Ruhrtriennale back after sharp criticism
The head of the Ruhrtriennale, Stefanie Carp, was nearly removed from her post after inviting a band critical of Israel state policies to the festival but she held on. A look back as the 2019 events are announced.
Invited: Young Fathers
Festival director Stefanie Carp invited the Scottish band Young Fathers in 2018. She said she was unaware of the trio's support of the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel's policies. A vociferous protest against the festival director Carp quickly took shape.
Freedom of expression debated
A band like that in a publicly-financed program? "Absurd!" said Armin Laschet, governor of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where the event takes place. Although Carp initially uninvited the band, she turned around and invited them again before Young Fathers themselves cancelled. A podium discussion, with ex-Bundestag President Norbert Lammert and Culture Minister Pfeiffer-Poensgen, followed.
Friends of Israel demonstrate
Pro-Israeli demonstrators marched with flags and banners on the fringes of the podium discussion, which debated freedom of expression in the arts. Voicing their outrage at the anti-Israeli boycott movement BDS, they vocally accused festival director Carp of anti-Semitism — a claim she rejects.
Universe, Incomplete
Outside of the political scandal, many things went really well at the Ruhrtriennale 2018. One of the highlights was the music theater production "Universe, Incomplete," a work by US composer Charles Ives, which had remained unfinished until the Swiss director Christoph Marthaler took it on. "A great work of art," wrote DW of the show.
Universe Symphony: Marthaler and Carp
Throughout his life, the American composer Ives was occupied with the project of a "Universe Symphony" — a symphony that would musically represent the entire universe, the human being's past and in all its essential aspects. When Ives died in 1954, his work remained fragmentary. Christoph Marthaler dared to bring the arrangement to an end — for which he and artistic director Carp were celebrated.
Still at the festival's helm: Stefanie Carp
The fierce controversy at the Ruhrtriennale over the anti-Israeli BDS movement and claims of anti-Semitism were soon overshadowed by the art, which came to the fore as the festival started. The inspiring program was right on the money: the events were at 80 percent capacity, with more than 27,000 tickets sold. After her first eventful season, festival director Stefanie Carp is poised to carry on.