This Week's Highlights: February 21 – 27

This Week's Highlights: Robot music in Berlin, Irish dance in Cologne, Dutch art in Frankfurt, and Dessau celebrates Kurt Weill.

BERLIN



Music/Concerts


Inhuman Music – Compositions by Machines, by Animals, and by Accident

Sir Elton Junk may be made of old tubes, scrap metal, and a discarded shopping cart, but this guy can rock like the best of them. His electro clinks and clanks come straight from his industrial heart. The music making robot, created by Berlin artist Kolja Kugler opens a series of concerts by non-humans Thursday. All weekend, music by birds, whales, and mechanical beings fills the room at the House of World Cultures.

Price: Various
Location: Haus der Kulturen der Welt, John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10
Times: Thursday, February 21 – Sunday, February 24
Phone: 030 397 870
More Information: www.echtzeitmusik.de



A Celebration for the Queen – Historic Organ Concert

Oh how it sings! Pedals, pipes, and keys work together to create an invigorating tapestry of both jumpy modern melodies and solemn sacred songs on the Mighty Wurlitzer. The energetic electric organ joins the Berlin Philharmonic's Karl-Schuke-Organ, the Gray Organ, and other historic organs at a special concert Sunday. The day-long celebration features music by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Johann Sebastian Bach, Maurice Ravel, and other organ composer greats at the Musical Instrument Museum.

Price: €8
Location: Musikinstrumenten-Museum, Tiergartenstrasse 1 (Entrance: Ben-Gurion-Strasse
Times: Sunday, February 24, 10am – 5pm
Phone: 030 25 48 11 78
More Information: www.mim-berlin.de



Events


Zoe's Ghana Kitchen Meets Cocina Latina

Nothing like a hearty meal from West Africa or South America to spice up these chilly winter nights. Zoe Adjonyoh brings her London pop-up restaurant to Berlin's City Stay Hostel on Saturday, offering two set menus. Indulge in the mashed yam balls and mutton stew of traditional Ghanaian kitchens, or the ceviche and empanada of the Latina cocinas across the Atlantic.

Price: €20
Location: City Stay Hostel, Rosenstrasse 16
Times: Saturday, February 23, 7-10:30pm
More Information: www.facebook.com




COLOGNE



Galleries/Museums


Paris 1.0

Next stop: Paris. Cologne's Galerie Biesenbach is embarking on a journey around the world without leaving its pretty white-walled space on Sankt-Apern-Strasse. For its latest exhibition, five artists from the French capital offer a snapshot of the art scene in their little corner of the world. See Laurent Chéhère's dreamy digital collages, Rebecca Bournigault's provocative watercolours, Yassine Mekhnache's big colourful canvases, and thoughtful portraits by Neïla Serrano and Sébastien Mathieu when the show opens Thursday.

Price: Free
Location: Galerie Biesenbach, Saint-Apern-Strasse 44-46
Times: Thursday, February 21, 6-9pm (Opening); Tuesday – Friday, Noon-6pm (Regular Hours)
Phone: 0221 169 3892
More Information: www.galerie-biesenbach.com



Dance


Irish Celtic – Spirit of Ireland

They're a spirited bunch the Irish. And when they get their feet moving, there's no stopping the stomping. From step dancing, to village tavern-style folk dancing, this jubilant stage show features an assortment of Celtic dance steps that will make an Irish heart sing. Tap your toes along to the rhythm of the bagpipes and fiddle at Musical Dome this weekend when the dazzling dancers of Irish Celtic step and kick in time to live tunes.

Price: €39 – 63
Location: Musical Dome, Goldgasse 1
Times: Thursday, February 21 and Friday, February 22, 8pm; Saturday, February 23, 4pm and 8pm; Sunday, February 24, 2pm and 6pm
Ticket Hotline: 01805 2001
More Information: www.musical-dome.de




DESSAU



Festivals

Dessau may be known for its link to the Bauhaus movement, but the Saxony-Anhalt city also shares a close relationship to another icon of Germany's cultural landscape, Kurt Weill. A festival devoted to the great composer focuses on his time in New York, highlighting the impact he made on the Great White Way. See seminal works like "The Threepenny Opera," and other musical theatre pieces, concerts, ballets, and films inspired by the master this week in Dessau.

Price: Various
Location: Various
Times: Friday, February 22 – Sunday, March 10
Tickets: 0341 14 990 900
More Information: www.kurt-weill.de




FRANKFURT



Galleries/Museums


Rineke Dijkstra – The Krazy House

The Dutch artist Rineke Dijkstra takes pictures of people. She has an exquisite ability to capture a range of human emotions in her images. Her series from the late 1990s, "The Krazy House" took the concept of portraiture one step further by using video to convey the subject's personality through dance. See works from this series, and others, including two new videos, at MMK's new exhibition. Free guided tours in English take place every Saturday afternoon.

Price: €10
Location: MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, 
Domstrasse 10
Times: Friday, February 22, 8pm (Opening); Tuesday – Sunday, 10am-6pm, Wednesday, 10am-8pm; through May 26 (Regular Hours)
Phone: 069  2123 0447
More Information: www.mmk-frankfurt.de




HAMBURG


Film


Bag It – Is Your Life Too Plastic?

As far as living consciously with regard to the environment, Germany does a pretty good job compared to the rest of the world. But it's still good to get a little reminder every now and then about how bad plastic can be. Colorado-based filmmaker Suzan Beraza's documentary about how our lives are so entwined with plastic has won a string of awards since its release in 2010. Catch a screening Sunday at the Museum of Art and Trade in Hamburg, and check out the exhibition "The Plastic Garbage Project" while you're at it.

Price: €9
Location: Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg
, Steintorplatz
Times: Sunday, February 24, 3pm
Register: 040 428134 402
More Information: www.plasticgarbageproject.org



Family Events


Felt Jewelery Workshop

Joseph Beuys had it right. Felt. It's an essential fabric. Not only can you make interesting avant-garde artworks with the material, you can make pretty jewelery too! Gather among the stunning natural scenery at the Haus der Wilden Weiden and learn how to make beautiful necklaces, bracelets, and even cell phone cases from the soft, durable fabric. Adults and children ages six and up are invited to take part in the afternoon of cozy constructing.

Price: €9
Location: Haus der Wilden Weiden, Eichberg 63
Times: Saturday, February 22, 1pm
Register: 040 18 04 48 60 13
More Information: www.hoeltigbaum.de




MUNICH



Events


UAMO Festival 2013

Whether its a toddler stacking blocks, or grandma dealing a game of gin rummy, everyone likes to play, making the theme of this year's UAMO Festival "Play Time" especially universal. The Urban Art and Media Organisation has hosted this four-day art festival since 2003, and this year's program is as entertaining as ever. Take a "Stop Trick" workshop and learn about animation; get an overview of the historic paper theatre genre; and don't miss the opening party on Thursday. Performance artists, a live band, and DJs will have you in a playful mood all night.

Price: €8
Location: Einsteinstrasse 42
Times: Thursday, February 21 – Sunday, February 24
More Information: www.uamo.info



Music/Concerts


Marc Ribot Ceramic Dog Collective

They've been called "the rawest band in ages," by Time Out New York, an apt description to be sure. Marc Ribot's projects are multitudinous, ranging from a Cuban rock band to this one, a wild free-punk trio that merges guitar, bass, and drums with a cacophonous raw energy. See the talented New York-based threesome at Unterfahrt Thursday.

Price: €22
Location: Jazzclub Unterfahrt, Einsteinstrasse 42
Times: Thursday, February 21, 9pm
Tickets: 089 448 2794
More Information: www.unterfahrt.de