Kultur am Dorfplatz #1. Mai 2026
Panoptikum – Willkommen in der Disziplinargesellschaft!
2-day free event featuring an exhibition, workshop, and performance on the theme of “Exploitation in the Disciplinary Society” at the Liebig12 Project Space and Galiläa Kirche supported by Bezirksamt Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg.
Capitalist realism is an all-pervasive atmosphere that increasingly blurs the boundaries between life and work and causes lasting anxiety among people. The once-structuring linearity of time is increasingly shifting into a cacophonous mode of confusing simultaneity, while asymmetrical power relations in the neoliberal world of work foster abuse and exploitation across all sectors of the capitalist interior.
Today’s power relations, however, are well-disguised and reflect an omnipresent apparatus of discipline and oppression. The French philosopher Michel Foucault used the panopticon as a metaphor to illustrate the disciplinary society: A circular prison building in which the guard, positioned centrally, has the ability to observe all prisoners without being seen.
The prisoners’ awareness that they are under constant surveillance leads to the internalization of surveillance and a form of self-discipline that turns them into accomplices in their own oppression. This standardized self-control is one of the most subtle forms of exploitation, as these mechanisms cause people to shape their labor, time, and identity in a way that conforms to societal expectations.
In this tension between self-optimization and social conformity, exploitation takes on not only economic but also social, psychological, and physical dimensions, which will be explored in the two-day event “Panoptikum” through an exhibition opening on April 30 at the Liebig12 project space and a performance at the Galiläa Church on May 1.
30.04.26 @Liebig12 Liebigstr.12 10247 Berlin
“New Operas of Abuse” *(scroll down for further details)
by Serbian media artist Bojana (S) Knežević
1:00–2:00 PM: Introduction to the project / Artist talk
3:00–4:30 PM: Workshop on physical and vocal liberation
5:00–8:00 PM: Participatory performance – collection of materials
8:30–11:00 PM: Group discussions Preparations for the concert on May 1, 2026
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01.05.26 @Galiläakirche Rigaerstr.9/10 10247 Berlin
„Orchestra of exploitation“
Based on the diverse materials collected by media artist Bojana (S) Knežević during her artist residency at Liebig12, a “Orchestra” specially assembled for this day, will form the “Orchestra of Exploitation.”
The project is in cooperation musician and cultural manager Marc Weiser (Rechenzentrum, Zeitkratzer Ensemble, Marc Marcovic, CTM Festival, Volksbühne), who, together with musician & sound artist Katharina Bevand & Bojana (S) Knežević — form the creative core of the “Orchestra of Exploitation,” which will perform in the sacred space of the Galiläa Church alongside a neighborhood amateur choir and other volunteers.
The collected text fragments on the themes of “exploitation” and “disciplinary society” will be performed improvisationally by soloists and a choir in the spirit of a liturgy of resistance, accompanied by the rhythm section. The artist Bojana (S) Knežević will also give one of her rare performances at the piano as part of the event.
* About “New Operas of Abuse”
Due to their multifaceted vulnerability, FLINTA* migrant workers are frequently subjected to gender-based harassment and violence—both in the workplace and in private, intimate relationships. Especially in Berlin, a city widely regarded as open, progressive, and characterized by diverse coexistence, these experiences are not marginal but ubiquitous.
Drawing on the artist’s experiences as both a witness to and a victim of a questionable, EU-funded structure that perpetuated exploitation and gender-based harassment rather than fostering solidarity, the opera addresses new forms of contemporary slavery and exploitation hidden behind platforms of cultural or economic “opportunities.” What emerges is a picture of systemic dissonance.
New Opera of Exploitation is a participatory project that unfolds through a series of thematic gatherings and the collective development of materials—testimonies in various forms, including audio recordings, written texts, and drawings. These materials are transformed into an interactive, multi-channel sound and media work that opens as an exhibition on April 30 and simultaneously forms the basis for a musical performance featuring an “orchestra” assembled exclusively for the day on May 1 at the Galiläakirche.
As part of her residency at the Liebig12 project space, the artist has explored this theme through theoretical and contextual research, as well as through meetings, interviews, and ongoing interactions with the local community. The project focuses in particular on methods of feminist resistance and draws on practices such as consciousness-raising groups, early feminist performances, and concrete experiences of harassment, violence, and exploitation faced by FLINTA* communities. The project acknowledges and responds to newly adapted mechanisms of discouragement and exclusion of women and FLINTA* individuals in patriarchal, post-capitalist societies.
The gatherings place a special emphasis on vocal and physical liberation and empowerment, collective processes, and personal experiences.
The gatherings place a special emphasis on vocal and physical liberation and empowerment, collective processes, and personal experiences.
The dramaturgy stages witness testimonies, bureaucratic texts, and work sounds alongside moments of collective singing, collaged polyphonies, and improvisations—rooted in sonic mindfulness and deep listening. Dissonance manifests in fragmented, silenced, or distorted voices. Resonance arises when these voices weave together into a communal, embodied sound. Invisible exploitation is transformed into auditory presence.
The event takes place on April 30 and coincides with Walpurgis Night—a night historically associated with collective unrest, forbidden gatherings, and the upheaval of social order.
In this context, “New Operas of Abuse” uses Walpurgis Night as an opportunity to give voice to those who are otherwise silenced and to trace how contemporary forms of exploitation and control continue to shape bodies, labor, and mobility. The event reclaims the night as a space for collective presence, resonance, and resistance.
“As I come from Serbia, I also carry with me the memory of ongoing protests and state repression, where citizens’ voices are met with censorship and police violence. These echoes of silenced dissent find their counterpart in the invisibility imposed on FLINTA workers with migrant backgrounds in Europe. Protest chants, the rhythms of the crowd, and the acoustic traces of repression have become part of my artistic vocabulary and underscore the continuity of dissonance across borders.
Since 2013, as a co-founder of Femkanje—an artist-run media platform focused on artists and workers from the former Yugoslavia and Europe—I have been a pioneer in the field of podcasting in the Balkans, with over 150 long-form interviews. In recent years, my practice has evolved into long-form and performative radio experiments, often combining simultaneous on-site performances with live radio streams, thereby expanding the boundaries of how radio can function both as a medium and as a stage.”
