Opening week with first and world premieres

This year's Ruhrtriennale opens today with the premiere of Christoph Marthaler's Nach den letzten Tagen. A Late Evening in the Audimax of the Ruhr University Bochum. The opening week features many more world premieres and first performances.

Aug 21, NACH DEN LETZTEN TAGEN. EIN SPÄTABEND, music theater

In Christoph Marthaler's creation, the futuristic lecture hall of the Ruhr University Bochum is transformed into an imagined parliament. In it, the music of composers such as Viktor Ullmann, Jósef Koffler and Szymon Laks, who were deported, murdered or forced into emigration during Nazi regime, is heard. The ensemble, including actors Josef Ostendorf and Bettina Stucky and singer Tora Augestad, weaves text and music into a dystopian vision of the future that raises awareness of the current political situation in Europe.

Aug 22, ALL THE GOOD, theater

Jan Lauwers and the Needcompany tell biographical stories of loss and hope in which war and terror have taken on a new presence in the world premiere of All the good at Maschinenhalle Zweckel in Gladbeck. In a stream of associative images, music, dance, costumes, masks and language, Jan Lauwers explores techniques of autobiographical storytelling together with Needcompany.

Aug 22, MIXING PLANT, multimedia installation

Artist Tony Cokes explores sound and other media in his multimedia installation Mixing Plant opened in the Mischanlage at Zeche Zollverein in Essen. In Urbane Künste Ruhr's contribution to the Ruhrtriennale, the U.S. artist explores the political references of regional and international club music, weaving together animated text, found footage, monochrome color surfaces, and pop music to create a multi-channel installation. 

Aug 23, EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED AND WOULD HAPPEN, music theater

In his new creation Everything that Happened and Would Happen at the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum, Heiner Goebbels explores the European history of the last one hundred years. With an international ensemble of dancers, performers and musicians, composer and theater-maker Patrik Ouředník's text Europeana is combined with uncommented, daily news images from the Euronews television channel and stage fragments from his production Europeras 1 & 2.

Aug 23, #NOFEAR: MACHT DEN WEG FREI, performance 

The Junge Triennale, represented by the young artists' collective Mit Ohne Alles in cooperation with Theater Berlocken, explores the theme of power. The results of this exploration can be seen at PACT Zollverein in Essen. 

23 Aug, THIRD SPACE, space for encounters

In addition to these new creations, the Ruhrtriennale is once again offering various formats that are accessible free of charge. The Third Space is located on the forecourt of the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum. raumlaborberlin has completely rearranged the parts of the Transall aircraft to create a place for art and encounters. Throughout the festival, a diverse program consisting of workshops, performances, concerts, readings and parties will take place, inviting exchange and discourse.

The Third Space is also part of the video installation of Barbara Ehne's work Αλληλεγγύη - Archive of Messages: Words in Motion. For her installation, the artist interviewed individuals and subcultural initiatives in Greece and the Ruhr region about their understanding of solidarity. These interviews can also be seen as a constantly growing archive during the festival in the glass pavilion at Modehaus Baltz in downtown Bochum and on Rottstraße.

25 Aug, BERGAMA STEREO, installation with sound & performance

The freely accessible architectural sound installation Bergama Stereo by Turkish artist Cevdet Erek features a replica of the famous Pergamon Altar in the Turbinenhalle at Jahrhunderthalle Bochum. During the festival, the installation will also host a varied concert program including traditional music from the region around Bergama, DJ sets and electronic music.