Make some noise
Raising awareness and addressing social issues is also a focus of this year's Arts and Words programme. In the programmatic focus MAKE SOME NOISE we negotiate topics at the interface of music, politics, and pop culture and take a critical look at political and social structures.
Modern forms of protest, a tour through the iconic district of St. Pauli, silkscreen prints and so much more: In addition to the podcast Homegirls and a lecture including a talk by the two authors Yasmine M'Barek and Nadia Shehadeh, we are especially looking forward to our exhibition COLLIDE at Arts Playground. Here, our video format gets its stage and thus turns from a pure online spectacle into a live experience.
Yasmine M’Barek & Nadia Shehadeh
Yasmine M’Barek and Nadia Shehadeh share one thing in particular – the will to protest, driven by an anger at the status quo, a desire for change. And now they are coming together for a joint reading and discussion. Yasmine M’Barek presents her new book "Protest – Über Wirksamkeit und Risiken des zivilen Ungehorsams” [Protest – On the Effectiveness and Risks of Civil Disobedience"] for the first time – thus opening doors to understanding modern forms of protest. With her on the podium is: Nadia Shehadeh, self-appointed “anti-girlboss”, who will be reading from her book “Anti-Girlboss: Den Kapitalismus vom Sofa aus bekämpfen” [Anti-Girlboss: Taking the fight to capitalism from your armchair]. The sociologist and author makes the case for preserving a comfort zone to prevent us burning out in the face of external demands.
Helen Fares and Josi Miller aka the Homegirls under the MAKE SOME NOISE focus theme? The perfect match! Every fortnight, the two podcasters talk to their guests about life’s big issues – society and politics, music and emotions. Helen Fares, self-proclaimed "Ms. Baklava" and "Syrian in Almanya", is a human rights activist, journalist and presenter. Josi Miller works as a producer, DJ and singer, grew up in Leipzig and now lives in Berlin. Together they chat with Aurel Mertz about Axel Springer and Magic Mike, talk to BLOND about sexualised violence and Conflakes and even coax a few words from Herbert Grönemeyer on the subject of techno.
One music act, one visual artist, one joint artistic work. Debuted at the 2022 Reeperbahn Festival, the artistic parallel world that is COLLIDE is a creative coming together featuring a musical live performance visually accompanied by an individualised artwork. The festival's original video format gets its own stage at Reeperbahn Festival 2023, transforming it from an online-only spectacle to a live experience. “COLLIDE at Arts Playground” is an exhibition combining the two intrinsically linked art forms of the visible and audible with the graphic design studio "Bareis + Nicolaus" in collaboration with audiovisual artist duo "Lichtgestalten".
And key messages aren’t confined to the music on the stages and in the clubs; the art on the streets of St. Pauli is also full of them – in keeping with this year's festival theme MAKE SOME NOISE. But when you’re preoccupied with a packed events timetable, a long-awaited newcomer band or a cold beer with old friends, it's too easy to overlook the colourful works on the walls of the city. The Street Art Walk with STREET ART EXPERIENCE changes that. A guide with a keen eye and a passion for street art leads you around the Reeperbahn into out-of-the-way alleys and promising backyards.
"Don't wait for someone else to put your stuff out there, do it yourself!" Spawned in true DIY fashion, Flatstock, the American Poster Institute's world-leading gig poster show series, has come a long way. From its very first show in a San Francisco warehouse in 2002, it now takes in shows at major festivals all over the globe such as SXSW Austin, Pitchfork Chicago, Bumbershoot Seattle, Primavera Sound Barcelona and Corona Capital Mexico. An essential since its first Reeperbahn Festival appearance, the 17th edition of Flatstock will take place this year. And what can beat treasuring your best concert experiences and favourite bands with a reminder on your wall to go alongside those memories in your head.
No Hamburg, no Beatles. These four words sum up the influence the Hanseatic city had on the "Fab Four". And one thing for sure is that seeing the locations where this interaction took place yourself beats just hearing about them second hand. The Beatles Tour takes you through Hamburg's cult quarter St. Pauli to the venues where the lads from England emerged as the band everyone still knows and loves today. Taking in Indra to Kaiserkeller, Top Ten to the Star-Club – Stefanie Hempel, inventor of the tour, delights all Beatles fans in Hamburg with facts, anecdotes and a ukulele on her walk