NO STRINGS ATTACHED — “AUS DEN FUGEN” AT KONZERTHAUS BERLIN

Mixed up, disrupted, topsy-turvy. Welcome to earth, modern politics and – at least for the month of November – Konzerthaus Berlin. For two weeks starting 14.11.2022, the classical musical venue is suspending normal programming for Aus den Fugen, a concert series billed as a “soundtrack of a world in transition”. Rather different from your regular Brahms and Liszt, the line-up includes the likes of a techno marching band and a sonic play-off where six pianists battle for your ears. It’s a kind of musical free-for-all, with no strings attached. Okay: there are some strings – on the guitar played by Fatoumata Diawara, the Malian singer-songwriter whose music dissects the politics of her West African home. She’s bringing her band along for a concert on 20.11 (starts 20h).

Though very much an orchestra, the Reflektor ensemble also likes to challenge classical convention: the 40-strong music group from Hamburg is bringing its concert of “shadow works” – forgotten or neglected works composed by women – to the Gendarmenmarkt venue (23.11, 20h). And then there are the pianos: six are needed to play Limited Approximations, a piece by contemporary Austrian composer Georg Friedrich Haas. Their strings are slightly detuned, resulting in music that’s less concert, more “sound intoxication” session (18.11, 20h). The performance is one of eight that you can attend with an experience ticket, which lets you reserve your seat for free and pay what you think the concert is worth at the end. Topsy-turvy indeed.

Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Mantuno & Lucerne Festival Priska Ketterer & Orchestertwitch Cleanfeed

Konzerthaus Berlin, Gendarmenmarkt, 10117 Berlin–Mitte; map

Tickets for Aus den Fugen (14–27.11.2022) can be bought online.

@konzerthausberlin

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Events, Medienpartnerschaft

GLOSSY 3D ART ON THE DANCEFLOOR — HOUSE OF DIMOTION EXHIBITION AT ÆVE

Two animated heads bob and warp. One has moss on its face, its hair inexplicably on fire; another has bulging, smoking eyeballs dangling out of their sockets. These 3D creatures look a bit like avatars in a metaverse – if that metaverse was some kind of dystopian rave dungeon. Gross and completely captivating, they’re the creation of animators Marco Moriand Steven Baltay – two of the 26 artists whose work is showing on TV screens at the ÆVE club and cultural center in Kreuzberg until 30.11.2022. House of DiMotion is the name of the show, a walking exhibition spread across the rooms and dancefloors of the former Chalet club. Among the artists exhibiting are big hitters from the 3D art world, including Swedish motion designer Andreas Wannerstedt and Hamburg-born digital artist Marc Tudisco, known for his NFT portraits of cyborgs.

Projected on walls and shown on monitors, the works are sometimes serious and nihilistic, sometimes glossy and kitschy. What they always are is slick and social media-ready. And this being a club, the poppy visuals are accompanied by an electronic music program – played on a Funktion-One sound system, naturally…

Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: House of DiMotion

House of DiMotion runs until 30.11.2022 at ÆVE, Vor dem Schlesischen Tor 3, 10997 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map

You can pay for a time slot for the exhibition online and on the door.

@peqasgallery

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Shops, Sponsored Post

DRINK SYNDIKAT ADVENT CALENDAR — OPEN THE DOOR TO FESTIVE GIN COCKTAILS

This advent calendar is for adults only: Drink Syndikat’s Gin Cocktail Advent Calendar, which has a new festive design and is packed with the perfect ingredients for sippable cocktails. Founded in 2014 by Jens Hoffmann and Erik Pfauth, Syndikat is all about whipping up high-quality mixed drinks in the comfort of your own home. Their sets combine high-quality spirits with the knowledge and skills of experienced bartenders, and the Advent calendar, which brings together popular recipes from the past eight years, is no exception. Behind each of the 24 doors are the ingredients you need for mixing at home (such as bitters and syrups), and every two to four days you’ll collect enough to craft a delicious beverage, for a total of 16 drinks. You can look forward to the likes of a Reserve Coffee Sour with a nutty aroma, and a Pink Float with elderberry, grapefruit and orange notes. Also included is a handbook with eight recipes, recommendations and details about the various manufacturers from around the world. And since the holiday spirit is best experienced in great company, the Advent Calendar’s drinks are designed for two people. Here’s to happy cocktail sipping!

