HKW out and about

“Dialog on equal footing,” “lending a voice” – this kind of wording reveals positions of power. How can we bring ourselves to think differently? How is empowerment created within the host society? Following sound tracks, artists and activists, newcomers and long-time residents of Berlin work to politicize the act of listening.

The changes and disruptions of the past hundred years have shaped our conception of reality, our thought, and our language. The Dictionary of Now series reflects on the capacity of language to both depict and create reality. Since the modern age this has gone hand in hand with the search for universal truths and codified usages. The Dictionary of Now confronts this assertion of linguistic universalism with specific contemporary positions.

How do intelligence agencies become power apparatuses with their own agendas? What do major construction sites reveal about today’s society? What significance does the digital space have for democratic processes? And how do economic elites influence world politics?

The pop star author: On October 2, 1966, young Hubert Fichte read from his unfinished novel Die Palette (The Palette) at the Star-Club. In his book, the queer ethnographer was the first to portray a West German underground scene. A reenactment will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the evening at ACUD in Berlin and Golem in Hamburg.