The Moment of Silence

/ Public Intervention / on various dates + at various times in public + semi-public spaces in Mannheim / German / no age restriction /

During the course of the festival, moments of silence will be initiated within a variety of public and semi-public contexts in Mannheim—such as football matches, meetings of local associations or other places where people gather. Traditionally used to honour the dead or commemorate tragic events, a moment of silence is a collective gesture of pause in which public life comes to a temporary standstill. Here, however, the moment of silence is reimagined as anticipatory—creating a space for reflection and a sense of responsibility toward the future. Drawing on the experiences of the many moments of silence performed across the city, David Weber-Krebs will present a lecture-performance on the final day of the festival, offering reflections on their impact alongside a broader exploration of the history and current challenges of this collective practice.

Based on the experiences of “The Moments of Silence”, David Weber-Krebs will reflect on their impact in a lecture performance on Oct. 4th and shed light on the history and current challenges of this collective practice.

Concept + Realization: David Weber-Krebs. Dramaturgy + Coordination: Lea Langenfelder. Dramaturgical Advice + Production: Petar Sarjanović.

A co-production of Outline and zeitraumexit. Supported by the Flemish Government.

David Weber-Krebs (BE/DE) is an artist, researcher, and curator based in Brussels. He studied at the University of Fribourg (CH) and the Amsterdam School of the Arts (NL). He earned a Doctorate in the Arts (Visual Arts) from KASK & Conservatorium / School of Arts and Ghent University with his doctoral research titled Exercising Fragility in Theatres and Beyond. His recent works include the performances The Silencing and The Death of Ivan Ilyich. He is the curator of the series of performative conferences On Enclosed Spaces and the Great Outdoors (with Jeroen Peeters) and editor of the book And Then the Doors Opened Again. David regularly collaborates with various artists and theorists and teaches at multiple visual arts and performance academies.

Photo: Look + Learn / Peter Jackson Collection / Bridgeman Images