The White White West?

The literature project “The White White West?” at Burg Hülshoff in Westphalia creates a shared space for the high culture of history and the polyphony of the present. At the birthplace of the poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, the Burg Hülshoff – Center for Literature has teamed up with the international writers’ collective “foundintranslation” to investigate the German literary scene and develop a plan for a multilingual, transnational and diverse world of literature.

Four formats serve to achieve this goal, a laboratory with eight artists in residence, the performance “Westfailure”, which in cooperation with the Westfälische Kunstverein imagines a future beyond national languages based on an idea by Susan Strange, a digital campaign and an international festival at Burg Hülshoff. The project will conclude with a five-day festival in September 2021 featuring a diverse programme of events. The festival has invited numerous artists, including the Chilean writer Alia Trabucco and the sign language literature initiative “Handverlesen”, and will address such topics as commemorative culture, sexuality and inclusion in keynote lectures, readings and performances. By jointly reflecting on these topics with artists, theorists, publishers, journalists, cultural producers and universities, the Center for Literature hopes to encourage sustainable change within the German literary scene.

Artistic directors: Jörg Albrecht, Tomás Cohen, Annika Dorau, Hugh James, Nefeli Kavouras
Artists: Jan Brandt, ConstructLab, Alia Trabucco, Zweitzeugen e.V., KAJET, Michaela Melián, Mette Moestrup, Nástio Mosquito, Rodrigo Olavarria, Stefanie de Velasco and others

Further Events

• Exhibition at the Foyer of Westfälischer Kunstverein, Münster: 30 Apr. – 30 May 2021
• Construction of festival centre, educational programme, Burg Hülshoff, Havixbeck: 30 May – 30 Nov. 2021