die ostdeutschen als avantgarde

A walk through the time after German Reunification with texts, audiovisual sources and perfomance elements

There was a time when “the East Germans” were considered as avantgarde; they seem rush on ahead of the circumstances: They had passed the radical changes which still awaited ohters. And this thought had something utopic. The East Germans were relieved from monotony and the tribulation of work and they would be open for big experiments, yes, the hopeful departure into the unknown. These thoughts were formulated more than 16 years ago by author the Wolfgang Engler. The walk goes onto a tracking: From the utopias of the times after Reunification and the following avantgarde hopes onwards we will deconstruct the varied narratives together with the participants. Thereby we will look into these questions:

Who are “the East Germans” really? How could a collective consciousness look like? Are “the East Germans” ready for the role of the avantgarde? Do the East German despair, displeasure and hate, which are so publicly present in these days, stay a dark, apocalyptic state or could it pour into a positive avantagrde position?

Draft and execution: Katja Manz and Dominik Intelmann

In cooperation with the aid association of the theaters of Chemnitz. Supported by new undiscov_red narratives and the Cultural Foundation of the Saxon State. These measures are co-financed by tax revenue on the basis of the budget passed by the Lantag of Saxony.