Tohuwabohu

In: “Focus on the Contemporary: Revisiting the Future – Being Cosmopolitan”
2 – 30 September 2009
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin

Performance and Installation

Performances on 2 September 2009 at 6 (15h), 12 (15h), 13 (15h), 15 (17:30), and 25 (17:30).

© Christian Philipp Müller for Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, 2009

“Tohuwabohu” in colloquial German describes a great disorder and confusion. Martin Luther translated the Hebrew word as “formless and void,” which describes the world after God had created Heaven and earth, but hadn't yet created an order. Christian Philipp Müller constructs in two equal parts an installation and a performance series, focusing on the history of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. Entwined in a sousaphone – a bass tuba developed by the 19th century American composer Sousa – Müller entices the audience with a type of live radio show through the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, discovering hidden beauties, and divulging in mysterious stories about the former Congress Hall. On the walls in the open foyer, one can see his carefully researched installation “Tohuwabohu,” which finds order in chaos.


Press Release:

Friends and companions, old and new pay tribute to the evolution of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt in honor of its 20th anniversary.  From 2 - 30 September THE SPIRIT OF THE HAUS celebrates 20 years of cultures and worlds in art, word, and music at the Haus, which is located in the former Congress Hall in Berlin's Tiergarten. The visual artists Rirkrit Tiravanija, Christian Philipp Müller, Anri Sala, John Bock, Arto Lindsay, (*suggested by Rirkrit Tiravanija) showcase new productions at the Haus, the singers Oumou Sangaré and Monica Salmaso present their recent compositions. The month's festivities kick off with a lecture by the philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah and end with the inaugural award ceremony of the newly created International Literature Prize – Haus der Kulturen der Welt for an author and his/her translator.