Gray, cold and right? How do we talk about "East Germany"?

29.10.2025 / 17:00 / Weserburg Bremen

What is “East Germany”? We want to talk about a space that is usually perceived as gray, cold and politically right-wing. We want to discuss how East German lifeworlds are constructed in media representations, political debates and cultural and literary narratives between self-description and external attribution, between memory and the present.

Together with our guests, we want to discuss perspectives from research and practice that do not understand “the East” as a monolithic place, but rather make its diversity and contradictions visible. Using examples from pop culture, literature and everyday life, we want to trace processes of belonging, exclusion and identity formation.

Guests

Jakob Springfeld, author and journalist

Anna Lux and Jonas Brückner, authors of “Neon/Grey”

Vanessa Beyer, Project (K)Einheit

Moderation: Klaas Anders

An event organized by:

Tip: 07. - 09.10, "Meeting Leoš Janáček and Víězslava Kaprálová"

The association SIGNUM open space e.V. invites:

“Meeting Leoš Janáček and Víězslava Kaprálová”: SYMPOSIUM on the life and work of the Czech composers of the early 20th century – workshops, lectures, rehearsals, discussion concert. We are delighted to welcome our distinguished guests Derek Katz (USA) and Igor Karsko (Czech Republic, Switzerland), experts on Czech composers and life at the time.
Find out more about Janáček’s extraordinary way of composing and about a woman who, in a very short life, went far beyond the boundaries set for her at the time because of her gender and fought for her success.

All information here: https://signumopenspace.com/termine.html

Exhibition "The Collision of Freedom" - Program in Bremen

The Collision of Freedom

Nazi persecution of Czech, German and Polish swing dancers and jazz musicians

Trinational exhibition from August 22 to September 14, 2025

Gallery of the University of the Arts (HfK)
Dechanatstrasse 13-15
28195 Bremen

Accompanying program:

August 22, 7 p.m. Exhibition opening with partners from the Czech Republic and Poland, in the HfK gallery
Afterwards: live music by Jakub Šafr & swing trio Avalon with social dance, DJane Eléna Wendt (Swing Man Tau) until 11 pm
Venue: Gallery of the HfK

24 August, 3 p.m. Lecture by Dr. Šárka Jarská on the persecution of Czech jazz musicians and the Czech swing youth by the Nazi regime
Afterwards: Tea Dance
Venue: Evangelische Studierendengemeinde Oldenburg, Schützenweg 40, 26129 Oldenburg

September 5, from 7 p.m. Bremen Babylon Bohème, the dance night at Bali’Ku with original swing shellac records by DJ Guido Bolero
Venue: Bali’Ku, Werderstraße 60, 28199 Bremen

September 6 & 13 (time to follow) Swing Walk: City tour in the footsteps of Bremen’s swing youth
Meeting point: in front of City 46, Birkenstraße 1, 28195 Bremen

September 6, 7 p.m. Film screening of “Django – A Life for Music”, preceded by a film discussion with Django Heinreich Reinhard and Giovanni Steinbach, moderated by Natalie Reinsch (BBfd-tZ)
Venue: Gallery of the HfK

September 10, 7 p.m. Theater performance: “Gegen das, was da oben ist” – a documentary collage with motifs from “Swinging Bremen” by Birgit Köhler with the performing arts course of Helene Finck (Altes Gymnasium Bremen)
Venue: Gallery of the HfK

September 12, 7 p.m. Talk about Sinti Swing with Dardo Balke and Nico Thom, followed by a concert by the Dardo Balke Ensemble with Social Dance
Venue: Gallery of the HfK

Click here for the program flyer

NS-Injustice "Degenerated Music"

The transnational project takes a comparative look at the Nazi persecution practices of the northwest German swing youth, the Czech potapki and the swing and jazz music scene in occupied Poland and develops multi-perspective, interdisciplinary and participatory mediation formats.

Events