Trust in times of crisis: Artists demand with each other in Graz!

Trust in times of crisis: Artists demand with each other in Graz!

Graz, Österreich - On March 6, 2025, the Elevate Festival opened in Graz, moderated by the American performance artist Lori Baldwin. She addressed the concept of trust and appealed to the audience to maintain this value in times of growing fears, such as Kleine Zeitung reported. Mayor Kahr was the only politician who participated and emphasized her personal, trusting dealings with the citizens. However, other important cultural actors were absent, which contributed to a tense climate between the festival and politics. Festival founder Bernhard Styrer expressed the hope of more respectful coexistence after difficult times, while the discourse program curator Irina Nalis described powerful actors as the "dealer of doubt" who undermined social trust.

highlights and premieres

The festival will offer a diverse program on topics such as trust in science and politics in the coming days, and highlights the current geopolitical challenges. A special highlight of the evening was the premiere of the kinetic performance "Bounce" of the Navaridas & Deutinger collective. The performance united dance, music and sounded in an impressive visual spectacle. In addition, the synthesizer pioneer Suzanne Ciani performed, which concerted exclusively for the festival in the cathedral in the mountain and also composed the "Elevator Music" for the Graz Schloßberglift, such as fes . Ciani is also active in the discourse program and is celebrated as one of the star guests.