cultural landscape like before the crisis, if only because the ranks of the players are thinning out.
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tag Lockdown Öffnung Kulturfinanzierung Friseursalons stiller Tod Perspektive All sections Interview
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
Was braucht es, um wieder Kontrolle über die Pandemie zu bekommen?
What does it take to regain control of the pandemic?
by Gunter Gebauer, Julius Stucke (24 Oct 2020)
Original source: Deutschlandfunk
In an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio, philosopher Gunter Gebauer asks the question of what significance culture still has today. A lot can be accessed and consumed within our own four walls. The way out is therefore no longer so important. The crisis could thus also result in a clear-cut, based on reduced demand. Many cultural workers already have to look at how they earn their living. Gebauer reports, for example, about an opera director who gives rhetoric courses. The concern Gebauer expresses is not only that these many drop-outs will not come back, but that the demand for culture will decline fundamentally because people have become accustomed to everyday life without cultural events. Interestingly, Gebauer does not ask what effects this will have on our economy, since he contradicts Julian Nida-Rümelin's thesis that we are in a situation similar to that of 1945, in which the country would have clearly oriented itself towards the Deutschmark and the economy.
Another topic is the appearance of the punk band »Die Ärzte« in the Germany's major news program »Tagesthemen« on Friday evening. Julius Stucke, moderating the interview with Gebauer, criticizes that the dramatic situation of the industry could not really be conveyed seriously during the program because everything appeared so »neat«. Gebauer contradicts this, because he considered the power of punk culture, which the three musicians brought to the stage, as important to convey the seriousness of the situation. The philosopher felt that it was particularly important that the ›old hands‹ stood up for all the employees in the background in order to point out their situation. Read More Read Less
Another topic is the appearance of the punk band »Die Ärzte« in the Germany's major news program »Tagesthemen« on Friday evening. Julius Stucke, moderating the interview with Gebauer, criticizes that the dramatic situation of the industry could not really be conveyed seriously during the program because everything appeared so »neat«. Gebauer contradicts this, because he considered the power of punk culture, which the three musicians brought to the stage, as important to convey the seriousness of the situation. The philosopher felt that it was particularly important that the ›old hands‹ stood up for all the employees in the background in order to point out their situation. Read More Read Less
tag Aufstehn für Kultur stiller Tod Streaming Krise als Chance Solo-Selbständige Die Ärzte Tagesthemen Punk Julian Nida-Rümelin All sections Gespräch
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
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
»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. Read More Read Less
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. Read More Read Less
tag Popmusik Hygieneregeln Berufsverbot stiller Tod Streaming Konzerte Music Interview
„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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