About this Event
is a programme of events, which provokes and promotes practices and approaches to how we live in and govern cities. The programme brings together people who are actively producing alternatives to our existing city infrastructures, norms, and perceptions.
This year marks our 10th anniversary. Reaching out to our neighbours, connecting with local businesses, cultural venues and city organisations, we are exploring what an expanded idea of neighbourliness, means in our contemporary cities. Focusing on the three blocks of WeichselStr in Friedrichshain our two-day event includes a photography exhibition, live performances, workshops, concerts, music, discussions and meet ups.
OPENING, FRIDAY 29TH from 18.00
18.00-: Exhibition Opening WE WORK HERE. Weichselstr 34a, plus other venues. Celebrating the people behind the public businesses that make up WeichselStr, captures the people whose everyday working life shapes the streets daily life. With works by Urban Host, capturing past and present Google Street Views of 34a. View the work at restaurants China Restaurant Shanghai and Kane Man, Kiosk, Orbit Studio, Peggy Bee Cafe, hairdressers Head over Heels and SAKAI, Berlin Textile CoOp, Panenka Bar and Studio 34a. Locations: WeichselStr 36, 35, 34a, 32, 27, 26a, 23, 13, 14. Free/drop-in.
19.00: , , Weichselstr 34a. Head of Collections at Lichtenberg Museum and long time resident of Friedrichshain, historian Dirk Moldt, gives a talk about the history, architecture and communities of Friedrichshain, past and present. Free/drop-in. Space limited. First come, first served.
20.00: . 34a WeichselStr. Studio 34a was a former model train shop; in 2017, composer and pianist Kelly James Wyse established Modellbahn Music at this space. A piano centric and eclectic concert series, the programme now takes place across various salons in Berlin. Wyse, returns the programme to its native patch for this evening's performance. Free/drop-in. Space limited. First come, first served.
+++ 20.00-22.00, Finowstr 33 and Müggelstraße 9. Neighbourhood venues regular programme continues with indie folk singer, , playing Herman Schultzt and Bar BoBu hosting their weekly singer/songwriter night.
SATURDAY, 30TH from 11.00
11.00 WE WORK HERE. Photography exhibition continues in local shops and businesses. View the work at restaurants China Restaurant Shanghai and Kane Man, Kiosk, Orbit Studio, Peggy Bee Cafe, hairdressers Head over Heels and SAKAI, Berlin Textile CoOp, Panenka Bar and Studio 34a. Locations: WeichselStr 36, 35, 34a, 32, 27, 26a, 23, 13, 14. Free/drop-in.
11.00-18.00 Turkish Tea & Games, Kiosk, Weichselstr 23. Drop-in to this much-loved neighbourhood Kiosk for tea, with games created by neighbourhood residents. Free/drop-in.
11-13.00 Workshop for Children, Weichselstr 34a. Selbstgebaute Musik have developed numerous DIY musical kits for schools and children’s workshops. Built with fun, care and accessibility in mind, the kits consist of repurposed everyday and recycled materials. During the workshop, children will learn the basics of sound production, while making their own instrument. Suitable for children from 5+yrs. €5-10 for kits. Kits will be available on the day. Maximum capacity of 20 children. Suggested donation . Sign up required here: Selbstgebaute Workshop
11-12.30, Meet Up, , Weichselstr 13. Start with a Friend is a volunteer initiative that connects refugees and asylum seekers into local people. Find out more about Start with a Friend and how you can support such solidarity, friendship and compassion networks in our city. Free/drop-in.
11-12.00 QiGong at Traveplatz, Weichselstr *meet by the statue. One of the oldest exercise forms, QiGong is a standing meditation that incorporates breath work, with simple repetitive movements. Free taster, drop-in session. Wearing comfortable, loose clothing. Suitable for ages 12+.
12-17.00 Stadtteilbüro Friedrichshain at Traveplatz, Weichselstr *corner of Oderstr. Find out more about Friedrichshain's urban planning and development and how you can get involved.
12-18.00 Live Graffiti by Weichselstr 34a. Artist and musician Fett Burger works his signature style, across the street blinds of Studio 34a.
13-17.00 Kiez für Alle, Weichselstr 34a. From organising Kidical Mass and direct actions, to submitting resident applications and collecting ideas our neighbourhood. Kiez für Alle is a citizen led initiative focused on creating a more liveable and pleasant, neighbourhood for all in the Ostkreuz neighborhood of Friedrichshain. Drop in, meet the team and find out more about their work.
14-17.00 Berlin Textile CoOp, Weichselstr 33
15-17.00 Radio Activities with and , Hackspace Finowstr 33. Learn about the radio histories, while mending or upgrading your vintage Stern to Bluetooth. Open to all types of radio repair. Suitable for ages 18+. Limited to 15 persons. Please arrive 15 mins in advance. Suggested donation 5euro+.Sign up required here: Radio workshop
15-16.30, Live Podcast Conversation, Weichselstr 34a. The underlying thematic of the Urban Hosts Block Party, is the notion of neighbourliness, which is often described as the quality of being friendly and helpful to those who live near you. Are such attitudes critical, impossible or old fashioned? What relevance does neighbourliness play in the contemporary city? Is it possible to expand the notion beyond the human, to include thinking about soil, air and other species in a friendly way? Join Radio Spatkauf, Professor of City Futures and founder of Urban Hosts, , members of the and , Cultural and PR Manager at Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Library for this special live podcast conversation. Limited capacity for this event, please sign up here:
17.30-19.00 Coffee and Cake, Weichselstr 34a. Drop in, to Studio 34a for refreshments, greetings and conversation. Free/drop-in.
18:00-19.15 , Pole Dancing Taster Workshop & Performance, Weichselstr 33. New to Weichselstr, Orbit Studio shares their passion for how pole dancing can support your fitness, while also having fun. A free, 60-min taster session is open to the neighbourhood. If trying out pole dancing is not your thing, but you are still curious, Orbit will be hosting a short live performance of their work. Limited capacity, based on first come, first-serve.
19.30 , Screening & Conversation with , Weichselstr 34a. Natura Urbana (2017) tells the post-war history of Berlin through its plants, exploring how its changing vegetation serves as a parallel storyline to its war-time destruction, geo-political division, and current urban transformation. Directed by Prof Matthew Gandy and his team of collaborators, including Prof. Dr. Sandra Jasper, who produced and co-authored the film. Jasper will join us for a post-screen conversation about the work and how it links to her wider research. Prof. Dr. Sandra Jasper is a geographer and urbanist, whose work explores the connections between writing about cities, nature, soundscapes, and feminism. She currently holds the post of Assistant Professor of Geography and Gender at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Screening in German with English subtitles. Limited capacity. Sign up required here: Natura Urbana
21.00-22.00 DJs, Weichselstr 34a. Swing bye for a closing hour of laid back comic tunes with the Audio BBQ. Free/drop-in.
++ 20.00-22.00, Finowstr 33 , Neighbourhood venue regular programme continues with jazz duo Sebastian and Nora, closing the night.
Special Thanks: Many thanks to all the artists involved and to the local venues and businesses who have contributed time, space and good will. To our human and non-human neighbours (trees, soil, materials and infrastructures) that make up WeichselStr and to all who attended our events, many thanks.
Team: Direction: Teresa Dillon. Production: Andrea Goetzke and Elaine Yeung. Flyer and poster design: Fett Burger. Catering: DreamHard. Photography: Lydia Goolia.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
34A, Weichsel Str, 10247, Berlin, Germany
EUR 0.00