Starting from an assessment of the human body and its functional elements – digestion, reproduction, consciousness, etc. – we plan to examine individual, structural or action-oriented phenomena (artistically) and to address the political, social and metaphysical questions that arise from this and put them up for discussion. At the same time, we plan to question the positioning of the human organism – as both a biological and a social phenomenon – by presenting artistic positions that deal with normative concepts such as health and illness, examining their systematics or questioning them. Thirdly, the examination of the performance of organic life also forms a basis for discussion – equally with biological foundations and with novel artificial and synthetic forms of life, which we intend to address in future editions of the series.

The ecological crisis of our time – why can't we act quickly and efficiently?

We are programming these assessments against the backdrop of the ecological crisis, the urgency of which has gained broader social acceptance in Germany and the Western world over the past five years, while action plans to alleviate it are still being implemented to a far too limited extent. What makes it so difficult to develop, implement and establish different models of relationship with the ecosphere of which we are a part? Do we need a different positioning, a different understanding of the human organism – in terms of its functionality, self-perception and thinking about the consequences of actions – or do we need an economic and social system other than extractive capitalism – or both? And what else?

As part of this series, we want to explore new ways of positioning ourselves, as well as work on the political question of what courses of action arise from these positions and how they can be implemented. At the same time, we want to analyse why they have not been implemented so far and what other approaches we need to find a way out of our deadlock.

is dedicated to determining the position and functioning of the human body and combines four choreographic and theatrical works by Fabrice Mazliah, Layton Lachman, Antje Velsinger and Sepidar Theater with discursive, essayistic and artistic contributions by biological media theorist Peter Berz and Berlin-based Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik (ZK/U).

The starting point for the programmatic debate is Lynn Margulis' symbiosis theory, which has helped to establish the principle of exchange between organic structures and their symbiotic fusion, complementary to mutation as the basic principle of evolution.

Human beings, like all other organisms, are characterised by diverse symbiotic relationships – both within their own bodies and organs, and in their interaction with the surrounding ecosphere. These symbiotic relationships are based on the principles of movement and dynamics, from which – according to Margulis – the ability to connect arises. Movement enables adaptation and thus integration into new environments – the emergence of independent movement represented a decisive evolutionary step for certain microorganisms and cell organelles. Movement enables symbiotic developments – in contrast to mutating and thus displacing developments.

Western concepts of the body in particular, and the corresponding structures of relationships between bodies as well as with other organic and inorganic elements, have moved further and further away from the idea and thinking of integrative structures within an ecosphere, giving way instead to abstract or even extractive – and in particular dominant – perspectives on relationships. The understanding of the human body – as well as that of every other living being – as a symbiotic force and transformation engine has receded into the background. In our first programme in the new series Theatre of the Living, entitled Holobionts, we focus on this symbiotic mechanism of life and possible new relationship models.

The term holobiont refers to the metaorganism that comprises a host as well as the other microorganisms inhabiting it. Together, they form a complex unit that in turn interacts in manifold ways with the surrounding ecosphere. The idea of a functionally self-contained organism is thus obsolete, while this differently reflected body must be rethought, especially in terms of the dynamics of exchange with many other systems.

Both Fabrice Mazliah (Embodying Bodies), and Layton Lachman (infinity kiss) have engaged intensively with Lynn Margulis' theories and made them the starting point for their choreographic-theatrical projects. In her new work GOODBYE/FAREWELL Antje Velsinger explores the gesture of saying goodbye as a principle of action and a way of processing loss in the context of the ecological crisis. What can we do without, and what can we clearly not do without? Finally, Sepidar Theater redefines the boundary between humans and animals, thus completing the circle of positionings in this year's programme.

On the last weekend of October and the first weekend of November, we invited biological media theorist Peter Berz to present a discursive position on the work of Lynn Margulis, and the Centre for Art and Urbanistics (Berlin) to present Beecoin, an artistic project that proposes concrete action to reconcile the needs of bees and humans who share the same ecosphere.

The first edition of this series, ‘Theatre of the Living – Holobionts,’ was funded as part of the general project funding programme by the Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes NRW und NRW Landesbüro Freie Darstellende Künste sowie durch die Kunststiftung NRW.

Negation – both rational and emotional – forms the basis for the ability to dream of a different, better future and to feel uneasy about current circumstances – one of the most important sources for deciding to publicly represent a political position. On the one hand, therefore, there is excessive demand and fear of progress, and on the other, negation as a source of rebellion, empowerment and change. In the second series of explorations at the Theater im Depot, we want to deal with this area of tension, the resulting political fields of action, the thresholds and their transgression, the feeling of indignation, resentment – anger, but also the hope that arises from it.

Angry actions – on the streets and at the ballot box – currently dominate many societies. The emotional cosmos of negation has a dual meaning here: anger, on the one hand, as an emotion that blinds people to rational argument, as a state that makes understanding impossible and opens them up to political seduction. Seduction that calls into question the foundations of social coexistence. On the other hand, anger – again as an impulse of negation – becomes a trigger to rise up, stand up and fight for something or actively combat something with which citizens disagree in a historical situation. Whether this is to be viewed positively or negatively always depends heavily on one's own perspective.

