KunstRaum Goethestrasse xtd intervenes in places and situations by creating moments and spaces of experience for participants and their audience. Artistic expression, methods and location play a role in creating
works of art. When staging of the performance Es geht um Menschen (EN: It’s About People) for the conference „Soziale Unternehmen in der Arbeitswelt 4.0” (EN: Social Companies in the Working World), historical
photographs of female workers were researched and referenced. In particular, the staging alludes to the
photographic work of August Sander, who depicted workers in the 1920s with the series Menschen des 20.
Jahrhunderts (EN: People of the 20th Century).
The performance was developed on the basis of these photographs and the historical image of “the worker”.
The performers wore a uniform, work overalls, reflecting aesthetically on previous concepts of work. At the
same time, printed QR codes on the overalls led to a website on which the audience could read personal statements about work, shifting attention on the temporal development of work to the present. The local aspect of
work also played a role: the performers marched together, sat down at the tables of the conference participants,
were present at all places of the „study visits” in the conference and were also to be found in the quarry. The
view of the workers was created by employing a distant perspective, as the performing workers never directly
interacted with the conference participants, but were still present and visible during the conference. Workers of
all ages were brought to life through the diverse group of performers.
The production was developed with an inclusive group of about 30 people. Their understanding and relationships
to the topic of work were reflected upon, resulting in statements (in English and German) for the performance.
Together with invited experts from the theatre, the participants learned the routine for the performance. On both
days of the conference, the performers were present at different locations, acting unexcited and without speaking. Postcards with photographs of the performance were laid out for the conference participants and when the
opening speaker spontaneously referenced the intervention, the conference guests became visibly more relaxed
about this „foreign body“ in their midst.