In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Germany’s reunification, the Goethe-Institut, with the support of the Consulate General of Germany in Melbourne, the City of Melbourne, the initiative be Berlin and a host of other sponsors, is proud to present BERLIN DAYZ – a celebration of the creativity that abounds in this mesmerising city.

Renowned for its inherent sophistication, Berlin has experienced a rapid creative and urban development over the last two decades that has seen it emerge as the new cultural hub of Europe and the face of today’s multi-national and creative Germany.

Operating from its Melbourne base throughout October and November 2010, BERLIN DAYZ boasts over 50 separate events celebrating Design, Architecture, City Planning, Dance, Literature, Films, Documentaries and both Classical and Electronic Music, whilst interstate audiences will be able to enjoy performances by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, renowned classical artists, the Atos Trio, and Mouse on Mars, whose electronic music wizardry has gained them an international following.

“Berlin and Melbourne consider themselves to be cultural epicentres, as both view ‘the arts’ as essential to their urban structure and economy,” said Klaus Krischok, Director of the Goethe Institut Australia. “With BERLIN DAYZ and its dynamic, somewhat alternative program, we aim to introduce young Australians to the best of German culture and thus further the ties between our two wonderful cities.”

Festival guests will include Author and DJ Wladimir Kaminer; Poetry Slam Master Bas Böttcher; Filmmaker Marco Wilms; Architectural experts Jürgen Maier H and Ulf Meyer, Designer Volker Albus, journalist Carsten Beyer and Jean Claude Kuner and many others.

Highlights of the Festival program include:

BERLIN DESIGNS
• A mind-blowing celebration of all things relating to architecture and design. Explore the diversity of everyday objects from the mundane to the sublime and how they affect our daily lives. Examine the architectural achievements of both East and West Germany, before and after the reunification and enjoy 50 years of German Fashion Photography from 1945 until 1995, and in doing so, experience how society and prevailing attitudes have changed.

BERLIN FRAMES
• Hijacked 2 showcases the talents and perspectives of 32 contemporary German and Australian photographers with a focus on the depiction of youth, whilst The Power of Language captures the verbal power to be found in an image. Performances by Bas Böttcher, a Berlin-based writer and spoken word artist, will accompany this event.

BERLIN CHANGES
• This exhibition describes the history and development of Berlin as a divided and reunited city. Encompassing science, business, culture and sports, BERLIN CHANGES affords an insight into the past and present of this diverse metropolis.

BERLIN SCREENS
• Based at Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) this Festival strand includes a tribute to iconic director Ernst Lubitsch with screenings of his most famed films, plus a fascinating series of Berlin-based documentaries, including Rhythm Is It!, Berlin Vortex, Marco Wilms’ Comrade Couture and Walther Ruttmann’s rarely seen 1927 documentary, Berlin, Symphony of a City. World Movies will also air a selection of German features each Tuesday evening for the duration of the Festival.

BERLIN CLASSICS
• Thrill to musical performances by the Atos Trio, Germany’s renowned Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (presented by Sydney Opera House and Perth Concert Hall) and the Scharoun Ensemble, whose eightmembers express an artistic self-concept that reflects their commitment to both the heritage of the past and the challenges of the present.

BERLIN NIGHTS
• With guests such as writer/disc jockey Wladimir Kaminer, who will perform his famed Russendisko, Poetry Slam Master Bas Böttcher and electronic music duo, Mouse on Mars, this promises to be one of the coolest segments of the Festival.

BERLIN ON STAGE
• Includes plays and theatrical performances pieces such as Electronic City, an examination of what it takes to survive and succeed in an uber-techno metropolis; A Woman in Berlin, hailed as one of the most powerful accounts of a woman’s experience of war, and Basically I Don’t But Actually I Do, choreographer Jochen Roller’s intriguing look at how memories influence perception. Also experience a live interview with a dead writer, via A Drink With Heiner Müller, an audio exhumation featuring interview excerpts, readings from some of Müller’s most famous texts and reflections by journalist Tom Morton on his meeting with Müller during their pivotal 1990 dialogue.

BERLIN WAVES
• In conjunction with ABC Radio National, BERLIN WAVES affords listeners the chance to experience Berlin’s past 20 years via a series of rare radio documentaries, plays and interviews.

BERLIN TALKS
• As a city long famed for its literary output, BERLIN TALKS will incorporate presentations by writers Wladimir Kaminer and Bas Böttcher, and will explore the ways that filmmakers, artists, musicians, architects, planners, cultural critics, writers and others have imagined the new Berlin of the last 20 years. It will also explore the relationship between Melbourne and Berlin, both regarded as the cultural capitals of their nations.