Berliner Programm Künstlerische Forschung: Artistic Research Festival – Sophiensæle | Independent Theater in Berlin
Berliner Programm Künstlerische Forschung:
Artistic Research Festival
The closing night of the inaugural edition of the Artistic Research Festival is a mosaic of formats that includes performative approaches on artistic research as well as sound and moving image interventions. The contributions intertwine the methodologies, trajectories, and artistic forms that constitute the fellows’ research projects. As a constellation, they not only reflect the breadth of articulations, but form a constellation of practices that intersect, diverge, and coexist – a porous, many-voiced proposal for being alongside, where artistic research is not a fixed discipline or a method to be mastered, but a living inquiry into how we know, sense, imagine, and relate.
In their manifoldness they navigate sensory and epistemological layers of interrelatedness. Thought takes form – not only in language, but in movement, image, sound, material, and relation. The festival claims space for research to emerge in its transformative capacity: as a communal act, driven by the desire to shift the inner mechanisms of knowing by artistic means.
The festival also marks the 5th anniversary of the Berlin Artistic Research Programme, which, despite its international recognition, is threatened with closure. Currently, no funding is allocated by CDU/SPD in the 2026/27 budget draft.
Pary El-Qalqili's contribution deals with war, death, and grief.
If you have any questions after reading the following information, please contact Stefanie Hauser at barrierefreiheit@sophiensaele.com or 030 27 89 00 35.
Duration
- Approximately 3 hours with one intermission (approximately 30 minutes).
Language
- Contribution 1: Arabic with English surtitles. Booklets with the texts in Arabic, English, German.
- Contribution 2: English spoken language.
- Contribution 3: German spoken language. Video in English and Wolof with subtitles in English and Wolof.
- Contribution 4: Film in Serbo-Croatian/Bosnian spoken language with English subtitles.
- Contribution 5: Film in English spoken language without surtitles.
Lighting
- The lighting alternates between light and dark.
- There are some completely dark sections. The longest dark section lasts 30 seconds.
- Flashlights are used to shine light into the audience.
Sound
- There are some musical interludes. The musical interludes do not come as a surprise or abruptly.
- There is one passage with loud, continuous sound.
Interaction
- In the first contribution, mirrors are distributed to the audience. The audience is invited onto the stage to participate in a mourning ritual.
Other
- Stage fog is used.
Audience
- Seated grandstand
- 2 beanbag seats available to book, subject to availability
- 2 wheelchair spaces available to book, subject to availability
Early boarding
- There will be a long admission period. The doors open 10 minutes before the start of the performance
Tickets
- Reservations can be made via the ticket telephone at 030 283 52 66, Monday to Friday from 4pm-6pm
- Via the online ticket shop
- At the box office
You can also find more information about accessibility at the house here.
With: Anta Helena Recke, Henrike Naumann, Anna Zett, Pary El-Qalqili, Murat Adash, Marta Popivoda, Holly Herndon
A production of the Berlin Program for Artistic Research, funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion. Media partners: Missy Magazine, Siegessäule, taz.
The Berlin Artistic Research Program supports artists across disciplines through fellowships, production funding, and a research community that fosters exchange among the participants. Public programming — including insights into the funded projects — further contributes to debates in and around the field of artistic research, extending this community to wider audiences and advocating for an on-going unfolding of practices and forms. The Berlin Artistic Research Programme was launched in 2020 by the Society for Artistic Research in Germany (gkfd) and is funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Europe.
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© Giacomo Moroso -
Anton Kats: After Hope, 2025 © Mayra Wallraff