WIENER FESTWOCHEN / VIENNA FESTIVAL WEEK 2007
In June 2007 the Vienna Festival Week presented a 10 days Beckwerk-show
in DieTheater Künstlerhaus on Karlsplatz
in the very center of Vienna
The 10 Days Beckwerk-show included:
3 Performances, concerts, readings & an exhibtion on The History of The Democracy
DieTheater wrote:
www.dietheater.at/produktion_details.asp?ID=336&Termin=2455
www.festwochen.at wrote:
DAS BECKWERK
Der letzte Europäer (The Last European):
Vom Biographischen zur Weltgeschichte in 10 Tagen (From the Biographical to World History in 10 Days)
This retrospective showcases the radical artistic initiative Das Beckwerk from Denmark for the first time in Vienna.
In 2001, artist Claus Beck-Nielsen created a stir in Denmark with a social intervention: he burned his papers and lived on the streets for several months as an officially nameless and homeless person. This action, which was covered by the media with growing interest, became a visible symbol of the status of "people without papers", deprived of their rights in the midst of an apparently liberal and civilised society. At the same time, his campaign acquired its own, dramatic dynamism - to be able to again shed his "role", Beck-Nielsen had himself officially divorced from his wife and declared dead and published a "posthumous" the biography Claus Beck-Nielsen (1963-2001) that won several literary awards. Das Beckwerk is an initiative devoted to disseminating the artists works and uses artistic actions to link his biography to current world politics
Das Beckwerk has compiled a tetralogy for the Wiener Festwochen:
Part 1 is a reading-cum-concert dealing with the biography of Claus Beck-Nielsen.
Part 2 is a Terror Musical on Claus Beck-Nielsens love life, juxtaposed with a documentary video appeal by British engineer Ken Bigley, who was taken hostage in Iraq.
Parts 3 and 4 are a performance and an exhibition on the initiatives project The Democracy. As a political-artistic intervention on a worldwide scale, the initiative has taken the mission of the Western alliance to spread the values of democracy throughout the world quite literally: since 2003, two representatives of Das Beckwerk & The Parallel Action have been travelling inter alia to the Iraq, Iran and the U.S. with a metal suitcase containing democracy as an issue and mission. This action is to inject world politics with a dose of European values such as doubt, reflection, freedom of religion and dialogue.
Discussion with the audience:
Free admission, 10 June, following the performance, dietheater Künstlerhaus
THE PROGRAMME:
I. A Claus Beck-Nielsen Memorial Night
Reading and concert
International premiere
Cast: The Claus Beck-Nielsen Memorial Band:
Peter Knudsen, Nikolaj Wolf, Jesper Uno Kofoed, Some Body
II. The Last European - Performance
Vom Biographischen zur Weltgeschichte in 10 Tagen (From the Biographical to World History in 10 Days)
Terror Musical
International premiere
The Last European: Nielsen
Roadies: Allan Mortensen, Christian Bang
III. The History of the Democracy - Eine parallele Weltgeschichte (A Parallel World History)
Lecture and performance
Cast: The Beckwerk guide and two Austrian actors:
Anselm Lipgens and Manuel Rubey
Technicians: Sonja Lea and Andres Jørgensen
IV. The History of the Democracy - Eine retrospektive Ausstellung (A Retrospective Exhibition)
Exhibition
Additional contributions: Thomas Altheimer and The Parallel Action, Carina Persson, Mads Ljungdahl, Anders Elberling, Mikal Bing
