2009 is more than only the year of a heavy economic crisis: it is a commemorative year, reminding historical dates which have formed our present Europe significantly. Thus 1909 the so called Futuristic Manifesto initiated the Italian Fascism, 1929 the Black Thursday led to the devastating stock market crash, 1969 the Woodstock Festival took place as a demonstration against the Vietnam War and 1989 in Germany the Fall of the Wall prepared the ground for a new united future.

Especially art and culture respond to political events variously. For instance theatre offers a neutral space for political reflection and discourse within an unpolitical atmosphere, taking place between artists and audience as well as between art and public. "Woodstock of Political Thinking" provided exactly this kind of open forum.

Approximately 30 guests from politics, science, theatre, literature and art were given the possibility to show their perceptions to an open-minded audience. The specialty: they were free in choosing a form of presentation, but one act was restricted to 60 minutes. So there was a regular rhythm within a free space. The result was a creative, performative and intermedial "discourse happening" with opinion influentials like Julian Nida-Rümelin, Elif Özmen, Eva Löbau, Vladimir Scherban, Kathrin Röggla and many more.

Project duration: 20/11/2009-22/11/2009, 11:00 to 23:00.

Project venue: Haus der Kunst Munich

Project partners: SPIELART Festival, Chair for Philosophy IV of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Kulturreferat der Landeshauptstadt München