CALL FOR PAPERS: International Feuchtwanger Society Conference 2019, Munich
The ninth biennial meeting of the International Feuchtwanger Society (IFS) will take place on October 17-20, 2019 in Munich. What role did the “Munich milieu” play for the young intellectual? Which of the impressions and influences of the Munich art, theater and literary scene can be demonstrated? Which networks and connections motivated the ambitious young author? Proposals that are closely related to the conference topic are welcome along with papers that explore Munich’s cultural scene between 1900 and 1925. Papers should not exceed 20 minutes.
Read more … CALL FOR PAPERS: International Feuchtwanger Society Conference 2019, Munich
Video: Ein möglichst intensives Leben - Die Feuchtwanger Tagebücher
During his lifetime, German-Jewish novelist Lion Feuchtwanger claimed not to keep a diary. Yet, in the 1990s, a treasure trove of his diaries from the years 1906-1940 was found in the apartment of Feuchtwanger’s long-time secretary Hilde Waldo. Now, for the first time ever, these diaries have been published by Aufbau publishing house in Berlin, allowing us to get to know Feuchtwanger as a chronicler of his life and of a central part of German history. Last December we presented the book at the Villa Aurora in Los Angeles. You can rewatch the event in this video:
Read more … Video: Ein möglichst intensives Leben - Die Feuchtwanger Tagebücher
Call for applications: Thomas Mann Fellowships 2020
For a stay at the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles in 2020 Thomas Mann Fellowships are tendered. The fellowships will be awarded for the year 2020 and for a period of 3 to 10 months. The former home of Thomas Mann in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, is a residence house of the Federal Republic of Germany with the aim of stimulating debates on the political, social or cultural situation on both sides of the Atlantic.[Text in German]
Read more … Call for applications: Thomas Mann Fellowships 2020
Videoblog: On Skid Row with Jutta Allmendinger
As a Thomas Mann Fellow in 2018, Jutta Allmendinger has been conducting her research on housing and homelessness in Los Angeles. We accompanied her during the “Skid Row Festival” in Downtown. Skid Row is an area of 0.4 square miles containing one of the largest populations of homeless people in the United States. Together with her colleague, Jürgen Robert von Mahs (New School, NY), Allmendinger made use of the opportunity to speak to some of Skid Row’s residents.
Meeting of the Network Thomas Mann International in ETH's Villa Hatt in Zurich
On November 29th and 30th, representatives of "Thomas Mann Houses International", a network that curates the heritage of the famous autor, came together in Zürich. The institutions (Lübeck: Buddenbrookhaus, Munich: Monacensia in the Hildebrandhaus, Nidden / Lithuania: Thomas Mann Cultural Center, Pacific Palisades / USA: Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V, Zurich / Switzerland: Thomas Mann Archive of ETH Zurich) first gathered in Lübeck in 2017. The network was doudned in order to enrich and strengthen each other.
Read more … Meeting of the Network Thomas Mann International in ETH's Villa Hatt in Zurich
Max Göran receives Villa Aurora scholarship from the Studienstiftung 2019
In cooperation with Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V., the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes grants another scholarship in 2019 for a stay at the artist's residence called Villa Aurora. Out of a variety of applications, the choice fell on the video and performance artist Max Göran. He will live and work in Los Angeles from early January to mid-February.
Read more … Max Göran receives Villa Aurora scholarship from the Studienstiftung 2019
Videoblog: The Library with Jennifer und Brad Johnson
In our video blog, Jennifer and Brad Johnson from Johnson Rare Books & Archives give insights on the reconstruction of Thomas Mann's library at his home on San Remo Drive.
Read more … Videoblog: The Library with Jennifer und Brad Johnson
Natascha Süder Happelmann represents Germany at the Biennale di Venezia 2019
Sculptor and Villa Aurora Fellow Natascha Sadr Haghighian will represent Germany at the 58th Venice Biennale under the pseudonym Natascha Süder Happelmann. Franciska Zólyom, curator of the German Pavilion 2019, announced the collaboration with the artist on Thursday.
Read more … Natascha Süder Happelmann represents Germany at the Biennale di Venezia 2019
The passing of Berthold Leibinger
Entrepreneur and patron Berthold Leibinger died on October 16, 2018 in Stuttgart/Germany. He was 87 years old. The team and the Board of Directors of Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V. mourn this great loss and wish his family, friends and colleagues much strength.
Villa Aurora announces 2019 Fellows
The Villa Aurora juries have selected the 2019 Fellows for the Villa Aurora in Los Angeles.
Original editions for the Thomas Mann House
Wolf von Lojewski, longtime US correspondent and presenter of the ZDF heute-journal, gives his valuable collection of Thomas Mann original editions to the Thomas Mann House.
