Book Launch: „Villa Aurora. Exile, Art und Freedom in Los Angeles“ | Registration
Invitation
We cordially invite you to the book premiere of "Die Villa Aurora. Exile, Art and Freedom in Los Angeles" (https://www.distanz.de/en/die-villa-aurora) ein.
An engaging program awaits you, featuring author and journalist Shelly Kupferberg, longtime President of the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) Steven Lavine, writer and activist Sharon Dodua Otoo, and the book's two editors Claudia Gordon and Jakob Scherer. The evening will be opened by Markus Klimmer, Chairman of the Board of Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House, with welcoming remarks by Sven Lehmann, Chair of the Bundestag Committee on Culture and Media.
Together with our cooperation partner DISTANZ Verlag, we look forward to welcoming you to this special occasion.
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
Venue: DISTANZ Verlag,
Hallesches Ufer 78, 10963 Berlin
Info: This event will be held in English.
Anmeldung | Registration
With your participation you agree to the publication of photographs and videos by VATMH e.V., which may be taken of you during the event.
Your data will be collected and stored for the purpose of organizing the event. The data you provide us with will be processed internally by us and will not be passed on to third parties.
Your data will be stored until the end of the project on a server in the data center of Artfiles New Media GmbH Artfiles New Media GmbH, Zirkusweg 1, D-20359 Hamburg.
In case you agree above to a storage of your data for invitation purposes or email information, please note our general privacy policy.
You have the right to obtain information about the personal data we have stored about you at any time. We will also correct your data at your request if errors are found in the storage. At your request, we will of course also delete all your personal data. Furthermore, you have the right to object to further processing of your data and the right to receive your data in electronic form. Please contact infoberlin@vatmh.org in all the aforementioned cases of information, correction, deletion or revocation.
If you believe that your data is not being processed by Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V. in accordance with applicable data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority.
October 15, 2026
Doors: 18:00 Uhr
Installation & Film: 18:00 Uhr
Talk: 18:30 Uhr
Ceremony: 19:15 Uhr
Place: Betonhalle, silent green Kulturquartier
Gerichtstraße 35, 13347 Berlin
YOU'RE WARMLY INVITED
We are delighted to invite you to this year's Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House Night.
Under the title GRAVITATIONS, the evening brings together installation, film, conversation, music, and performance – and welcomes back our Villa Aurora and Thomas Mann Fellows.
6:00 PM | Installation & Film
In the entrance area of the concrete hall, Jan Jelinek presents the installation LA Screen Memories, which combines nineteen film sequences shot in tunnels beneath Downtown Los Angeles with field recordings. In the cinema, artists Nina Fischer & Maroan el Sani present Intermundis, a film about "Biosphere 2" in Arizona that explores survival in an increasingly inhospitable environment. Both works will be on view throughout the evening.
6:30 PM | Talk
Thomas Mann Fellows Oliver Polak and Ronen Steinke will discuss how we can – and should – talk to one another in the face of social tensions and growing polarization. The conversation will be moderated by Aida Baghernejad.
7:15 PM | Ceremony & Concerts
The musical program opens with Eddna (Elena Herrmann, joined by Lisa Baeyens and Tsepo Kolitsoe Pooe) performing Waves in Geometrical Tides. Another highlight of the evening will be the first live version of Annika Kahrs’ film Gravity’s Tune, presented with composer Louis d’Heudières and the Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop.
The welcome address will be given by Konrad Schmidt-Werthern, Senior Civic Servant to the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM).
The evening will be hosted by Clara Becker, Program Director at VATMH, Claudia Gordon, Director of Villa Aurora, and Jakob Scherer, Executive Director of VATMH.
We look forward to welcoming you and a guest. Please register by October 12:
Registration
The venue is wheelchair accessible. Speeches will not be interpreted into German Sign Language (DGS).
By attending the event, you agree that photographs and video recordings taken during the event may be published by VATMH e.V.
Your data will be collected and stored for the purpose of organizing the event. The data you provide us with will be processed internally by us and will not be passed on to third parties.
Your data will be stored until the end of the project on a server in the data center of Artfiles New Media GmbH Artfiles New Media GmbH, Zirkusweg 1, D-20359 Hamburg.
In case you agree above to a storage of your data for invitation purposes or email information, please note our general privacy policy.
You have the right to obtain information about the personal data we have stored about you at any time. We will also correct your data at your request if errors are found in the storage. At your request, we will of course also delete all your personal data. Furthermore, you have the right to object to further processing of your data and the right to receive your data in electronic form. Please contact infoberlin@vatmh.org in all the aforementioned cases of information, correction, deletion or revocation.
If you believe that your data is not being processed by Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V. in accordance with applicable data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority.
October 10, 2024
Talk: 6:15 PM
Ceremony: 7:15 PM
Location: Silent Green Kulturquartier
Gerichtstraße 35, 13347 Berlin
We cordially invite you to attend our annual Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House Night. Please find our exciting program for the evening below.
6:15 PM: Talk with Thomas Mann Fellows
At 6:15 p.m., we will host a discussion featuring former Thomas Mann Fellows who will share their experiences in Los Angeles. The panel includes American Studies scholar Carolin Görgen, journalist René Aguigah, PUBLIX founding director Maria Exner, and computer scientist Bernhard Schölkopf. They will offer insights into their projects, memorable encounters, and lasting impressions.
7:15 PM: Ceremony and Reception
The ceremony, beginning at 7:15 p.m., includes a multimedia comic reading by illustrator and Villa Aurora alumna Eva Müller, followed by a music set from rapper and Villa Aurora alumna Ebow. We are also honored to welcome Konrad Schmidt-Werthern, Deputy Head of the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), who will deliver a welcome address. Our Managing Director, Jakob Scherer, will guide you through the evening's events.
Stepping into the concrete hall, you will be transported to the salon of Villa Aurora by “Outerlands”—a mesmerizing organ sound installation by sound artist and Villa Aurora alumnus Hanno Leichtmann.
Following the official program, we warmly invite you to engage in conversation with our alumni, future fellows, and other guests from the fields of culture, politics, science, and media.
We would be delighted to welcome you and your companion. Please register by October 8th using the following form.
Registration
The venue is easily accessible for wheelchair users. Speeches will not be translated into DGS.
With your participation you agree to the publication of photographs and videos by VATMH e.V., which may be taken of you during the event.
Your data will be collected and stored for the purpose of organizing the event. The data you provide us with will be processed internally by us and will not be passed on to third parties.
Your data will be stored until the end of the project on a server in the data center of Artfiles New Media GmbH Artfiles New Media GmbH, Zirkusweg 1, D-20359 Hamburg.
In case you agree above to a storage of your data for invitation purposes or email information, please note our general privacy policy.
You have the right to obtain information about the personal data we have stored about you at any time. We will also correct your data at your request if errors are found in the storage. At your request, we will of course also delete all your personal data. Furthermore, you have the right to object to further processing of your data and the right to receive your data in electronic form. Please contact infoberlin@vatmh.org in all the aforementioned cases of information, correction, deletion or revocation.
If you believe that your data is not being processed by Villa Aurora & Thomas Mann House e. V. in accordance with applicable data protection laws, you have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority.