Review: Day One – Elevate Opening
Friday,21 Oct 11 22:32
Johan Galtung at the Elevate Opening Night
While the night settled over the city slowly, more and more curious visitors gathered inside the Dom im Berg. At 8 pm all the seats were taken and the evening hosts Mark Stevenson and Robert Stachel entered the stage to open the festival.
According to this year’s festival motto “Elevate the 21st Century“, the discussions focused on the status quo and future of our development. Mark Stevenson talked about his book and and how he approaches the future with optimism.
After a musical introduction, Johan Galtung, Norwegian peace researcher and winner of the Right Livelihood Award, carried on about the road to peace and the difficulties we will have to overcome on our way, if we want to get there.
The statements via live stream were equally impressing: Kumi Nadoo, chairman of Greenpeace International, called for a development towards an efficient as well as sustainable and reasonable life-style. Sharif Abdel Kouddous, independent journalist of “Democracy Now!”, held up the Egyptian revolution as an example to talk about change and chances.
Over and above, guest stars Federal President Heinz Fischer, Federal Chancellor Werner Faymann and even the pope, appeared on the big screen in the Dom. Spoken by voice-over artist Robert Stachel (maschek), they took care of the entertainment of the audience.
To start off the arts and literature program of the festival, Marlene Streeruwitz, musically accompanied by B. Fleischmann and Christof Kurzmann, presented her literature performance about the social and political pressure on human beings, now and in the past.
Robin Fox' green laser beam, which flashed through the Dom im Berg afterwards, marked the beginning of this evening's music program. Artists like LE TAMTAM, RocketNumberNine and Clara Moto provided the music for a perfect ambience far into the smallest hours.
If you want to know more about the opening:
check our photostream
and watch musicvideos from the Dom im Berg
The Elevate Festival will be presenting discourse, music and arts under the motto “Elevate the 21st Century” until the 26th of October.
See for the full program here, and the timetable here.
