by Aoife Donnellan // Nov. 17, 2023
The 9th edition of Creamcake’s 3hd festival entitled ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ was centred around four main events, and a number of satellite programs, presenting the interdisciplinary work of musicians, artists, performers, producers, writers and curators. The theme of this year’s festival was inspired by Pluto’s re-entrance into the house of Aquarius for the first time in 235 years. It last made this appearance from 1777 to 1798, during which a number of historical events occurred: the founding of the United States, the Haitian revolution and the deposition of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette. Taking its title from a quote often attributed to the deposed Queen, the main events of the festival use imagery from historical revolutions, human rights movements and the decadence afforded to the ruling class, to examine their relevance to contemporary societies’ wealth disparity.
3hd 2023: ‘Eat the Rich,’ // Photo by ink Agop, © Creamcake
The festival opened with an eight course cabaret banquet titled ‘Eat The Rich,’ which took place at HAU2 at Hebbel am Ufer. The event was named after the famous quote attributed to philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, which was popularised during the French Revolution. Once inside the performance space, audiences were greeted by banquet tables covered with white tablecloths adorned with edible sculptural works. The evening was punctuated by three food-based courses provided by artist and chef Caique Tizzi. These works ranged from sculptures of butter and edible feathers to plant pots filled with potatoes and a bed frame filled with cake. The other five courses came in the form of performances, including Arvida Byström’s live conversation with the AI love doll “Harmony,” Hengameh Yaghoobifarah’s toast from a chaise longue and Odete’s musings on the history of magic, transexuality and the history of the castrato. Other performances included Martins Kohout’s meditation on friendship and mourning, ‘Still there, more or less, or not’ (2023), in collaboration with Pálma Fazakas and Adrienne Herr, and Cassie Augusta Jørgensen’s scripted conversation and musical performance, which aimed to deconstruct the Western world’s fetish with ballet. Dancer Élie Autin’s work, ‘Antichambre’ (2023), named after the waiting rooms of Versailles, was enchanting, beginning in a bath surrounded by candles, the performer removed necklaces one by one and dropped them into the water. She then emerged from the bath to perform ballet/ballroom dance through the audience. The performances were connected in theme, each touching on loss, autonomy and expression, referring back to the overarching theme of the festival: resistance.
3hd 2023: ‘Eat the Rich,’ // Photo by ink Agop, © Creamcake
Élie Autin: ‘Antichambre,’ 3hd 2023: Eat the Rich // Photo by ink Agop, © Creamcake
The backdrop of the banquet acted as a reminder of the communal element of the evening; one where visitors shared experiences and nourishment. In the moments between performances, which were scored by producer and performer Ludwig Wandinger’s atmospheric sounds, audience members returned to the table to retrieve cheese and bread. The evening finished with an energetic and chaotic performance from Krista Papista, which had her dancing with a skirt made from cowbells, and destroying everything in her path. She threw stacks of porcelain-esque plates on the ground in time with a lively soundtrack. The materiality of the performance touched on themes of folklore, nationalism and reinvention through destruction, as she carried the weight of the bells with her atop the tables.
Odete: ‘Cicada/Cilada,’ 3hd 2023: Eat the Rich // Photo by ink Agop, © Creamcake
Also held at Hebbel am Ufer was the Creamcake-hosted discursive program, ‘Salon de Sticks and Stones,’ which sought to examine the role of language in resistance. This day of discourse included a lecture by artist and writer Alex Quicho and two panels moderated by writer Steph Kretowicz, which included artists Arvida Byström, Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju, Vika Kirchenbauer and Shaunak Mahbubani. The third event of the festival, ‘The Pleasure of Pain,’ was a curated evening of music and performance in Heimathafen Neukölln, aiming to explore themes of hedonism and vice. The old ballroom opened to audiences with an erratic soundscape of electronic rhythms and classical music, performed by multidisciplinary DJ Baptist Goth, creating a collage of musical ideas. The harp sitting in the centre of the stage was joined by performer Ahya Simone, who performed a combination of experimental music and R&B. She was followed by a trio of string instruments playing material composed by Astrid Sonne. Sonne played viola, accompanied by Vanessa Bedoret on violin and Emma Barnaby on cello, using Baroque techniques to create a work that reimagined the expected. The final performance of the evening, ‘WHO HURT YOU?’ by performer BULLYACHE, was inspired by the distressing story of boxer Jake Lamotta performing an autobiographical play, written and directed by his wife, while suffering from dementia.
Arvida Byström, 3hd 2023: Eat the Rich // Photo by ink Agop, © Creamcake
Showing until December 4th, both at Berlinische Galerie and online on 3hdTV, this year’s 3hd film program, ‘I’M SPARTACUS!’ features work from Akinola Davies Jr., Christelle Oyiri, Ndayé Kouagou, The Institute of Queer Ecology and Vika Kirchenbauer. The program aims to reorient expectations of canon and convention to prioritise marginalised narratives. Taking its inspiration from Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 film ‘Spartacus,’ the moving image works consider themes of oppression, resistance, cultural identity and solidarity.
BULLYACHE // Copyright Bohumil Kostohryz
The closing event of the festival, ‘Fools and Their Folly,’ took place at Berghain. Returning to the festival’s theme, 3hd attempted to mirror the exclusivity celebrated by the French monarchy in the 1700s, specifically the parties Marie-Antoinette would throw in her infamous farm playhouse, which she had constructed on the palace grounds. Curated by 3hd, the space was filled by international performers and DJs including Bloodz Boi, CLIP, Goth Jafar, münki, 33EMYBW and felicita, among many others. The evening presented a variety of genres and energies, moving through hyperpop, demon art, androgynous punk and industrial techno in the iconic setting. The eclectic curation withdrew from a commercialised clubbing experience by reminding audiences of the importance of unique expression in the party scene.
This year’s festival prioritised curiosity, freedom of expression and collective experience. Throughout the program, there was an atmosphere of communal anticipation preceding each main event as audiences awaited the diverse exhibitions and performances on offer. In its re-appropriation of historical archetypes, 3hd recontextualised contemporary societies’ understanding of the history of labour, consumption and revolution. ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ set out to remind us that as Pluto—commonly referred to as the planet of death, destruction and rebirth—enters the harmonious house of Aquarius, it brings with it the promise of change.
Exhibition Info
Berlinische Galerie
3hd 2023: ‘Let Them Eat Cake’
Exhibition: Oct. 27–Dec. 4 2023
creamcake.de
Virtual Viewing: berlinischegalerie.de
Alte Jakobstraße 124-128, 10969 Berlin, click here for map
