Gesellschaftsspiele: The Art of Assembly
A series by Florian Malzacher & brut Wien | Since 2021
Whether in Tunis, Cairo, Madrid, or Lisbon, in Athens, New York, London, or Istanbul, in post-Fukushima Tokyo, in the midst of Niemeyer’s iconic parliamentary architecture in Brasilia, under the umbrellas of Hong Kong, or on the streets of Minneapolis: social and political movements of recent years have often been characterised by their search for alternative forms of gathering, of arguing and making decisions, of negotiating community and society. The potential of these assemblies lies in more than just the demands they put forward; many of them change reality merely by practicing radical models of democracy.
The arts have also shown a renewed interest in concepts of gathering and creating public spheres in which society is not only mirrored but constantly tried out, performed, tested, reimagined, or even reinvented. There are court hearings on artistic freedom, religion, and censorship; tribunals on exploitation and violence; summits on climate change or cultural policy; parliaments allowing those who are usually silenced to speak... Theatre in particular has become a stage for assemblies on the fine line between art and reality, a democratic arena of radical imagination.
But what is the future this concept of gathering has ahead of it after months in a state of emergency that has thrown pretty much all areas of social life out of step? Gesellschaftsspiele: The Art of Assembly brings together protagonists from various fields of art, politics and theory to speculate on the future of assembly in a time of experiencing that nothing is certain – a time in which every form of physical togetherness has become precarious.
With contributions by Aziz Al-Azmeh, Ahmed Al-Nawas, andcompany&Co., Athena Athanasiou, Marco Baravalle, Anna Clara Basilicò / Rise Up For Climate Justice, Glenn Bech, Merve Bedir, Kent Bye, Z. Blace, Claire Bishop, Claudia Bosse, Tania Bruguera, Judith Butler, Teodor Celakoski, Fabio Cervi / Earshot, Phil Collins, Jodi Dean,Amelie Deuflhard, Die Vielen, Radha D’Souza, Mette Edvardsen, Didier Eribon, Marcelo Expósito, Caitlin Fisher, Benjamin Foerster-Baldenius / raumlaborberlin, Oliver Frljić, Michael Gabriel, Nuría Güell, Anne Hahn, Max Haiven, Michael Hardt, Satu Herrala, Miriam Ibrahim, Lisa Ito-Tapang / Concerned Artists of the Philippines, Edit Kaldor, Wolfgang Kaleck, Atiyyah Khan, Xenia Koghilaki, jaamil olawale kosoko,Thomas Krüger, Brandon LaBelle, Pedro Lasch, Oliver Marchart, Renzo Martens, Markus Miessen, Alia Mossallam, Chantal Mouffe, David Mulder van der Vegt, Edson Krenak Naknanuk, Antonio Negri, Susan Neiman, Ingo Niermann / Army of Love, Ahmet Öğüt, Marina Otero Verzier, Sibylle Peters, Sahar Rahimi, Julia Ramírez-Blanco, Milo Rau, Oliver Ressler, Erena Rangimarie Omaki Ransfield Rhöse,Kathrin Röggla, Sarah Rothberg, Reyhan Şahin aka Lady Bitch Ray, Madlyn Sauer, School of Resistance,Tino Sehgal, Jonas Staal, Corina Stan, Nora Sternfeld, The Church of Stop Shopping, The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination (Labofii), Lotte van den Berg, Eva von Redecker, Elisabeth von Samsonow,Joanna Warsza, Sarah Waterfeld / Staub zu Glitzer, Julia Wissert, Dana Yahalomi / Public Movement and Ann Liv Young
Hosted by Florian Malzacher
Florian Malzacher is a curator, dramaturg and writer. 2013-2017 he was artistic director of Impulse Theater Festival (Cologne, Dusseldorf and Mulheim/Ruhr), and 2006–2012 co-programmer of the multidisciplinary arts festival steirischer herbst (Graz). He (co-)curated e.g. the 4th and 5th International Summer Academy (Mousonturm Frankfurt, 2002 and 2004), Dictionary of War (2006/07), Truth is concrete (Graz, 2012), Artist Organisations International (HAU Berlin, 2015), Appropriations (Ethnological Museum Berlin, 2014), Sense of Possibility on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the revolution (St. Petersburg, 2017), Training for the Future (Ruhrtriennale 2018/19 with Jonas Staal), After Supervising the Machinery (2020). As a dramaturge he worked with artists like Rimini Protokoll (DE), Lola Arias (ARG), Mariano Pensotti (ARG), and Nature Theater of Oklahoma (USA). Florian Malzacher has edited and written numerous essays and books on theatre and performance and on the relationship between art and politics. His latest publications include Gesellschaftsspiele. Politisches Theater heute im Alexander Verlag Berlin.
Events in the brut programme
With Milo Rau, School of Resistance & The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination / Hosted by Florian Malzacher
Gesellschaftsspiele: The Art of Assembly XII – in cooperation with NT Gent / School of Activism
PITFALLS OF REPRESENTATION: ASSEMBLIES IN THEATRE
With Edit Kaldor & Julian Warner / Hosted by Florian Malzacher
CANCELLED: Gesellschaftsspiele: The Art of Assembly XIII – in cooperation with Theater Neumarkt Zürich
SAFE VS. BRAVE? ART SPACES BETWEEN SANCTUARY AND CONFRONTATION
Hosted by Florian Malzacher
Gesellschaftsspiele: The Art of Assembly XVII in Cooperation with Uniarts Theatre Academy Helsinki – ASSEMBLING KNOWLEDGE
with Satu Herrala, Ahmet Öğüt & Lotte van den Berg
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