A thematic compilation

The artworks, documentary films, journalistic books and the artistic-academic project “Colonial Neighbours” on view at M.1 from 14 June until after the conclusion of the 2012 European Men’s Football Championship are less about the game itself than they are about its foundations in inter-national competition between. They deal with the “nation” construct, particularly the “Germany” construct. Like the artworks, the film screenings and connected discussions create an opportunity to see the “nation” as something other than the natural phenomenon it is frequently considered to be and thus to move beyond the customary or habitual view of “country and people”. The works counter the official version of German history and the self-perception of its inhabitants with other, divergent perspectives, or approach them with critical clarity, yet not without humor and affection. None of the works or projects, as critically as they may confront their subjects, stoop to simplistic polemics or stereotyping. They offer ways to think the longing for community and solidarity differently and build these without renewed and empowered recourse to the “nation”.

Hall: Public Viewing 14th UEFA European Championship (Men) 2012, Final Round on the grandstand constructed by Jörg Hischke

White Room: “Grand Boulevard” and “Fan Mile” by Johannes Paul Raether

Library: ‚Koloniale Nachbarn | Colonial Neighbours‘, an artistic-academic research project by Savvy Contemporary (initiated by Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, PhD) in collaboration with Pantelis Pavlakidis and Maria Hoffmann (Institute for European Ethnology, Humboldt-Universität Berlin) + a small selection of reports and photo coverage on the topic of ‘Germany’

Gallery: Pictures from the series “No Beautiful Land” by Dirk Reinartz

Café: Filmclub Extra, sponsored by the Filmwerkstatt Kiel, Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein