Munich artists visit Wayne State University
Munich artists in Detroit: Lost Wings by Roy Prinzessin from Rationaltheater in Munich
The Detroit-Munich Artist Exchange recently celebrated its second annual event here in Detroit, Michigan, Sept. 23-25. This unique international artistic exchange began in the spring of 2015 when a group of well-known artists from Detroit traveled to Munich, Germany to showcase their work.
The various artwork included drawings by Barbara Greene Mann and photography by Leni Sinclair displayed in Galerie Christoph Dürr, poetry readings by Melba Joyce Boyd and musical numbers by M.L. Liebler, Charlie Palazolla and Sadiq Bey at the Rationaltheater. All artists also took part in a lively discussion with Junior Year in Munich study abroad students.
This past September, the Rationaltheater brought an original theater piece Lost Wings to the Wayne State University's Studio Theatre.
The piece is about an angel who wishes to break out of his perfect ethereal condition to escape his immortality. When he lands on Earth he meets Nada, a toilet attendant from Mozambique, in a public bathroom. Together, Nada and the angel confront the reality that there are at least two types of people; those in the light and those in the shadows.
Lost Wings was inspired by Karin Steinberger's article Die Sklavin (eng: The Slave), which was published in June 2015 in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The article documents the story of an Ethiopian woman who was sold as a maid to Qatar and experienced unimaginable suffering. Lost Wings was directed by the current artistic director of the Rationaltheater, filmmaker and producer, Dietmar Höss.
After one of the performances, audience members, including students, alumni and faculty from Wayne State, as well as local Detroit artists, gathered at the Circa Saloon on Cass Ave. to discuss the show and event.
As intercultural communication is growing rapidly as a result of media and globalization, there is no reason art and performance should stay limited to their original location. Not only can artists learn from one another, but because art is so closely tied to the culture it exists in and to the artists who created it, it can be used as a wonderful tool to communicate interculturally.
With support from Wayne State University, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and the Rationaltheater, the next Detroit-Munich international exchange event will take place in the spring of 2017.
The artists partaking in the event will be announced in January of 2017. Anyone who would like to participate in the exchange or would like to recommend an artist or group, please email the Detroit Coordinator, Kate Foster at kayann45@gmail.com.
Kate Foster, German M.A. student