Kultursommer

Huggy Bears go Kultursommer

On July 15th Ariadne Randall, The Needles and Jannis Neumann  will perform “a bears summer night” for Kultursommer (program). The audience will get a unique preview of what will await us for the artists’ upcoming premieres in November. In one hour the audience will experience dance, participatory elements related to fashion, a human seal and a music set with a very old instrument. More so, the summerly vibes at the open air Kultursommer stage will give the evening a very special atmosphere.

When & Where:

15.7., 18:30 – 19:30
Kultursommer-Stage Schrödingerplatz, 1220 Vienna
free entry!

(DE)

Am 15. Juli werden Ariadne Randall, The Needles und Jannis Neumann im Rahmen des Kultursommers (Programm) “a bears summer night” performen. Das Publikum erhält einen einmaligen Vorgeschmack auf das, was uns bei den kommenden Premieren der Künstler*innen im November erwartet. In einer Stunde erlebt das Publikum Tanz, partizipatorische Elemente zum Thema Mode, eine menschliche Robbe und ein Musikstück mit einem sehr alten Instrument. Die sommerliche Stimmung auf der Open-Air-Bühne des Kultursommers wird dem Abend zudem eine ganz besondere Atmosphäre verleihen.

Wann & Wo:

15.7., 18:30 – 19:30
Kultursommer-Bühne Schrödingerplatz, 1220 Wien
Eintritt frei!

YouDance

YouDance – eine Fotoausstellung im Kempelenpark

Over the past few months, filmmaker and photographer Elena Tikhonova has repeatedly visited Kempelenpark in the 10th district to take some very special pictures. Because Kempelenpark is not only inhabited by the Bears. Every working day, hundreds of people, many of whom have only recently arrived in Austria, come and go in this large concrete building. And somewhere between, there we are with our art space. Since the windows of our studios are on the first floor, we sometimes attract a certain curiosity…. sometimes. And that’s a good thing, because our lives, our work, and our timing here often seem very different. We have people dancing, making music and noise, moving in all directions, while at the same time people come to Kempelenpark to learn German, to get further education or to visit the bicycle workshop.

For years we had the feeling of seeing each other every day, but not knowing much about each other. The photo project “YouDance” wants to break up this situation, at least for a bit. Bears and the Park and Elena Tikhonova have spent several days interviewing people visiting Kempelenpark about their connection to dance and performance, while capturing their reactions in pictures. We wanted to know what do our neighbors actually know about us? And what interests them, or doesn’t interest them, in dance and performance art? During the shootings we started to have conversations. People told us where and when they like to dance and when they prefer not to. Or they told us about how they used to take dance lessons themselves in their home countries. We, on the other hand, talked about what actually happens behind our studio doors. Although we didn’t always understand each other, either because of language barriers or different experiences, it was still nice to meet.

The photo exhibition “You Dance” is meant to be a humorous survey of the coexistence of two worlds that have hardly ever come into contact with each other… even though they share the same premises.

We would like to thank all the participants of the project for having accepted us, our questions and the camera. After the opening in June 3rd, the pictures can be taken down and taken away by the photographed persons themselves.

Opening “YouDance”

June 3 – 20h

in the foyer of the Kempelenpark

Kempelengasse 1, Building section 1, 1100

The opening takes place in the context of Quality Street.

 

Deutsch:

In den vergangen Monaten hat die Filmemacherin und Fotografin Elena Tikhonova immer wieder den Kempelenpark im 10. Bezirk besucht, um ganz besondere Aufnahmen zu machen. Denn der Kempelenpark wird nicht nur von den Bears bewohnt. Jeden Werktag gehen Hunderte von Menschen, von denen viele erst seit kurzem in Österreich sind, in diesem großen Betongebäude ein und aus. Und irgendwo dazwischen sind wir mit unserem Kunstraum. Da sich die Fenster unserer Studios im Erdgeschoss befinden, ziehen wir manchmal eine gewisse Neugierde auf uns… manchmal. Und das ist auch gut so, denn unsere Leben, unsere Arbeit und unser Timing hier erscheinen oft sehr unterschiedlich. Bei uns wird getanzt, Musik und Lärm gemacht, sich in alle Richtungen bewegt, während Menschen in den Kempelenpark kommen, um Deutsch zu lernen, sich weiterbilden zu lassen oder die Fahrradwerkstatt zu besuchen.

Jahrelang hatten wir das Gefühl uns zwar täglich zu sehen, aber nicht viel voneinander zu wissen. Das Fotoprojekt “YouDance” möchte diese Situation etwas aufbrechen. Bears and the Park und Elena Tikhonova habent an mehreren Tagen die Besucher*innen des Kempelenparks zu ihrer Verbindung zu Tanz und Performance interviewt, während ihre Reaktionen in Bildern festgehlaten wurden. Wir wollten erfahren was wissen unsere Nachbar*innen eigentlich über uns? Und was interessiert sie oder auch nicht an Tanz und Performance-Kunst? Bei den Aufnahmen kam es zu Gesprächen. Menschen berichteten uns, wo und wann sie gerne tanzen und wann lieber nicht. Oder sie erzählten davon, wie sie früher selbst Tanzunterricht genommen haben. Wir dagegen sprachen darüber, was eigentlich so hinter unseren Studiotüren passiert. Zwar haben wir uns dabei nicht immer ganz gegenseitig verstanden, sei es wegen Sprachbarrieren oder unterschiedlichen Erfahrungen, war es dennoch schön einander zu begegnen.

Die Fotoausstellung “You Dance” versteht sich als eine humorvolle Bestandsaufnahme über die Koexistenz zweier Welten, die bisher kaum miteinander in Berührung kommen… obwohl sie das gleiche Areal teilen.

