Kampnagel Sommer Festival
Hamburg, 15th – 23rd August 2008
Hamburg
We first visited Kampnagel with It’s Your Film in August 2002. This time around we weren’t based in their fantastic industrial spaces but in the city itself in an equally fantastic but very different 19th century neo-Renaissance building. Hamburg has always been a trading city and the show took place appropraitely in the grain trading hall of the Hamburg Exchange. The building was contructed in 1841 after previous premises became too small for the number of traders, merchants and brokers frequenting them. It survived the Great Fire of Hamburg which lasted for three days. In 1941, the main trading floor burnt down in a blitz during the Second World War, and extensive parts of the west wing were likewise destroyed. It took years to restore the building again, that is now a protected monument. Much of the trading is now done by computers but the floor traders at the grain exchange still meet three times a year.
This European version allowed us to include a number of large pile.european version allowing large piles and there were some interesting stories to be told about 19th century emigration through the port of Hamburg and contemporary emigration and immigration. The show also had an environmental angle with a range of statistics about water consumption, natural disasters and environmental protest.
We had very good visitor numbers and enjoyed frequent trips to Kampnagel to enjoy other Sommerfest events including gigs from S enur Coconut and The Notwist. A particular highlight involved Graeme, Sarah and Jake predicting the weather on local television.
Photos: Graeme Rose
Credits
Performers: Sarah Archdeacon, Chris Dugrenier, Jake Oldershaw, Graeme Rose, Craig Stephens, Jack Trow, James Yarker
Production Manager: Karen Stafford
Images: Graeme Rose
Concept: James Yarker
General Manager: Charlotte Martin
Advisory Producer: Nick Sweeting