As a pleasurable conclusion to the last season under the artistic direction of Franziska Werner, the Sophiensæle invite you to a festival on the political dimensions of pleasure and leisure. For six weeks, Leisure & Pleasure explores connections of pleasure and activism, questions art's ability to heal societal exhaustion - and dreams of life beyond work.
While dimensions of "self-care" dominate every Insta feed, debates around work-life balance, new work, and shorter work weeks have migrated into the dominant discourse of the management floors of major tech companies. Proclaimed by Black lesbian feminist Audre Lorde in 1988 as a radical political act of resistance, concern for the self has now become part of the turbo-capitalist logic of exploitation. The roots of these concepts, however, lie with BIPoC, queerfeminist, and crip writers, activists, and artists, while the spaces and resources for pleasure, recreation, and leisure are far from equally available to them. And so thinkers like adrienne maree brown or Tricia Hersey have also shown in recent years that the political, emancipative potential of leisure and pleasure is by no means exhausted.
Leisure & Pleasure brings together artistic positions that stand in this tradition - and focus on the resistant potential of recreation, pleasure, joy and enjoyment. They engage with the radical act of pause, celebrate time-wasting, ecstasy, and disorientation, bring the rave, the dark room, and the gym into the theater, celebrate the erotic power of community or the kink, and offer spaces for care, joy, meditation, and healing.
In addition to international guest performances and local new productions on our stages, as well as numerous site-specific works on the Sophiensæle grounds, online, and in the city, the Sophiensæle backyard will be transformed into a lustful garden for relaxation. We also invite three artistic and activist collectives to residencies in our canteen, opening their doors to the public on selected days. And finally, on July 1, we celebrate the farewell of Franziska Werner & team with gala moments and a lavish party.
FESTIVAL CONCEPTION, CURATION, DRAMATURGY Dr. Joy Kristin Kalu, Alexander Kirchner, Lena Kollender, Mateusz Szymanówka, Franziska Werner PRODUCTION DRAMATURGY Wolfram Sander AND the Sophiensæle Team
WITH Tamara Alegre + Lydia Ö. Diakité + Marie Ursin + Elie Autin + Nunu Flashdem + Marga Alfeirão, Angela Alves, Juan Pablo Cámara, Criptonite, Nuray Demir, Double Much, Sophie Guisset, h0chbegabt, Neo Hülcker, Lecken, Jeremy Nedd & Impilo Mapantsula, Ania Nowak, Ceylan Öztrük, Prinzessinnengarten Kollektiv Berlin, Jen Rosenblit, Liz Rosenfeld + an*dre neely, Lea Sherin + Soraya Reichl, Sickness Affinity Group, Aimé C. Songe, Tischkau & Hampe, Hans Unstern, Siegmar Zacharias and many more.
The festival Leisure & Pleasure is supported by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds. Media partners: Arts of the Working Class, Berlin Art Link, Kulturplakatierung,Missy Magazine, Rausgegangen, tip Berlin , taz.die tageszeitung, Kulturplakatierung, Spreedruck.
This content has been machine translated.Mai 25 - Juli 01
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