We are in this together, but we are not the same

The climate crisis affects everyone, but not in the same way. The Theaterformen Festival wishes to address the subject of climate justice as one of the central ethical-political challenges of our times. The project plans to direct its focus on the perspectives of marginalised groups and will invite international indigenous artists and disabled artists, activists and researchers to participate. As part of what they call a “real laboratory”, they will present their personal views on nature, energy and consumption and explore alternative approaches with interested participants from Hannover.

One of the invited artists is Denilson Baniwa, a member of the Baniwa tribe in Brazil, whose performances, installations and paintings address the violence against Brazilian indigenous peoples. Claire Cunningham, a Scottish choreographer with a physical handicap, has developed an artistic practice called “walk & talk” which explores the relationship of the handicapped body to nature. Jess Thom is a British theatre director and performer with Tourette syndrome who uses her physical and verbal tics as the basis for her artistic work. She incorporates children, adults and especially persons with learning disabilities into her playful and surreal worlds.

The 11-day real laboratory aims to initiate a broad, participative process with which the city becomes the performative venue. The two main venues of the project couldn’t be any more different – the central event location, Raschplatzhochstrasse, an elevated highway which symbolises Hannover’s automobile industry, and Eilenriede, Europe’s largest municipal forest, located just 500 metres away. Atop the elevated highway, the project will install several collaboratively designed temporary structures as space for artistic and participative projects.

Artistic directors: Anna Mülter, endboss

Artists and researchers: Denilson Baniwa, Eli Clare, Claire Cunningham, Emerson Munduruku/ Uýra, Sunaura Taylor, Jess Thom/Touretteshero, Daiara Tukano, Marcela Vecchione, Julia Watts Belser, Célia Xakriabá