The DokfestLounge is not only the location for audiovisual performances by international artists, VJs and DJs but also the nocturnal meeting point for our guests after 10.30 pm.
Within BCHIJ Markus Mehr and Stefanie Sixt are exploring the phenomenon of faith
and religion. BCHIJ is an audiovisual examination of the five biggest communities of faith: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism – taken as examples for religious groups. The piece is an audiovisual observation and an exploration. There is no right or wrong. It is a contemplation, seen from a neutral point of view. Allthough the five pieces are using visuals and sounds that are based on a similar language they develop an individual expression and the dividing lines between the religions back out. Stefanie Sixt has produced numerous experimental short films, music videos, conceptual visual arts, audiovisual live (dance) performances and video installations. Since 2010 she has been teaching at different universities of applied sciences. She won several awards and distinctions, her work was shown on festivals e.g. in Berlin), Dresden), Osnabrück (Germany), Stockholm (Sweden), Harare (Simbabwe) and was internationally exhibited at galleries and in museums. Markus Mehr had started making music back in the 80ies. His musical roots intitially are in rock music as can be heard on numerous album releases published under various band names and the pseudonym Aroma. After being on tour for years with the projects mentioned above, Mehr decided to take a musical new step, to release under his name. With the album “Lava“ published by Hidden Shoal Recordings in June 2010 he shows his love for sound sculptures, drone, experimental music and the artistic creation of sound. In January 2012 “IN” was published followed by the albums “ON” in July 2012 and “OFF” in Janurary 2013. All of them are reviewed worldwide.
FREE SAUSAGE is a no nonsense-nonsense farce mixing elements of Live, AV, comedy, dance, kitch tangos, massive noize and a bit of social panache. The unlikely team of Charlie Mars & Steve Buchanan combine their disparate (or rather desperate) respective talents and subject them to the cultural meat grinder. The subsequent results produce a rather colorful pastiche of contemporary art sausages in all their interesting (or not) variations. Imagine a musical comedy directed by Mel Brooks, choreographed by Jerome Bel with music by Merzbow! Is it comedy, dance, satire? Is it highbrow, lowbrow, eyebrow? Is it theater, a crime, is it a shame? It‘s sausage. Not just any sausage, but a FREE SAUSAGE! FREE SAUSAGE reflects the contradiction and paradox of contemporary life. Its meaningful, yet its not. It has much to say, yet nothing at all. Its serious, but nonsense. The sausage is free, but you must buy the Vacumn Cleaner!
Steve Buchanan works as a composer, dancer, multi-instrumentalist and performer in the fields of music, dance and AV/Live. Charlie Mars is sometimes director, sometimes performer, videographer or TV presenter (2008 to 2010 he presented the program on Canal + "The movies made at home").
MAZE is a software which playfully combines shapes, colors and sounds. Within a short time audiovisual compositions are produced with MAZE on account of its generative design. MAZE does not intent to replace the creative human, but wants to become an interface, by means of which – like in a creative game – numerous options emerge, to change image and sound as desired, making it tangible by trying things out. At the moment MAZE is in the process of further development to an interactive installation and is supposed to be used as an instrument for sound therapy. In the DokfestLounge the team from Halle and Leipzig will use club visuals and will try to drive you, the dancing crowd, into ecstasy when beat and bass visually become one.
Johan Holm is a video artist and director. As a member of the Swedish VJ collective Vidiots he is working as a VJ also producing video mappings and installations. His style ranges from frame bending-pixel grabbing-knob twisting-glitch fucking-laptop crushing-neon glowing-laser spitting graphics to clip tripping-sound bashing-time slicing-capture scratching-light throbbing-ass spanking video inferno.In Kassel he will play back to back with Joel Dittrich. We are very exited and are looking forward to this clash!
For Skar the material makes the music. Interesting changes in style and the clever mixture of old and new give his sets a special touch. Over the years the Hip-Hop-Head, that loves jazz and funk and is part of the Hamburg DJ crew “The Fingerprints”, has developed a keen sense for the right musical particularities which are often unconventional but never arbitrary. Since 1997 he also works as a DJ und event manager. Hip Hop, Bass, Breaks and House are his familiar genres. 2009 he went on air with the radio show “The Good Nightz”. Every Friday night from 10-11 p.m. he presents music of all kinds. During many years he and the Fingerprints successfully organized the series “The Finest Funk in Rap”, since 2010 every Friday he is a resident at Mandalay and among other things played at Elbjazz and Ruhr2010.