ZERSTÖRT May 22nd - 24th

ZERSTÖRT May 22nd - 24th

Zerstört is a tribute to the misfit city of Berlin. 25 years after the fall of the wall the city has become a haven for outsiders of the world, and an unlikely collage of cultures and attitudes. And yet many still feel they don’t belong. The city craves diversity. Communities in the city remain isolated from each other, segregated unconsciously by a kiez mentality, very typical of big cities. Zerstört is a statement that these communities can come together and coexist, in the form of a full weekend of performance, workshops, and music. All in the fitting location of an East Berlin complex run by the artist collective Neu West Berlin. By exploring cross-cultural dynamics, by curating unlikely collaborations, and by featuring experimental “outsider” artists, we aim to make a home for disparate parts of society. And by opening the installation on day two to audience creativity and participation, we aim to show: it works, and it works well. Our collaborations speak to this. Our documentary photo series offers imported perspectives. A Singaporean, a Spanish, and a Georgian photographer share glimpses in various formats from around the world. In our film screening we investigate various definitions of the outsider. It includes reflections on lesser-touched topics, such as: children of prisoners in China, HIV, and a series of queer political documentary portraits of minorities of the world by SSEXXBBOX, A theater piece by the Zerstört ensemble deals with the history of marginalized women in drama, deconstructing various classic texts in the vein of Brecht, one of the world’s great whistleblowers throughout the Third Reich. AGORA collective plays with the intersection between food and art, presenting people with a provocative mix of familiar and alien experience, and in doing so pioneering new cultural practices. The event in itself is also a collaboration between an art exhibition and a party, again bringing together two contrasting situations. It’s not two ideas; it’s one idea, focusing on two themes. How do we bring people together?

ZERSTÖRT May 22nd - 24th

Still images from the last event

(A ghostly hallway becomes the playing space for an ensemble of performers)

(a site-specific performance by Scottish artist Ellen Angus)