Unfolding over the course of a year, transmediale 2021–22, titled »for refusal«, will explore the material, technological, and cultural aspects of refusal. From small acts of refusal to tender forms of resistance, the festival will examine the potential of refusal to form new socio-political realities grounded in care, hope, and desire.
Led by new artistic director Nora O Murchú, transmediale has now launched a new digital platform – the Almanac for Refusal – that brings together a collection of browser-based artworks; films, essays, podcasts, and more. These contributions, along with documentation of in-person events, will bring together the work of artists, designers, researchers, and activists whose practices map out the way refusal can unfold and circumvent the status quo. The January release of the Almanac features artwork, audio, text, video and film contributions from AM Kanngieser, Bassem Saad, Ben Evans James, Bonnie Honig, Cristina Cochior, Edna Bonhomme, Frances Scott, Helen Pritchard, Jason Edward Lewis, Johanna Pope, Lorena Juan, Luiza Prado de O. Martins, micha cárdenas, Natasha Tontey, Nora O Murchú, Paavo Järvensivu, Sahej Rahal, Terence Sharpe, Tom Richards and Winnie Soon.
The Almanac is a center piece for festival structure that has adapted to the pandemic by spreading out throughout the whole of 2021, and until early 2022. Taking place online and offline, the festival’s year-long structure aims to create a longer engagement with the festival theme and open up new opportunities for artists through an expanded residency programme.
The festival's exhibition Rendering Refusal takes place from 15 February to 18 March 2021. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, public access to the exhibition will be available as soon as government regulations around the pandemic allow. transmediale will facilitate access to the exhibition through Proxy Visits. Visitors can connect via video call with an exhibition guide at the venue, and experience the exhibition together with them.
The film programme remote. response. request. will run until May at transmediale's new project space at silent green in Berlin Wedding, and presents a monthly series of film screenings and artist exchanges installed at transmediale studio.