Mike Litt in conversation with Alain Bieber

How's it going, Düsseldorf?

Our podcast "Alle Rhein" for culture in times of Corona. What Mike Litt wants to know: How did the talk guests perceive the surreal times? What has changed for them? What projects are they working on now?
In episode 28, Mike talks to Alain Bieber, Director and Managing Director of the NRW Forum and the brains behind the AR Biennale.

Alain Bieber has already turned many urban themes into exhibitions in Düsseldorf - from the world cultural heritage of pizza to allotment gardens (with Martin Parr) and outdoor swimming pools. However, he loves digital themes the most. As Artistic Director of the NRW-Forum, his visionary exhibitions since 2015 have increasingly brought the city of Düsseldorf to the attention of an international audience who, like him, are interested in new approaches to art.

New sculptures by 19 international artists can now be seen in the Ehrenhof and Hofgarten in the open air, directly docked to the Museumsquartier comprising the Kunstpalast and NRW-Forum: in digital form, as part of the new AR Biennale.

Bieber has found the perfect backdrop for the fascinating technology in Düsseldorf. This is how Art Walk works today. It is one of several exciting exhibitions with which Alain Bieber and his team are setting new trends in AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality).

In this episode of "Alle Rhein!", Alain Bieber also gives an exciting preview of one of the biggest exhibitions on electronic music: "Electro. From Kraftwerk to Techno". The music exhibition starts on December 9, 2021 at the Düsseldorf Kunstpalast. Kraftwerk founding member Ralf Hütter is working on this show, which will have an impact far beyond the city and state borders.

In this episode, Alain Bieber tells Mike Litt why he doesn't see his special projects as competing with classical and modern art and what other goals he has.

Our host

Mike Litt was born in the US state of Virginia and lived in Bochum for many years. The globetrotter usually works in Cologne but lives with his family in the beautiful Düsseltal district of Düsseldorf. He is a radio presenter (1Live, WDR 2, DLF Nova), a DJ with Mayday festival experience and an author (‘The loneliest DJ in the world’). For our podcast, he holds fascinating conversations with other people from Düsseldorf’s cultural scene.

Photos
Cover photo: © Photo: Katja Illner
Mike Litt: © [email protected]
Music / Sound: Christian Moster / Mike Litt