Madrid, Spain
In cooperation with our local partner, Goethe-Institut Madrid, the two day event »Memorias – German-Spanish Cultural Encounters« is dedicated to the topic of plural memory cultures. Hannan Salamat, board member of DialoguePerspectives e.V., is involved in the artistic curation.
Memory Matters
The guiding theme for 2024 is »Memory Matters«. This refers to the importance of memory for our society, but also to the multitude of reference possibilities within a pluralistic culture of remembrance. And this year’s motto was also the title of our first European congress of plural cultures of remembrance in St. Pölten.
Together with our cooperation partners, we want to make current developments in the culture and politics of remembrance visible and reflect on them, highlight new connections and relationships between different moments and narratives of remembrance and put them up for discussion. By bringing together different perspectives and experiences, new insights are to be gained and a broad social dialog stimulated. The events create a platform for an open exchange and promote an understanding of the diversity of memories and the significance of the culture of remembrance in Europe.
Dynamic Memory Lab Reloaded
After realizing the Dynamic Memory Lab with the “Codes of Memory in Roma* and Sinti* Communities” last year and showing it in Berlin, St. Pölten, Nuremberg and Neumünster, we will once again expand the DML in Madrid with regional content. This expansion will take place in collaboration with Samuel Escudero.
All conversations will be held in German, Spanish, and English with simultaneous translation.
Instituto Cervantes
16:30 Welcome and Presentation
17:00–18:30
Memory Culture: Current Discourses, Voices, and Controversies in Spain and Germany
A conversation about the various political actions promoted by the societies and governments of Spain and Germany in recent years to integrate diverse voices and perspectives into official memory discourses and to develop existing narratives further.
Speakers:
Moderation:
18:30–18:45
Break
18:45–20:15 Memory Sites: How do we deal with the legacy of difficult times? A discussion on different ways of dealing with the memory of negative events and uncomfortable places in history to learn from them for the future.
Speakers:
Moderation:
21:00
Art Space “Nadie Nunca Nada No”
Exhibition opening of the four selected artistic projects from the public call for entries.
Performance by the collective Art al Quadrat and a guided tour with the artists of the projects.
Followed by a reception.
Goethe-Institut Madrid
16:30 Opening of the Dynamic Memory Lab
A temporary exhibition module on the Codes of Memory in Sinti* and Roma* communities.
Speakers:
17:00–18:30 Memory Transmission: How can memory be kept alive and passed on to new generations? A conversation about different ways of conveying a pluralistic memory culture through educational and cultural initiatives.
Short presentations by:
Moderation:
18:30–19:00 Break
19:00–20:30 Memory in Art and Culture: How to deal with memory culture topics today?
A discussion between:
Also featuring the four selected artistic projects:
Conclusion of the cultural encounter with summarizing closing remarks by the project consultant
20:30 Reception
Wednesday, 25.09., 19:00 Goethe-Institut Madrid Film Screening | Original Version in German with Spanish Subtitles
The Meaning of Hitler by Michaela Tucker and Petra Epperlein
The film argues concisely, pointedly, and soberly against the fascination that the man with the clipped mustache still represents – or rather, increasingly represents. Based on Sebastian
Haffner’s bestseller Anmerkungen zu Hitler (English: The Meaning of Hitler), the film provides an effective antidote against any attempts at mystifying exaggeration – whether critical or affirmative. It offers provocative insights in light of the current rise of white supremacy, the normalization of anti-Semitism, and the militarization of history itself.
Documentary | Germany | 2020 | 88 minutes
Thursday, 26.09., 19:00 Goethe-Institut Madrid Film Talk | Spanish
Retazos de la memoria by Tino Calabuig
A conversation between the artist and scholar Elena Blázquez. The work of visual artist and filmmaker Tino Calabuig has always been committed to the significance and work of memory culture. During this event, the artist will present two documentaries: the first, De Porlier a la Almudena, is based on several unpublished interviews he conducted with people who suffered under the violence and repression of the Franco regime. Additionally, he will present documentary material about the so-called “Atocha Massacre of 1977,” which occurred during the transition period in Spain.
Monday, 30.09., 11:00 Goethe-Institut Madrid
Workshop – City Walk | German and Spanish, with Consecutive Translation Registration via: herstoricas@gmail.com
City Stories: Urbanized Memory or Forgetfulness? Exploring how urban architecture serves as a medium for memory and forgetfulness. How can buildings or monuments preserve or erase stories? What does architecture tell, and what does it conceal? To whom does architecture provide access and whom does it exclude? The city walk will focus on “resistances in Madrid”: spaces linked to the memory of women who suffered oppression and repression during the Franco regime will be highlighted.
with:
Monday, 30.09., 12:00 Goethe-Institut Madrid
Workshop | Spanish Registration via: sara.karagoz.extern@goethe.de
Writing Gathering
A writing meeting to practice collective thinking through writing. This workshop is part of the Writing Gatherings project by Giuliana Kiersz (2017 – ongoing), which aims to create sensitive and political spaces to reflect on the narratives we have inherited, collectivize our memory, and rewrite history. Through practicing writing from a feminist perspective, we will explore the relationship between storytelling, memory, and territory to create new stories that shift our social and political horizons. Everyone is welcome, no prior knowledge is required, and participants can write in the language they feel most comfortable in.
Tuesday, 01.10., 11:00 Instituto Cervantes
Workshop | Spanish By registration
“Escuela del presente” (School of the Present)
The workshop is a meeting between elderly people, who share their stories, and a group of students, who receive these memories. The goal is to creatively transform the biographies of the elderly through poems, songs, or drawings to create a connection between the past and the present and foster reflection within the context of collective memory.
Wednesday, 02.10., 19:30 Goethe-Institut Madrid Spanish and English, with Simultaneous Translation
“Stolen Memory” – Return of Personal Items
In collaboration with the Arolsen Archives and their program #StolenMemory, the personal belongings of Spanish resistance fighter Gabriel Álvarez Arjona, who was deported to the Neuengamme concentration camp, will be returned to his relatives.
Speakers:
Musical accompaniment by David Ortiz, Cello.
Saturday, 19. + Sunday, 20.10., 20:00 Réplika Teatro
Performance
Ana Lessing Menjibar –
“Third Skin” The performance Third Skin by the German-Spanish choreographer and artist Ana Lessing Menjibar is a poetic response to the unfolding of her family history, dealing with the experiences of war and fascism, collective and individual wounds, and stories of political resistance spanning three generations.
PARTNERS
Instituto Cervantes
Arolsen Archives
Stolpersteine Madrid
Réplika Teatro
Goethe-Institut Madrid & Instituto Cervantes