Opposite Editorial: Duo LABOUR

Dear Readers,

the Austrian artist Bernhard Leitner once said something like, ‚acoustic space approaches one externally, yet remains primarily an internal space.‘ In these times of reduced social opportunites and the increased necessity (or temptation) of exchange via telecommunications, the possibility of introspection becomes more readily availble, be the endeavor enticing or frightening (or unconsidered).

It is in this spirit that we recommend a mixture of physical objects and locations as well as those based on the internet, recommendations which leave their marks on this city and on us.

Firstly, it’s our pleasure to draw attention to Callie’s, the exciting new experimental instution in Wedding, dedicated to exchange through residencies, exhibitions and public programs. The partner bookstore on-site is a must-visit: „a.p.“ offers an excellent and careful selection of artists’ books on such themes as death and grief, labour, and diasporic thought. Check for live events year-round.

January in Berlin immediately brings to mind not only CTM, but the excellent festival Transmediale. This year’s theme foregrounds the dilemma for refusal and its problematics. Check out their website for both online and in-person events from the end of January throughout the entire year.

When your head is already full of music, we can recommend The Gropius Bau Journal, an online platform that aims to explore entagled futures and ways of thinking and living together. This features new writings from artists, writers and thinkers across a wide range of disciplines. In early January, make sure to catch the end of Masculinities: Liberation through Photography.

In this spirit, we can highly recommend the online program and resources availalbe at The New Centre for Research and Practice, which is invested in the creation of a parallel academia. From here, we can suggest a particularly enlightening read titled, „Engineering the World, Crafting the Mind,“ which is an interview with New Centre affiliate Reza Negarestani published online by Nero Editions; a must-read for any auto-didact, be they true, aspiring or curious.

And lastly, it is our pleasure to recommend the excellent 5-LP compilation by Berlin Atonal titled, „More Light“ which will be released on vinyl in January, featuring new music by 19 contributors including Italian composer Caterina Barbieri, American composer Laurel Halo and LABOUR’s own „the hit of enlightenment.“ This is available via Bandcamp.

– Colin Hacklander & Farahnaz Hatam (LABOUR)

As the duo LABOUR, Colin Hacklander and Farahnaz Hatam create sound-based works, run the new label Studio LABOUR and managed the experimental music and project space N.K.