“We are the state!”

Lectures and talk series
August 06 – 09, 2025

Each event runs from 18:30 to 19:30 H  

Free admission
In German and English

The Sun King, Louis XIV, is credited with the saying “L'état, c'est moi!” – a phrase that stands for the absolutist ruling system like no other. In the face of authoritarian movements and individualized claims to leadership, we in democratic societies could confidently reply: “We are the state!”

But how can this “we” be maintained and strengthened? What role do individuals, citizens and participants in democracy play in the social and political structure? What role can art - especially dance and performance in public spaces – play in making democracy more tangible?

The lecture and talk series, as part of the TANZWERKSTATT EUROPA, is dedicated to these questions. Sociologists, political scientists, dance and performance theorists and artists open up their perspectives on coexistence and invite us to enter into a dialog about the basic conditions of coexistence – and about how we want to reevaluate our society.

Wed August 6, Muffatcafé
Isabel Gahren, researcher, transformation expert, and Radikale Tochter 

Thu August 7, HochX Theater und Live Art
Ceren Oran, dancer, choreographer, and sound painter

Fri August 8, Muffatcafé
Jan Deck, dramaturge, director, and curator

Sat August 9, Muffatcafé
Sandra Noeth, professor at the Berlin University of the Arts, curator, and dramaturge