Community of Practice

[Still] Claiming Common Spaces

The seventh edition of the Claiming Common Spaces Festival dedicated to questions about the expected “conservative turn”, in which so much is already certain: the diverse and multicultural society must continue to be defended and defended anew. The Community of Practice brings together cultural actors who work at the interface between activism, art and community building and have gained experience in moving mountains even with scarce resources and working together in solidarity networks - despite, against or because of the circumstances. What innovative potential can be found in artistic micro-economies, creative economies and solidarity-based practices? Who has invented which successful forms of best practice and can pass on their experiences? Each alliance house will send a resident to take part in a 3-day program at Migrantpolitan under the artistic direction of Anas Aboura and Larry Macaulay. In the concluding “public session”, the Migrantpolitan will open its doors to share the newly gained insights! Still claiming solidarity!

Curation / Host Team

Anas Aboura
Anas Aboura is a Syrian artist, DJ, and curator based in Hamburg. As a curator at Kampnagel, he focuses on music projects and migrantpolitan activities. Aboura develops projects like Oriental Karaoke, which brings the atmosphere of Middle Eastern karaoke bars to Hamburg, and Revolutionary Souq – A Virtual Bazaar, an interactive platform for cultural exchange. His work fosters dialogue around identity, migration, and cultural diversity.
📧 Anas.Aboura@kampnagel.de

Larry Macaulay
Larry Macaulay is the founder of the Refugee Radio Network (RRN), an online radio station amplifying the voices of refugees and migrants while addressing displacement and social integration. He is also a co-founder of Migrantpolitan, actively shaping its artistic projects over the past 10 years. Larry works at the intersection of new media, art, and activism.
📧 refugeeradionetwork@gmail.com

Participants

Alma Wellner Bou
Alma grew up in Spain and Germany and works as an artist, project manager, and curator in Berlin. She studied Applied Theater Studies in Giessen, Paris, and Beirut. Alma is part of the artist group Peira (www.peira.space), director of the feminist hip hop platform SISTERQUEENS, and curates performative discussion series and international collaborations. She also works on the management team of the Ulme35 community and cultural centre.

Boye Diallo
Boye Diallo is a performer and fashion designer, and a member of the collective Hools of Fashion. His artistic creativity has led to collaborations with groups like God’s Entertainment and Sybille Peters. Originally from Gambia, Boye has lived in Germany for eight years.

Gabriel Carneiro (GABS)
GABS works at the intersection of theatre and performance. With a theatre degree from Brazil and a Master’s in Scenic Research from Ruhr University Bochum, GABS has developed interdisciplinary projects on migration, antiracist sustainability, and queer ecologies from a Global South perspective since 2006. Living between the Ruhr region and Minas Gerais, Brazil, GABS co-organises MIGRANTENNALE and DESVIO-SÜD, a residency for Latin American artists in Germany.

Kathrin Ebmeier
Based in Cologne and the Ruhr area, Kathrin (K) works as an artist across formats—performing on stages, designing immersive events, and developing dramaturgies that invite people into fictional environments. K also creates installations using text, material, and conversation to explore visions of the good life. Their silk painting work engages with feminist and lesbian idylls. Kathrin is a member of Anna Kpok, founder of the Queer Oval Office Bar, and co-founder of KosmoPolis e.V., among others. They’re currently researching themes of sabotage.

Katja Cheraneva
Katja is a freelance dancer and choreographer based in Frankfurt. She holds a diploma from HfMDK Frankfurt and an MA from CuP, ATW Giessen. Her work investigates rehearsal, memory, and learning/unlearning. A former member of The Forsythe Company (2010–2015), Katja has collaborated with choreographers like Fabrice Mazliah and artists like Anne Imhof. She co-founded HOOD Collective (PACT Zollverein fellowship, 2016–2019) and ran Werkstatt project space (2021–2023) in Frankfurt.

Zwoisy Mears-Clarke
Zwoisy is a choreographer of encounter, both as a community organiser and as an artist. They initiated the Community of Reception, a laboratory hosted by tanzhaus nrw, now co-led with choreographer Sophia/Fia Neises. Since April 2023, the lab has explored audio description in dance and the aesthetics of access, bringing together blind/low-vision communities and dance artists across NRW in a collaborative research process.

Mike Dele Dittrich Frydetzki
Mike, originally from Wilthen and Bautzen, studied cultural and theatre studies in Hildesheim, Giessen, and Warsaw. A member of the Initiative for Solidarity in Theater, Mike has been researching (non)consensual communication in rehearsals at the Berlin University of the Arts since 2022. His works include IN ZUNGEN: HEXEN HAUFEN KONSENS(2023), Tongue Code (Ghent), and Weak Resistance (HELLERAU/Warsaw). In 2024, he co-created the radio play Personal Ads – Queer Generational Dialogues in East Germany (Deutschlandfunk Kultur), which now tours as an intergenerational listening session. Mike also supports Pride through solidarity merch.