Fight the Fatigue!

The philosopher Byung-Chul Han, a professor of Philosophy in Karlsruhe, characterizes Western societies as “fatigue societies”. This diagnosis prompted the Literaturhaus Cologne to initiate measures to combat social, political and intellectual fatigue. The first measure, Stimulants, emphasized the signals of the Arab awakening, its artistic and intellectual impulses. Leading international figures in the fields of literature, journalism, science and art presented artistic reactions to the rapidly unfolding social developments in Arab countries. The second measure, Whiplash, addressed the relationship between the pressure to achieve and the acceleration of life with their symptoms of individual depression and collective fatigue, of political and social paralysis in Western societies. The third, seemingly paradoxical measure, titled An Appeal for More Tiredness, made an argument for deceleration, for slower forms of perception, for hesitating and pausing as a means of combatting the overwhelming demands of our times. The three-day festival took place in Cologne, Freiburg and Berlin simultaneously in June 2012 and featured an extensive accompanying programme of films, public interventions and a competition for young people.

Artistic directors: Insa Wilke, Stefanie Stegmann

Artists: Abbas Khider (IRQ/DE), Stefan Weidner, Noémi Kiss (H), Ines Geipel, Kathrin Passig and others

Literaturhaus Cologne, Literaturbüro Freiburg, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Berlin, 1 - 3 Jun. 2012