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 a participatory exhibition opening on April 30 at the Liebig12 project space and a performance at the Galiläakirche 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
2:00–3:00 PM Introduction to the project / Artist talk
3:30–5:00 PM *FLINTA ONLY _Workshop: physical and vocal liberation
5:30–8:30 PM*FLINTA ONLY _ Participatory performance – collective material gathering
9:00–11:00 PM *FLINTA ONLY _Group discussions, Preparations for the concert on May 1, 2026
///
01.05.26 @Galiläakirche Rigaerstr.9/10 10247 Berlin
“The 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 a collaboration between musicians and sound artists Marc Weiser (Rechenzentrum, Zeitkratzer Ensemble, Marc Marcovic, CTM Festival, Volksbühne), Katharina Bévand, and Bojana Knežević, who performs under her sonic alter ego Boa Béres. Together, they form the creative core of “The Orchestra of Exploitation.”
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. Boa Béres will also give one of her rare performances at the piano as part of the event.
*Project/exhibition/performance “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. At the same time, their labour and presence remain fundamental in sustaining economies, households, and cultural institutions across Europe, while often being precarious, invisible, or undervalued.
Especially in Berlin—a city widely regarded as open, progressive, and shaped by diverse coexistence—these experiences are not marginal but systemic and widespread.
“New Operas of Abuse” addresses contemporary forms of exploitation that often remain hidden behind platforms of cultural or economic “opportunity.” What emerges is a landscape of systemic dissonance: fragmented voices, devalued labour, and lives suspended across borders.
About the project
“New Operas of Abuse” is a participatory project that unfolds through a series of thematic gatherings and the collective creation of materials—testimonies in the form of audio recordings, written texts, drawings, and embodied practices.
These materials are transformed into an interactive, multi-channel sound and performance work, unfolding as a participatory exhibition and social sculpture on April 30, and further developed into a live concert on May 1 at the Galiläakirche.
Developed during a residency at Liebig12, the project combines research, interviews, and ongoing exchanges with the local community. It draws on feminist methodologies such as consciousness-raising practices, early feminist performance, and collective reflection on lived experiences of violence, exploitation, and exclusion.
Particular emphasis is placed on vocal and bodily liberation, collective processes, and shared presence. The dramaturgy brings together witness testimonies, bureaucratic language, sound experiments, collective singing, and improvisation.
Gathering – April 30 (Walpurgis Night) @Liebig12
The gathering on April 30 is conceived as an open and shared space for FLINTA* participants to come together and exchange experiences related to work, migration, gender-based harassment, and exploitation.
Taking place on Walpurgisnacht, historically associated with collective unrest and the symbolic disruption of social order, the event reclaims this moment as a space for presence, expression, and resistance.
Participation is open and flexible and may take many forms: speaking, listening, writing, drawing, movement, vocal expression, or silence. Participants are welcome to join and leave at any time.
The gathering forms part of a broader participatory process in which personal testimonies are transformed into collective material for an evolving opera/sound and performance work. Materials developed during the day will contribute to:
– a participatory performance / collective body at Liebig12 (April 30)
– a live concert on May 1 at Galiläakirche (Orchestra of Exploitation)
Participatory testimony space
As part of the ongoing process, there is an open document for sharing testimonies, reflections, and experiences.
If you would like to contribute, or if you have any questions, you are welcome to get in touch:
boa.knezevic@gmail.com
D.A. Bojana (S) Knežević is a Berlin-based sound and media artist, researcher, and curator working across performance, sound, radio art, and audiovisual installation. Her practice centers on marginalized and hybrid identities and the deconstruction of patriarchal structures, with a particular emphasis on the sonic exploration of social phenomena.
One of the podcast pioneers in the Balkans, she co-founded Femkanje in 2013, an art and media platform dedicated to contemporary art and feminist discourse in the former Yugoslav region.
As an artist, curator, producer, and educator, she has collaborated with initiatives including the Mapping Sounds in Exile Festival (Goethe-Institut im Exil & Berlin School of Sound), Balkan Radikal (Berlin), the Berlin School of Sound, and the Listening Biennial, where she was co-curator and local program coordinator for its 2nd and 3rd editions in Belgrade.
From 2018 to 2024, she taught at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad and continues to lead workshops and masterclasses on sound and feminist performance in both academic and independent contexts. In 2024/25, she was a fellow and artist-in-residence within the Braunschweig Projects fellowship program at HBK Braunschweig.
She performs vocal and piano experiments under the alias Boa Béres.