In our Western societies, blinding anger is associated with so-called populist movements. In his essay ‘Zornpolitik’ (Berlin 2017), historian Uffa Jensen points out that ‘modern societies produce resentment because they can never fully deliver on their promises of participation.’ The resulting feeling of a lack of recognition of one's own needs and interests, which, according to Jensen, results in a constant rumbling resentment, forms a strong feeling of rejection through a concretely felt cause and breaks through. Resentful people are looking for situations in which they can feel such strong, genuine emotions. Wandering through the landscapes of anger thus becomes a cathartic act of redemption from one's own resentment-filled lethargy. Possible objects of anger are often those who are culturally or ethnically different – as scapegoats – as well as those who are socially different – currently, for example, the supposedly ruling class, which allegedly makes the important decisions without taking the ‘voices of the people’ into account. We have seen plenty of movements pursuing such resentment-based policies in recent years. The polarisation expressed by strong emotions reveals not only negative agitation but also a feeling of fear that is embedded in anger. Based on their own social situation, those who are angry feel powerless in the face of the complexity of contemporary societies and seek simple solutions – often in a regressive manner. Those who claim to have understood complexity and are able to navigate these complex landscapes, participate in them and shape them, often have nothing but scorn and contempt for the angry – resulting in a double insult. But how can these two groups – those who want to and are able to face complexity, and those who try to avoid it – reach out to each other?

Jensen describes the necessity of debating social sentiments. Theatres are accused by resentment-laden movements of having become institutions in which only certain forms of outrage or criticism are permitted. Theatres and other cultural institutions should ask themselves self-critically whether there is any truth to this claim – which, of course, cannot in any way mean opening the door to discriminatory expressions or opinions and offering them a stage. At the same time, it can also be said that many positions that do not conform to the heteronormative white middle-class order still find no or far too little representation on stage. How can both sides be done justice without indulging in a competition of exclusion?

One approach could be to step back for a moment from specific political articulations and devote more attention to the underlying feelings in a broader sense – before they turn into resentment, before they become entrenched opinions. However, this requires openness and a certain fearlessness – both in institutions and among the public.

In the new play by the artscenico group, Die Erregten. Bilder und Worte der Empörung (The Agitated: Images and Words of Indignation), Rolf Dennemann deals with the anger of elderly people in a private context. He thus focuses on a group to which he himself belongs and which is hugely underrepresented in contemporary works, not only in the independent scene.

The Cologne-based group Polar Publik, led by Eva-Maria Baumeister, explores a different kind of momentum. Their project SING ANOTHER SONG! – PROTEST! deals with the moment when individual feelings of unease, indignation and negation become a public political manifestation, when people decide to take their place in public space with their bodies and articulate their political opinion simply through their presence – together with others with whom they form a crowd. This moment is one that requires courage, because it exposes an opinion and the person makes themselves vulnerable through public articulation. In the Federal Republic of Germany, where the right to public expression is enshrined in the constitution and enforced by the police – as long as no anti-constitutional statements are made – this is already a considerable risk. But what an incomparably greater step it is to decide to take to the streets to express discontent with social conditions in a dictatorially ruled society, as recently in Belarus or Iran, and tentatively also in Russia.

In You Judge, Robert Ssempijja from Uganda explores his relationship with the expectations placed on him by his family and community of origin. These themes also imply an examination of his existence as an artist in the European performing arts market. With his piece, he opens up a space for reflection in which he examines his personal family history and asks himself and the (European) audience what eyes view him in local theatres and in what way.

Dido, the protagonist in Dieudonné Niangouna's play De ce côté, confronts us with the inner turmoil of a West African political refugee who has found refuge from persecution in Europe. The character, who as an actor cannot find his way onto European stages, is plagued by feelings of guilt and the question of where his place might be in this unfamiliar environment. Where is his position and how can he speak to an audience – and to which one? The play confronts us with his sense of alienation in Europe – both in relation to his new life context and to himself. In this way, it invites a European audience to explore the feeling of alienation from an African diasporic perspective.

Finally, Martin Ambara presents his current research in the lecture performance Sundeita Keita and the Manden Charter. In this manifesto, which was formulated in the Sahel region in the 13th century, human rights are prototypically formulated centuries before their adoption by the United Nations General Assembly after the Second World War, but also centuries before their invention in the context of the revolutions of the 18th century – according to the Western narrative of the history of ideas. The ignorance of this charter and its irrelevance in today's human rights discourses once again confronts us with the arrogance with which Europeans or so-called Westerners view African cultures and their history – namely, mostly not at all. Martin's project, which we will present in 2022 as a presentation of research material, opens up a discussion that breaks down this isolation in the history of ideas and, above all, focuses on other forms of transmission of historical contexts. With his project, he is paving the way for a postcolonial redesign of the foundations of political, social and cultural platforms on which Western cultures and those of the Global South can meet on an equal footing.