Videoblog: Thomas Mann & the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles with Heinrich Detering
In our video blog, Heinrich Detering, a fellow at Thomas Mann House, tells the story of Thomas Mann's relationship with the Unitarian Church in Los Angeles.
Daniela Dröscher: Zeige deine Klasse
On September 15th, "Zeige deine Klasse" by Villa Fellow Daniela Dröscher will be available in Bookstore. The book is a clairvoyant portrait of social background. From a radically subjective perspective, Dröscher examines how class affiliation shapes one's own self-image and social interaction to this day, but also how much shame the term is still occupied with.
Theatrical Release: Styx
"Styx", the first collaboration between Villa Fellows Ika Küntzel and Wolfgang Fischer, comes into cinemas on thursday.
Carolina Hellsgård's new movie at Tiff
Villa Fellow Carolina Hellsgård's new film “Endzeit” (Ever After) celebrates its world premiere in the Discovery Program of the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff).
Heike Mertens appointed as new Executive Director of VATMH
The Board of Directors of Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V., in agreement with the Board of Trustees, has appointed Ms. Heike Catherina Mertens new Executive Director of the association, based in Berlin and effective October 1, 2018. Ms. Mertens succeeds Ms.Annette Rupp, who at her own request will leave the association end of September.
Read more … Heike Mertens appointed as new Executive Director of VATMH
Thomas Mann House announces 2019 Fellows
The Advisory Council of Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V., which includes representatives from culture, science, civil society and business, has selected the 2019 Thomas Mann House Fellows.
Film Screening: Aimée & Jaguar
At the beginning of June, Laemmle's presents the film classic "Aimée & Jaguar" starring Villa Aurora Fellow Maria Schrader. The actress will be present.
Morals & Machines
At the end of June, the VATMH-supported conference of Wirtschaftswoche "Morals & Machines" took place in Berlin.
Steinmeier opens Thomas Mann House
On Monday night, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier inaugurated the Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles. More than 250 guests from the fields of culture, science, politics, and the media gathered in the house on San Remo Drive in Pacific Palisades, where the Mann Family lived during their US exile in the 1940s.
Anatol Stefanowitsch: The limits of language
Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. [Nbsp] V. and Literaturhaus Berlin took the annual event in remembrance of the book burning on May 10, 1933 as an opportunity to explore the limits of the sayable together with Linguistics-Professor Anatol Stefanowitsch.
Interview with Villa Fellow Jana Schulz
Jana Schulz has been a fellow of the German Studienstiftung at the Villa Aurora in the spring of 2018. In an interview with the Studienstiftung she talks about boxing and her experiences in L.A.
Villa Fellow Ulrich Köhler at Cannes Film Festival
Director, author and Villa Fellow Ulrich Köhler receives his first invitation to the International Film Festival Cannes (May 8th through 19th) with his new film "In My Room". Main producer is Pandora Film Produktion from Cologne. The film is invited to section Un Certain Regard.
Read more … Villa Fellow Ulrich Köhler at Cannes Film Festival
f(t) festival
Villa Fellow Stefan Goldmann curates f(t) festival. The two day festival will highlight alternative concepts of time in music: Irregular metres, miniatures, works of gargantuan duration, idiosyncratic patterns, new practices for historic instruments and obsolete media, humanised machine time, mechanised improvisation, space-time relations in close proximity and at vast distance... and much more.
Exhibition visit, artist talk and brunch with Villa Fellow Cyrill Lachauer
Read more … Exhibition visit, artist talk and brunch with Villa Fellow Cyrill Lachauer
Reception in honors of German Oscar nominees at the Villa Aurora
Around 300 representatives of the German and international film and cultural scene came together last Saturday at the annual reception at the Villa Aurora, German Films and the German Consulate General in Los Angeles to celebrate the German Oscar hopes.
Read more … Reception in honors of German Oscar nominees at the Villa Aurora
Traces in Space
Bundeskunsthalle presents works by five recipients of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung's Künstlerförderung, who were Villa Aurora Fellows as well.
A Thought of Ecstasy | Interview with RP Kahl
Director RP Kahl was a Fellow of Villa Aurora in 2013. During this time he began his work on the feature film A THOUGHT OF ECSTACY, which is coming to German cinemas these days. We met him in Berlin for a chat.
Salon Sophie Charlotte 2018: Is language a weapon?
Last Saturday night the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (BBAW) at the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin gave room to the question borrowed by Kurt Tucholsky “Is language a weapon”. “One could be afraid of language and its effects”, stated Martin Grötschel, President of the Academy, in his welcoming address.
Read more … Salon Sophie Charlotte 2018: Is language a weapon?
Silke Scheuermann takes over the Frankfurt Poetikdozentur
Villa Fellow Silke Scheuermann takes over the renowned Frankfurt Poetikdozentur. As of January 23, 2018, she will speak about her poetology on three consecutive Tuesdays under the title JUST STILL DARK ENOUGH.
