Performances – Workshops – Lab

From May 11 to 19, 2012 the International Performance Art Festival is taking place in Berlin for the sixth time. The festival is a one of a kind art festival, which with workshops, labs, and performances, is among the most important platforms for performance art. After the festival last year on the theme of Hunger, in their performances this year, over 100 Berlin and international artists will address the theme of Escape: confrontation, experimentation, creativity.

The kick-off of the festival is the presentation of the workshops on May 11.

The first highlight on May 12 is the Art Parade from Kreuzberg to Friedrichshain including crossing the Spree river on an escape raft, a demonstration as an art form in which diverse artistic initiatives from Berlin will participate.

In our evening program from May 14 to 17, we present the most current trends from the field of performance art. The goal is to demonstrate the enormous diversity of the art form.

With the finale, the highpoint of the festival on May 18 and 19, the newest works of our international guests and artists in Berlin will be presented.

Why Escape?
Escape refers to a geopolitical phenomenon that is becoming increasing explosive with regard to politics, socioeconomics, and culture. Growing disparities are leading to new forms of borders and new forms of escape throughout the world.

Even in supposedly safe places, crises are disrupting up social structures (for example, the serious atomic accident in highly developed Japan, "Fortress Europe," climate change, or the international financial crisis).

With the aim of promoting political discourse, the theme of Escape serves as a foil and source of inspiration for an international art festival with an emphasis on performance art.

Workshops May 5 to 11

Workshops for artists and other interested individuals led by professional artists from the fields of performance, dance, and theater. Fixed dates with registration.

for more info and registration to the Workshops>

Performance Lab May 15 to 17

Open-ended works involving all interested individuals, the performers in the festival and the artists' community of BLO-Ateliers. The results of the lab will be presented on May 17 at BLO-Ateliers.

all info about Performance Lab>

Venue Addresses

Venue 1: Mime Centrum Berlin

The Mime Centrum Berlin in the Künstlerquartier Bethanien, as a center for work, information, and documentation of movement theater, is an open location for production, further training, cooperation, and international exchange
Künstlerquartier Bethanien, Marianenplatz 2, 10997 Berlin Kreuzberg. www.mimecentrum.de

Venue 2: Volksluxus im Bullenwinkel

Volksluxus is situated on a square located at the end of Naunynstrasse in the heart of Kreuzberg 36, popularly called the "Bullenwinkel" (a cattle market was once located here many years ago). Volksluxus is a workshop, studio, and gallery. It is also the location of the Open Space event office.
Naunynstraße 52, 10999 Berlin Kreuzberg www.volksluxus.net

Venue 3: Supamolli

The building - residents, tenants, cultural association, members of the cooperative, event collective, furniture workshop, and much more...
Jessner Straße 41, 10247 Berlin Friedrichshain www.supamolly.de

Venue 4: Cafe Stadler

A small, cozy bar in the Ostkreuz neighborhood of Berlin. Performance venue and artists' rendezvous with changing exhibitions, piano evenings, performances ...
Cafe Stadler, Boxhagenerstraße 69, 10245 Berlin Friedrichshain www.cafestadler.de

Venue 5: Theaterkapelle

A cemetery chapel as theater chapel! The oldest, historically protected building in Friedrichshain (1876) in which funerals are still held on every second Tuesday of the month. What a wonderful challenge for us living human beings!
Theaterkapelle10245e.V., Boxhagener Straße 99, 10245 Berlin Friedrichshain www.theaterkapelle.de

Venue 6: BLO-Ateliers

Surrounded by train tracks, re-conquered by nature, the 12,000-square-meter-large site of the former Berlin-Lichtenberg-Ost train depot is situated close to Ostkreuz. It is today one of the most interesting and largest artists' communities in East Berlin..
BLO-Ateliers, Kaskelstraße 55, 10317 Berlin Lichtenberg www.blo-ateliers.de

"Escape" is a collaboration of Open Space Berlin and B-Lock, two groups that can look back at many years of experience with performance festivals, join forces to strike out on new paths and gain new experiences.

Open Space Berlin is an internationally networked platform of artists from the fields of performance art, theater, and the visual arts. Its emphasis is on interaction in the public space through artistic actions. Open Space organizes and stages festivals, performances, and exhibitions away from the mainstream. (www.openspace32.de)

The B-Lock Festival is a performance, theater, dance, and movement festival. Since 2007, it has been staged once a year by BLO-Ateliers (Lockkunst e.V) and hosts artists of various backgrounds. Under the motto "Begegnung durch Bewegung" (encounters through movement), B-Lock represents an event for physical expression through performing, performative, and visual arts. (www.blo-ateliers.de)