Panel discussion ‘Socio-cultural spaces in Dresden - Constant Temporary Precarious’ moderated by Konrad Behr

It is not only the latest budget dispute in the city of Dresden and the financial restrictions announced for the independent cultural scene that give rise to fears that small art and cultural centres will find it difficult to exist in the future. If the funding of such organisations is called into question, their economic basis is often withdrawn. However, Dresden's diverse cultural landscape is not only represented by the large museums, theatres and concert halls, but also by the variety of numerous associations and initiatives that have been active for years, mostly on a purely voluntary basis. Particularly in fields of work with unconventional and experimental approaches that are often ahead of their time, such venues represent laboratories of the future, the fruits of which the institutional theatres are happy to draw on in order to show contemporary art alongside their task of shedding light on past forms of performance. If this diversity and the free scope of this scene is lost, the cultural city of Dresden harms itself by driving away its own young artists and losing relevance.
In a panel discussion, DIWO Woche invites actors from such venues to report on successful strategies and practices of working under these conditions. The panel will take a look at the last 20 years and ask what the work of such initiatives has in common despite their different profiles. What role does the availability of physical locations play in this and what experiences are there of building resilient communities under economically precarious conditions without exhausting themselves in the process?