Performances on Oranienstrasse

The Blue-Collar Troupe This group wore blue overalls and carried identical signs that were painted blue. Their mimed performance was completely quiet as they moved in synch, to clean-cut choreography. Their clear movements and unusual lack of verbal language created confusion to their audience. As they were dressed in work gear, the Blue Collar Troupe could easily be associated with Labor Day and the signs they carried related to demonstrations but with the abstract message of a plain color.

Kiss on the Mouth (Küssen aufÕs Maul) One person equipped with a megaphone shouted out the order "Kiss ö on the mouth!" Immediately five strictly synchronized couples started kissing each other, on their mouths, bending their partners over their knees, to emphasize the depth of the kiss. The "On the mouth" phrase alludes to the usual slogan of the extremist left, expressing disagreement with their political opponents.

The Asians This unit comprised Berliners of Asian origin. They were dressed as they please and acted improvised, whichever way they like. Their only instructions were to carry cameras, continually take pictures of everything that surrounds them and speak in German to each other. Playing with the common stereotype of Japanese tourists, their dislocated position in the demonstrations challenged the self-acclaimed anti-racist leftists. How come they speak German? What do they want? Why are they here? What are they doing?

The Speaker An actor reads out two separate texts. One being be the police manuals on how to control demonstrations, the other, flyers of leftist propaganda. The Speaker presented these documents in a very matter of fact and neutral manner, making it unclear what their actual relationships to the texts are.

The Mirrors Two neutrally dressed performers carried a large mirrored banner each. Depending upon how they are held and stretched, these mirror-foil flags reflected people who might cross in front of them, The mirrors enabled demonstrators and police to look into their own faces.

Falling Study Tiny parachutes were dropped from the 5th floor of a building on Oranienstrasse. Sent down with total precision at specific time intervals, these flying objects carried buttons to be attached to garments. They read "New Strategies."

The Newspaper Man A newspaper subscription promoter was dressed up in an overall made of newspapers. His act consisted of approaching all participants of the demonstration, both police and radicals, to solicit subscriptions to the liberal and not very leftist newspaper Berliner Zeitung. The really disturbing issue was that he was actually working on Labor Day, and that the subscriptions he sold are bona fide, though he looked like a costumed jester.

I want to marry Jörg Haider A bride walked in front of the demonstration, screaming: âI want to marry Jörg HaiderÕ, âAustria comes firstÕ. She handed out flyers asking the public for the telephonenumber of the right extremist politician.The audience was stunned by a bride screaming: I want to marry Jörg Haider.

Part of the idea is to create a movement, to involve as many people as possible who are interested in expressing new, innovative ways of engagement. The movement is not solely about forming supportive opinion, but also to create a multitude of ideas and concepts beyond ideologies. All performances were presented at the installation space on Auguststrasse. Additionally, the happening will be exhibited in art festivals as well as on the web-site: www.neuestrategien.de.

The Commando Center situated on the Auguststrasse, the "Aktions Gallerie" (Action Gallery.) accommodating the installation was a very strategic place. It was conveniently located across from the main center of the Berlin Biennale, Kunst Werke; Germany's most significant showcase for contemporary art. The Commando Center was built on a construction site, since the actual gallery had not been completed yet. A map of the Oranienstrasse was laid out on a table in the middle of this space. It was covered with many little figures depicting the performances and the movements at the Oranienstrasse demonstrations. The Commando Center's walls looked as follows: one wall was a large projection screen for live broadcasting of digitized video; onewall was covered with the "Ready for Combat" explanation posters; andone wall was empty from the start, but increasingly decorated with digital photographs of the performances, coming from a printer that spits them out at regular intervals. Cell-phone conversations were piped out from a loudspeaker system. A live commentator on the Oranienstrasse reported the events to the Commando Center's audience and crew. He also interviewed various performers as well as random people in the heart of the demonstration scene. Additionally, the Commando Center provided a moderator to explain the entire work to the browsing audience. The visitors were asked to buy shares in the project. In return they were guaranteed to receive future information about the project as well as to be acknowledged in coming exhibitions of the project.