Aesthetics of Access: Audiodeskription – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin
Aesthetics of Access: Audiodeskription
How can dance be translated into language? How can movement, bodies, and space be described in ways that make dance accessible to different modes of perception?
The workshop Aesthetics of Access: Audio Description understands accessibility as an artistic and collective practice and explores how artistic processes can emerge from the perspectives of blind and visually impaired people. Drawing on approaches of Aesthetics of Access, participants will collectively explore different ways of experiencing dance and performance. Audio description serves as one method among many to think about language, perception, movement, and access.
The workshop is led by Annika Jakobs ([short description of Annika]). Through practical exercises, participants will engage with perception, description, bodies, space, and the question of how accessibility can be considered as an artistic practice rather than simply a tool of mediation. The workshop also includes a short introduction to the network Making a Difference.
Afterwards, all participants will attend the audio-described performance A Good Man is Hard to Find by BULLYACHE at Sophiensæle as part of the international performance festival Never Work.
The workshop and performance visit are free of charge. The workshop is open to sighted, blind, and visually impaired participants between the ages of 16 and 27.
The workshop takes place as part of the workshop series speaking dance by Future Move e.V., in cooperation with Sophiensæle and the network Making a Difference.
The information is currently being prepared and will be added as soon as possible. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact the Communications Department at barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 35. Please note that details are subject to change until the day of the event.
Duration
- 3 hours with 2 breaks
Language
- German spoken language
- The workshop will be conducted in standard German and may include some English or academic terms, which will be explained. Questions are welcome at any time
Pick-up Service
- If needed, we offer a pick-up service for blind and visually impaired individuals from nearby S-Bahn and tram stops. These include the Hackescher Markt S-Bahn station, the Weinmeisterstraße U-Bahn station, or the Weinmeisterstraße/Gipsstraße tram stop. To use the pickup service, please contact us during our business hours (Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.) at 030 27 89 00 35 or barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com.
- Further information about the pickup service at the Sophiensaele can be found here.
Lighting
- The room is filled with natural light throughout and has a generally bright atmosphere.
Other
- Any form of attention is welcome. Moving around the room is also possible during the theoretical sessions.
Participation in the practical sessions is voluntary. The practical sessions may include some consensual physical contact, but there are always other options available.
There is an assistant available to help with orientation.
Space
- Moving around the room is welcome but not required.
- There are chairs with backs as well as beanbags and floor cushions.
- There is a tactile guidance system in the workshop room that also leads to the restrooms and the relaxation room.
- You may leave and re-enter the workshop room at any time.
Registration
- Via the online form from Future Move e.V.
- by email at barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com
- by phone at 030 278900 35
You can also find further information on accessibility in the building here.
Workshop lead: Annika Jakobs
With: Juli Reinartz (Making a Difference), Bahar Meriç (Future Move e.V.)
The project speaking dance is funded by Berliner Projektfonds Kulturelle Bildung. Never Work—International Performance Festival is a festival by Sophiensæle, supported by the Capital Cultural Fund (HKF). Sophiensæle is supported by the Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion. Media partners: Berlin Art Link, Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz.
Annika Jakobs (she/her) is a white, cis, legally blind dramaturg who studied Applied Theatre Studies, Cultural Studies, and Aesthetic Practice. She has worked at municipal and state theatres and most recently held a position at the Bureau for Participation and Utopias at Theater der Jungen Welt Leipzig. As an access dramaturg and consultant, she works across various artistic contexts and festivals. Alongside her critical examination of discriminatory structures and processes in cultural institutions, her work focuses on the potential of accessibility as an art form, the empowerment of diverse perceptual styles, and the power-sensitive implementation of audio description.