Wolfgang Hoffman - Travel and mobility
"Travel has become so easy these days. I remember my border check experiences into the former Czechoslovakia and Poland in the late 80s and the way my spine used to stiffen at the appearance of the border guards. What a difference now, when you are waived through the different immigration controls, passing by bored looking custom officials who seem to have nothing left to do. Given you’ve got the right passport of course.
Growing up in East Germany, behind the so called ‘Iron Curtain’, I had a strong sense of borders and issues of mobility. I used to feel affinities with places that I only knew from books and the description of others. When I finally had the chance to visit these places they sometimes lost their magic, because they were just another city, with streets, buildings and people who would talk in different languages but felt essentially the same.
In the mid nineties, I developed a strong desire to tour Europe as an artist and to present work in every possible country. I was very interested in how my work, which is movement based theatre, would be perceived in different places and through that learn what other people are like. I wanted to learn about cultural differences. I was attracted to what I perceived as being the different national identities, without knowing what was really mine. As far as I was concerned, with the reunification of Germany, the country that I grew up in had ceased to exist.
When I traveled as a 16 year old to the war memorial in Chatyn, Belorussia, I was overcome by guilt for the German massacres in World War II. Since then I didn’t want to be identified as a German, and instead chose to speak my then rather broken English, when trying to communicate with non Germans. I only became aware of this decision, when I realized that I had no traditional song repertoire, when asked to sing a song at multi national parties. The songs that I then chose to sing were English and Russian but never German.
pandora 88
Wolfgang Hoffmann (front) and Sven Till
Created & performed by: Wolfgang Hoffmann and Sven Till
© Stefan Gloede
Courtesy: fabrik PotsdamI always find it interesting to read the analysis of German politics and culture from abroad. Showing my ignorance, I was never more surprised to learn that even people in India cared about our gas emissions, or who won the regional elections, and whether Sasha Waltz had left the Berlin Schaubuhne or not.
Having traveled throughout Europe and beyond for 6 years, I encountered culture shock however when I decided to take on the job of Director of the Dublin Fringe festival and moved there with my wife and child. Though I presumed myself worldly wise and had perfected the art of ordering from menus I couldn’t read, felt comfortable in navigating foreign transport systems, airports and hotels etc. I had greatly underestimated the challenge of trying to actually settle down in this new country. My wife is Irish so I hadn’t expected it to be much of a problem but everyday things were a continual surprise. Getting used to the cheque culture, bin tags and what a P60 is for was one thing, but overcoming exorbitantly high prices from rent to child care fees was quite another.
Reading constantly about a German Economy in crisis in contrast to soaring Irish wealth I couldn’t help comparing the high standard of living I had taken for granted in Potsdam and the more frantic pace of life I have encountered in Dublin. It makes me wonder.
In my capacity as both a performer and organizer I have traveled throughout Europe and beyond and have encountered many people who have helped shape my artistic identity. I think the more I traveled though, the more I learned about home. I’ll return to Germany some day. A changed man?"
Wolfgang Hoffmann
Director, Dublin Fringe Festival
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