Text: Sofia Fischer / Photos: Drink Syndikat & Kateryna Firsova

Gin Cocktail Adventskalender from Drink Syndikat

You can order the calendar online.

@drinksyndikat

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Events

CRAFTING A STORY, LIVE ON STAGE — SHOW DON’T TELL SHOW AT THE VOLKSBÜHNE’S ROTER SALON

Literary events tend to be much of a muchness: an author reads from their book, explains a bit about the background and takes questions from the audience. Show Don’t Tell Show, the talk event at the Volksbühne’s Roter Salon next Wednesday (16.11.2022), is a very different beast. The latest in a series of literary evenings from Kabeljau und Dorsch (who describe themselves as a “label for young literary mediation”), the event invites two real-life protagonists and one professional author onto the stage. Then, in front of the audience, the trio lay the grounds for a new story on a particular theme, which next week is “Verzicht” (renunciation, or doing without). On author duty is Mathias Nawrat, whose latest book, “Reise nach Maine”, tells the story of a writer who travels to New England with his East European mother.

For his protagonists, Nawrat is joined by Denis Newiak, a Media Studies academic who apparently wants to give it all up to make reality TV on Mars, and Alexandra Weichesmiller, a business coach who specializes in helping burned-out executives exit their high flying jobs. After hearing from the pair, Nawrat will begin to come up with a plot, narrative and characters in real time. As an audience member, you’ll see first hand how authors practice their craft. For Writing Rule No.1, we’d refer you to the title: show don’t tell.

Text: Benji Haughton / Photos: Schiefer Film; Jonas Huhn; Kabeljau & Dorsch; Volksbühne

Show Don’t Tell Show (16.11.2022, 20h) at the Roter Salon, Volksbühne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Linienstr.227, 10178 Berlin–Mitte; map

@volksbuehne_berlin
@kabeljauunddorsch

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Culture

SOUND MAGIC AND VISUAL POETRY — PANTHA DU PRINCE AT THE HKW

A Berlin electronic musician, a utopian architecture collective, a video artist and a choir meet in a large Berlin museum building to blend ecology, aesthetics, music, nature and humans. You can hear, see and feel the results of this collaboration tonight (10.11.2022 20h) at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. It has been 20 years since musician Pantha du Prince, whose real name is Hendrik Weber, released his debut. Since then, his output has been continuous, with his latest album Garden Gaia released in the summer of 2022. The record translates the form-giving processes of nature into sound, resulting in music that combines atmospheric minimal techno, poetic sounds and experimental noises from partly self-built instruments. In the HKW hall, Garden Gaia will be performed alongside video works by artist Natalia Stuyk, with stage design by Berlin utopian architecture firm Something Fantastic, which has made a name for itself in recent years with its designs for the ICC. The whole thing will be accompanied by the resident choir. Holistic art made from the superorganism that is earth? We are, in a word, certainly curious.

Text: Hilka Dirks / Photos: Studio Bowie, Marta Pina & Promo / Credit: HKW

Haus der Kulturen der Welt, John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, 10557 Berlin–Tiergarten; map

Pantha du Prince: Garden Gaia 10.11.2022 from 20h. The event is part of the Cosmic Awakening series – tickets online.

@hkw_berlin

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Language

NO STRINGS ATTACHED — “AUS DEN FUGEN” AT KONZERTHAUS BERLIN

GLOSSY 3D ART ON THE DANCEFLOOR — HOUSE OF DIMOTION EXHIBITION AT ÆVE

DRINK SYNDIKAT ADVENT CALENDAR — OPEN THE DOOR TO FESTIVE GIN COCKTAILS

CRAFTING A STORY, LIVE ON STAGE — SHOW DON’T TELL SHOW AT THE VOLKSBÜHNE’S ROTER SALON

SOUND MAGIC AND VISUAL POETRY — PANTHA DU PRINCE AT THE HKW