Wir danken allen Teilnehmer*innen des Projekts, dass sie sich auf uns, unsere Fragen und die Kamera eingelassen haben. Die Bilder können nach der Eröffnung im 3. Juni von den Fotografierten selbstständig abgehangen und mitgenommen werden.

Eröffnung “YouDance”

3. Juni – 20h

im Foyer des Kempelenparks

Kempelengasse 1, Bauteil 1, 1100

Die Eröffnung findet im Rahmen der Quality Street statt.

Quality Street_June 3

QUALITY STREET! – Saturday, 3. June

You have been waiting, but here it comes: QUALITY STREET! edition 2023. This year our famous performance series behind windows will only take place one time for one evening. But what an evening this will be. Never have we done a QUALITY STREET! grander than this one.

We are looking forward to great musical acts like concerts by the French band Orly, the Viennese choir femchor and a DJ-Set by Malenciaga. We are happy to announce our house-made photo exhibition together with photographer and filmmaker Elena Tikhonova and we will show Gabriel Tempa’s film installation: “Flashbacks: Romania during communism.” And of course, a performance awaits us: Sara-Lisa Bals will lead us with her into her Parade Performance.

The entry, as always is free of charge. Bar opens at 8 pm and performances start at 9 pm. This year we will be outside and inside, independently from any kind of weather.

RAW MATTERS – Joint Ventures feat. toZOMIA and Bears in the Park.

Also, check out our collaborators for even more performances. In the afternoon Raw Matters and toZomia are organizing an afternoon full of Site Specific Performances at Gleis 21 in Sonnwendviertel, close to Kempelenpark.

Line Up

Concert, Chanson Urbaine by ORLY

“I know nothing – a parade performance” by Sara-Lisa Bals

“Youdance -A photo exhibition” by Bears in the Park and Elena Tikhonova

“Mehrstimmig gegen das Patriarchat” by femchor

“Flashbacks: Romania during communism.”– a film installation by Gabriel Tempea

DJ set by Malenciaga

About QUALITY STREET!

At “QUALITY STREET!” the audience gathers outside, looking through a window inside a studio instead of standing or sitting in front of a stage. Ideally one is accompanied by a mild summer night’s breeze and a drink in one hand while each room will light up for 15-20 minutes revealing one of the very distinct performances of the evening.

General Info

3. June at Bears in the Park, Kempelenpark, Vienna

Outdoor-Bar opens at 8pm

Performances start at 9pm

The entry is free. No prior registration is needed.

The park and all the facilities are accessible by wheelchair.

For more info and a peek into previous “QUALITY STREET!” nights.

Quality Street June

Quality Street! June edition

In June 2022 Bears in the Park invites interested people for a second round of  “Quality Street!” – a performance series behind windows. After a phenomenal first round in May, the windows of the studios in Kempelenpark will light up once more to reveal carefully curated performances.
The June edition of “Quality Street!” stands under the sign of music. In keeping with the hot summer nights, we will enjoy acts like the drumming duet GROSSeLIPUS and the jazzed tunes of Naïma Mazic & Golnar Shahyar. At the same time, Evandro Pedroni & Lau Lukkarila & Mzamo Nondlwana will take us into their performance world, and Pierre Emmanuel Finzi will attract us through the window into his video installation. Man and Bear can be curious!

Line Up

GROSSeLIPUS (Drums Groove Experimental)
Extreme electric vibrations meet improvised beats, intersecting with groovy liberating beats. The sound of master percussionists Igor Groß and Emanuel Lipuš breaks the shackles of genres and combines new music and drums into a trippy and danceable wall of sound. Their sound leaves no one on the edge of their seats but takes the audience on a journey into the immeasurable.

Naïma Mazic & Golnar Shahyar (Danced Jazztunes)
My Research Is A Jazz Tune.
♩ = Let Yourself Be Surprised By The Result
Mode: A Position Of Trust
ALBUM is a performance by one dancer, one musician, and a record player. The piece is based on jazztunes named after women or written by female jazz musicians. Since 2014 Naïma Mazić has been investigating a polyrhythmical communication and thinking between dancers and musicians, asking questions such as “What is Jazz-apprehension of time? How can a choreographic score be developed out of the form of a lead sheet?” At Quality Street the musician Golnar Shahyar and Naïma will perform together for the first time, making and sharing their own Album.

Evandro Pedroni & Lau Lukkarila & Mzamo Nondlwana (Performance)
“The Influenzers”
They come as The Influencers. In order to reflect on social media phenomena and some of its facets, they attempt to dive into an influencer’s experience. Live broadcasts. Merchandizing. TikTok Dances. Inspirational quotes and the risk of being loved or canceled by its followers. The documentation of failure becomes the 21st-century renaissance portraits. The words of fake gratitude flow like poems. Cheers to the superficial! Embrace all your personalities! Celebrate your filters! And most important, choose or not choose to believe in what you might see!
#Share the love. #Komm dabei and #don’t forget to subscribe!

Pierre Emmanuel Finzi (Video Installation)
Between the stiff Korean tradition of pouring Soju wine and the delights of excessive movements of bodies or feelings enabled through the monumental drinking, a space of truth and poetry pops up.

About Quality Street!

At “Quality Street!” the audience gathers outside, looking through a window inside a studio instead of standing or sitting in front of a stage. Ideally one is accompanied by a mild summer night’s breeze and a drink in one hand while each room will light up for 15-20 minutes revealing one of the very distinct performances of the evening.

General Info

June 24th & 25th at Bears in the Park, Kempelenpark, Vienna

Outdoor-Bar opens at 8pm

Performances start at 9pm

The entry is free. No prior registration is needed.

The park and all the facilities are accessible by wheelchair.

For more info and a peek into previous “Quality Street!” nights.