“Any way the wind blows.” This poetic line (courtesy of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody) is the motto of Re:publica 22 (08–10.06.2022). Before the pandemic forced its suspension, the annual festival for digital society always closed with a rendition of the rock anthem. Now the event is back with its 15th edition, presenting a jam-packed program from Arena Berlin and, for the first time, Festsaal Kreuzberg next door. Choosing which of the 400 sessions and 700 speakers from politics, society, science, culture, business and media to see is quite a challenge – or, to put it in Queen’s words: mamma mia, mamma mia! Hosted on ten indoor and outdoor stages, the program includes the opening keynote by transformation researcher Maja Göpel, a conversation with philosopher Carolin Emcke and witty musings from Internet darling El Hotzo. Central topics this year include the climate crisis, the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, and digital society and its challenges. How do we deal with disinformation and hate on the web, for example? And what are the economic and social impacts of tech developments like the Metaverse, NFTs and AI?
In addition to keynotes, panel discussions, workshops and a Makerspace, the festival will feature art installations, exhibitions and performances – including one by artist and quantum physicist Libby Heaney. At the end of a busy day, you can look forward to live music (Tocotronic will be playing on 10.06.), karaoke and DJ sets while relaxing in the beach area, on the Badeschiff or at Hoppetosse. Saturday (11.06) will see the launch of networking event .txt (pronounced: “text”), taking place in the Glashaus and Badeschiff. It’s dedicated to the written word and features discussions about screenplays, song lyrics, tweets, graphic novels, essays, memes and more. Professionals will come together with autodidacts, authors, publishers, researchers and artists to celebrate writing, with Anja Rützel, Peter Wittkamp and Ariana Baborie set to attend. Sister program Tincon – the conference for digital youth culture for 13 to 25-year-olds (10–11.06.2022 at Festsaal Kreuzberg) – also promises much to discover.
Text: Nike Wilhelms / Photos: Anne Barth & Jann Zapfer
Arena Berlin, Eichenstr.4, 12435 Berlin–Treptow; map
Re:publica 22 (08–10.06.2022) – you can find the program, tickets and other information here.
