The old fire station in Bitterfeld-Wolfen is the center of the festival for two weeks.
Foto: Martin-Naundorf
Last year’s premiere was apparently a success: This weekend the Osten Festival in Bitterfeld-Wolfen is entering its second round. Under the direction of the dramaturge and curator Aljoscha Begrich and the cultural manager Susanne Beyer, the aim is once again – this time over three weekends instead of just one – to engage with the city of Bitterfeld-Wolfen, its surroundings and East Germany as a whole through performances, installations, films, plays, discussions and excursions. The series of events is called a “Festival for Art and Mutual Interest” – the East is intended to be “explored” and “celebrated” as a place of transformation where human coexistence and the (urban) landscape have changed significantly in recent decades.
»What does east mean? What is specific and what is international? What can be learned from the past? What ideas and visions are there for the future?” are the questions the festival asks on its website. Just like last year, the organizers are primarily focusing on letting people talk to each other and interact: be it by bathing together on the forecourt of the former fire station, which now functions as the festival center, or by the artist Lisandro’s action Rodriguez, who invites visitors on a tour of the abandoned chemical park in Bitterfeld-Wolfen. The large GDR film factory that employed thousands of people once stood there. Visitors should explore the area on mopeds, motorcycles and other motorized two-wheeled vehicles driven by Bitterfeld-Wolfen residents. Brave ones ahead!
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The festival organizers could not have anticipated the death of Thomas Heise, who died in Berlin on Wednesday after a short, serious illness. It’s a sad and happy coincidence that a small series is dedicated to the director and documentary filmmaker. His films “Das Haus/1984”, “Imbiss-Special”, “Solar System”, “Iron Age” and “Stau” will be shown.
This year, »nd« wants to find out investigatively what to think of the Osten Festival. Dear readers, look forward to an experience report that will appear here soon!
The Osten Festival runs from June 1st to 16th in Bitterfeld-Wolfen. The entire program can be found at www.osten-festival.de
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