Diverse perspectives on the Oder will be the focus of an event hosted by cultural scientist and Viadrina graduate Katharina Blumberg-Stankiewicz and philosopher and Islamic scholar Dr. Alina Kokoschka on Thursday, 13 February at the Viadrina. Under the title "TraumaTische GegenWarten, ...Oder?", various perspectives on the Oder will also be discussed with the audience. The event begins at 6.00 pm in the Gräfin-Dönhoff building, room 102.
Interested parties are asked to register at the following link: https://forms.europa-uni.de/form/provide/1966
The evening will kick off with the short film "Vom Verschwinden" by Sven Johne, followed by an artist talk. The film tells an intergenerational family story in post-war East Germany. Johne has received numerous awards for his work on this topic. Katharina Blumberg-Stankiewicz and Alina Kokoschka will then present their project "O-der Töne. Mensch, Land, Fluss - ein Podcast mit uneindeutigen Gesprächen vom Rand der Mitte Europas". They provide insights into their current work and talk to guests about their experiences on the Oder. For the podcast, they spoke to many actors from the twin city and Viadrina, among others. They use the Oder as a starting point for their reflections on the impact of history between Poland and Germany, current events and ecological disasters.
Finally, the photo exhibition "Oder-Los" by Oleksandra Bienert will be opened, showing photographs of a river landscape. Bienert was awarded the Order of Merit of the State of Berlin in 2022 and the Pankow District Medal in 2024 for her many years of commitment to German-Ukrainian relations.
A common feature of all the projects is the desire to take a new look at the Oder, incorporating artistic, historical, ecological and social perspectives on the Oder region. Afterwards, guests can talk to the artists over a glass of wine.
Background to the podcast
The idea for their podcast "O-der Töne" was born after the German-Polish workshop "TraumaTische GegenWarten", which Blumberg-Stankiewicz and Kokoschka conceived in collaboration with the "Zwischen den Polen" 2022 initiative. The project is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection of the State of Brandenburg.