Maja von Kriegstein
Free Improv Orchestra - Transforming Echo Chambers into Poetic Ecologies of Resonance
Workshop, English/Deutsch, 2 SWS, 2 ECTS
7 Sessions in Lietzenburger Str. 45, room 103:
Friday, 16.5., 16-20 h
Saturday, 17.5., 10-14 h
Friday, 23.5., 16-20 h
Friday, 6.6., 16-20 h
Friday, 13.6., 16-20 h
Friday, 20.6., 16-20 Uhr, dressrehearsal
Saturday, 21.6., 10-12 h, Warm-up, 12-14h public presentation and wrapup.

Registration on Moodle starts on 14.4.2025: https://moodle.udk-berlin.de/moodle/course/view.php?id=2669
Enrollment Key: music

In times of parallel public spheres, political radicalization and the hollowing out of democracy, we will try to make a contribution to the work against that dynamic. As a temporary, hopefully quite diverse ensemble, we will test and further develop an entire toolbox of improvisational performance practices that might be helpful in working towards more permeable, resonant structures within the diverse body of a society. We will take off from sound related practices, but just as our key terms „Echo Chamber“ and „Resonance“, we will not stay there and take the idea further, aiming for a politically engaged notion of improvisation, as a training for collective action facing an unforseeable and in many senses quite worrying future.

Literature:
Brandon LaBelle „Acoustic Justice“ (2021).
Simon Rose „Relational Improvisation“ (2024).
Hartmut Rosa „Resonanz - Eine Soziologie der Weltbeziehung“ (2016).
Hanna Arendt „Gedanken zu Lessing. Von der Menschlichkeit in finsteren Zeiten“ (1959) u.a.

Fulfilment criteria for ungraded accreditation: Very regular participation, 1 self defined project (artistic practice or short essay or short presentation), keeping an improv journal over the entire course.

Maja von Kriegstein is a musician, performer and university lecturer at the UdK Berlin. Her predominantly collectively developed free works include improvised music, experimental band projects and post-dramatic music theater. In these works, socio-political issues are often embedded in the context of experimental music. Maja studied Music Education/Piano at UdK Berlin and Manhattan School of Music NY as well as philosophy at Humboldt University Berlin. She is about to graduate with a second MA-Degree in Performance Practices / Choreography from ArtEZ hoogeschool van de kunsten / Arnhem (NL). More information on https://www.udk-berlin.de/person/maja-kriegstein/, www.mannausobst.eu, www.detox.wtf.