Shaking Hands with Ghosts

by Katrin Bretschneider

︎ Deutsche Version

The AG Weser in Bremen Gröpelingen was one of the largest shipyards in Europe, with over 10,000 people working here. The dramatic closure of the shipyard is still considered a local trauma today, some 40 years later.

Katrin Bretschneider, whose parents met while working at the shipyard, staged a participatory audio performance for about 80 people in 2021 on the former shipyard site, which is now a shopping mall. A journey to the identity-forming and solidarity-based labour struggles of the past and at the same time a search for utopias of future work.

In 2022, the piece was further developed into an individually audible audio walk and is available for download here.

Artistic direction, text, voice: Katrin Bretschneider
Sound design: Ilona Marti
Ritual design and dramaturgy: Verena Ries
Shadow projection: Constantin Jaxy
Pilots: Sophia Zimmermann, Lennard Wilking, Lixin Zhang
Technical direction: Frank Barufke
Video technology: Florian Wilke

Project development: Oliver Behneke, Katrin Bretschneider
Production management: Daniela Guse, Elisabeth Sowa
Research: Katrin Bretschneider, Elisabeth Sowa
Assistance: Jorun Jensen
Communication: Ulla Tiedemann

A production by Katrin Bretschneider in co-production with Schwankhalle Bremen. Supported by the Senator for Culture Bremen and the Fonds Darstellende Künste with funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media in the programme #TakeAction. With the kind support of the Bremen Chamber of Labour, Waterfront Bremen and Kultur Vor Ort e.V., sponsorship: Pikto Panoptikum e.V., patronage: Senator for Economics, Labour and Europe Kristina Vogt.
Fotos © Marianne Menke