Matters of Heritage

The Literaturhaus Stuttgart dedicated its international literary congress to the thematic complex of heritage. Applying artistic and academic methods, it provided an interdisciplinary, multi-perspective view of “matters of heritage” which interweave social layers, cultural and ethnic markers, gender classifications and age structures. How can we make routine and often stereotypical systems of classification more flexible? How can we redefine diversity from vastly different backgrounds as a positively connoted heterogeneity? How do we create communities despite distinctive differences? In discourse-based and performative formats, the participants explored what functions art and culture could serve and what instruments they possessed which could challenge populist labelling and simplification with inclusive visions of the future. The project wished to cast an unbiased view on “matters of heritage”, convinced that a language of hatred and violence could be countered by different languages – a language of art – which possessed sufficient potential for a redesign.

Artistic directors: Stefanie Stegmann, Kateryna Stetsevych (UA), Katarina Berg (CS)
Participants: Mutherem Aras (TR), Björn Bicker, Sighard Neckel, Ulrich Peltzer, Philipp Schönthaler