Read more … Silke Scheuermann takes over the Frankfurt Poetikdozentur
"Off to Moscow!" Travel reports from exile | International Symposion
On December 8 and 9 the Berlin Congress on Exile during 1933-1945 titled "Off to Moscow! Travel Reports from the Exile" took place at Literaturhaus Berlin under the direction of Hermann Haarmann (Berlin) and Anne Hartmann (Bochum) with the support of the Prussian Seehandlung Foundation, the Institute for Communication History and Applied Cultural Studies of the Free University Berlin and Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V.
Read more … "Off to Moscow!" Travel reports from exile | International Symposion
Circuit Training Festival
Berlin, November 22 and 23, 2017: Circuit Training is a workshop ensemble initiated & founded by Ignaz Schick 2013 in Berlin with the aim of bringing together musicians from different styles and scenes once or twice a year for working on new pieces of its core members.
Staahaadler Aff – Composition for percussion and sample pad by Oxana Omelchuk
At the annual get-together of this and next year's Villa Fellows, we presented "Staahaadler Aff", a composition for percussion and sample pad by Oxana Omelchuk.
Read more … Staahaadler Aff – Composition for percussion and sample pad by Oxana Omelchuk
Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House Night in Berlin
Around 300 invited guests from culture, politics and the media came to the Komische Oper Berlin at the end of October to celebrate the VILLA AURORA & THOMAS MANN HOUSE NIGHT.
Read more … Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House Night in Berlin
Verse als kreative Reibung - Jan Wagner's Büchnerpreis acceptance speech (in German)
Villa Aurora Fellow Jan Wagner was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize on Saturday at the autumn conference of the German Academy of Language and Literature. The 50,000 Euro prize is deemed the highest German literary honor. In his acceptance speech Wagner spoke of Georg Büchner's political and literary writings in which language is no longer "a means to an end".
Read more … Verse als kreative Reibung - Jan Wagner's Büchnerpreis acceptance speech (in German)
Justin Times new documentary feature "Chasing Houses"
Filmmaker Justin B Rathke, also known as Justin Time, was a Fellow at Villa Aurora in spring 2013. Now he presents his film "Chasing houses", which was created during his stay in LA, this November in Berlin. We met him there.
Read more … Justin Times new documentary feature "Chasing Houses"
Villa Fellow Senthuran Varatarajah on Instagram
Cyrill Lachauer: What Do You Want Here
Berlinische Galerie presents What Do You Want Here, an exhibition by Villa Fellow Cyrill Lachauer
The passing of Sylke Tempel
The journalist Sylke Tempel died on Thursday in an accident caused by the storm "Xavier". In September she was selected to be one of the first Thomas Mann Fellows. Sylke Temple died at the age 54 years.
MFG Star 2017 – The Nominees
The MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg and FernsehfilmFestival Baden-Baden have announced the four nominees for the MFG-Star star award. The juror Dorothee Schön will award the prize-winner on December 1, 2017.
Alwin Lay: Tilt & Shift
In 2016, Alwin Lay spent three months at Villa Aurora as a fellow of KunstSalon Cologne. The exhibition TILT & SHIFT at will be Fuhrwerkswaage Kunstraum closely related to his stay.
Kirsten Reese: Atmende Kugel
Kirsten Reeses's composition "Atmende Kugel" will premiered at Kontakte'17.
Thomas Mann Fellows 2018 nominated
The Board of Trustees of Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e.V., whose members include representatives of the Federal Foreign Office and the office of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, has nominated the first group of fellows for the Thomas Mann House Los Angeles
Sebastian Stumpf presents works from L.A.
Sebastian Stumpf stayed at Villa Aurora in 2016. Some works that were created during this period are now being presented at Galerie Thomas Fischer in Berlin.
LA-Artist Sandeep Mukherjee is VA's Berlin Fellow 2017
Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V., this year together with the project space 68projects of Galerie Kornfeld Berlin, will once again award the Berlin Fellowship to an outstanding artist from Los Angeles. The choice fell on Sandeep Mukherjee.
Read more … LA-Artist Sandeep Mukherjee is VA's Berlin Fellow 2017
Villa Aurora Fellows in 2018
We congratulate the following artists, who have been selected for a fellowship at the artists' residence Villa Aurora in Los Angeles in 2018 by the jury from numerous applications. We look forward to welcome them in California.
Villa Aurora to run Thomas Mann House
The Federal Republic of Germany has acquired the former residence of exiled author and Nobel Laureate Thomas Mann in Los Angeles. The artist residence Villa Aurora will be entrusted with the administration of the house. Villa Aurora Chair Markus Klimmer, and Executive Director Annette Rupp, together with Doris Barnett, Member of the German Bundestag, were officially presented the keys.