Events

With the full festival line-up featuring over 100 first class panelists, speakers and artists each year, the Elevate Festival unveils its first line-up announcement for its 8th edition exactly in time for the presale start. The festival runs from 24 - 28 October in and around Graz' Schlossberg and once again features a rich programme of discussions, lectures and screenings, this time under the motto "Elevate the Apocalypse?"
2012 -The Elevate Festival chose to pose an “apocalyptic” question as its topic this year: Will it be possible to make a societal transition to an economic system and a lifestyle, which is based on solidarity and respect for the natural ecological boundaries of our planet? Or does humanity need big catastrophes to really be able to push through fundamental changes?

“The world will not end in 2012,” says Daniel Erlacher, lead curator of the discourse and film programme of the festival, “but there are quite a few really dangerous threats to humanity: The current economic system is failing; Climate change increases; The destruction of essential ecosystems as well as the depletion of soils used for agriculture, cause exploitation, hunger and distress. All of these topics are important and need to be discussed publicly.” “However, there is no need for pessimism”, adds Erlacher, “our festival aims to motivate and inspire, as well as show alternatives and possible solutions for these crises.”

With a programme spawning over five days, the Elevate Festival features a somewhat humorous opening show (Wednesday, October 24th), three topic days featuring accurate and proper analysis of the various crises situations (“Understand!”, Thursday), forward thinking alternatives, which inspire to connect and act (“Act!”, Friday), and a collaborative effort to develop the cornerstones of our societies (“Develop!”, Saturday). On it's last day (Sunday, October 28th) the festival collaborates with the Austrian public broadcasting network ORF to ask the initially posed question with an emphasis on the role of the media as well as psychological aspects. As the final event the Elevate Awards Show will for the first time decorate and honor people and their projects, who tirelessly work for positive change in this world.

First confirmed participants, panelists and speakers:
Vandana Shiva (IN), Polly Higgins (UK), Frances Moore-Lappé (US), Jacob Appelbaum (US), Occupy Wallstreet (US), Kurt Langbein (AT), Mark Stevenson (UK), Cynthia McKinney (US), Frank Deppe (DE), Ursula Tischner (DE), Wolfgang Kromp (AT), Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed (UK), Irmi Salzer (AT), Andreas Exner (AT), Judith Schoßböck (AT), and many more.
Video message: Noam Chomsky (US)

The music and arts programme of the eigth Elevate Festival will once again form a kaleidoscope of music, literature, workshops and lectures. A broad selection of musical delights will be presented this year by two guest curators bringing a line up of DJs, live acts and bands playing across the music spectrum.

Kevin Martin, a British musician whose projects include The Bug, God, Techno Animal, Ice, Curse of the Golden Vampire and most recently King Midas Sound, will cover the Friday night programme in Dom im Berg with a smorgasbord of up to date dance music from Beats and Dubstep to Juke and Footwork via Dub, Reggae and Dancehall. Kevin will step up himself as The Bug and perform with Jamaican Ragga vocalist Daddy Freddy, as well as the Israeli singer Miss Red.

DJ Scotch Egg, a Japanese musician meanwhile based in Berlin, is curating a programme at the Dungeon on Saturday. The bill boasts a number of excellent avantgarde musicians around his new label "Small But Hard" and will feature abstract Hip Hop MC Sensational (Wordsound), Kouhei Matsunaga's (NHK) project KOYXEи and Roly Porter, one half of the former British Dubstep duo Vex'd.

The rest of the line up includes Skudge (SE), Andrés (US), Mosca (UK), Pional (ES), Letherette (UK), A Made Up Sound / 2562 (NL) and UMA (AT/DE) among others.

hoergeREDE, the literature part of the festival, will again be presented by Minoriten Culture Center. Authors like Kathrin Röggla, Bodo Hell and Barbi Markovich will be collaborating with musicians like Burkhard Stangl, Ritornell and Polwechsel to showcase a series of unique performances specially commissioned for Elevate.

Further information on the line-up and the festival programme will be revealed over the coming weeks.