Hidden in plain sight

Professor Ulrike Brummert

If you like books - thick, thin, big, small, old, new, colourful, scientific - then Ulrike Brummert's office is the right place for you. Files, flyers, manuscripts on the central conference table. A piano. Project art on the walls and in the window. The Professor of Romance Cultural Studies at Chemnitz University of Technology beams in greeting. "I like to laugh a lot because I'm so serious," she says. She introduced the campus reading night 16 years ago and brought it to Tietz in 2014 for the Chemnitz literature festival Leselust, with a new concept and new partners: reading and letting others read on all floors. We talked to her - about the magic of books, memories and a city behind the seven mountains.

The Leselust literature festival once again invites you to pick up a book. Which book are you currently reading?
Prof. Ulrike Brummert: That's a funny and difficult question for me, as my job is to open up unknown thoughts, transform them and discuss them, so I read constantly. At night, I also soak up a regional thriller in one go. For "14-18 was something", I'm currently immersing myself in the exhibition catalogue Schlachthof 5 at the Museum of Military History, to go with the summer lecture "Esprit Montmartre: Die Bohème in Paris um 1900" at the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt. And as we are preparing a literary-musical salon on fairy tales for June, I am reading Hans Christian Andersen again and also sagas and legends from the Ore Mountains. There are several reading islands in my flat, hotspots for my current topics.

Why do books always cast a spell over us? Time for a good book is now a luxury, it's more about quick information and knowledge transfer. Do books really still reach social debates?
Luxury? Because they take up space and time? "A good book" is a myth. All books are good, full of thoughts in language and images, practical, no power consumption, can be read anywhere except in water (there are the Chemnitz bathtub books...), haptic, can be experienced with the senses. A book becomes a perennial favourite through its readers. One's own positions are sharpened in differentiation from the printed word. Those who write, stay. Those who read live. Books are sustainable decelerators.

Can a literature festival like Leselust achieve this?
Leselust and reading in general brings people together. Exchanging ideas about different readings is an important social process. Umberto Eco said in one of his last interviews: "Anyone who doesn't engage with the thoughts of others is an autist." I agree.

You've been organising reading nights for 16 years. What was your motivation for this?
A lively and playful campus in a curious city. Lecturing, reading aloud and listening are key skills in all areas of society - including science.

On International Book Day on 23 April, you will be hosting the Chemnitz Reading Night, from 4 pm to midnight, Tietz will become a reading stage with many events on all floors and in all institutions. What should people look forward to in particular?
To the joyful, crackling, exciting atmosphere with a packed programme for young and old, between languages and cultures, with culinary delights, from Don Quixote, Shakespeare, Christa Wolf to the likes of the final concert.

The first ChemnitzerCampusLesenacht took place in 2000 in co-operation between the Studentenwerk Chemnitz Zwickau, the Universitas bookshop and the Romance Cultural Studies department at the TU. For the first time, Chemnitz residents and students spent an entire night together in the transitional canteen, reading, eating (Fettbemmen & Soleier), drinking and discussing, in well-known and lesser-known languages such as Occitan and Chinese, all types of texts were present - including instructions for use... The annual event became so popular that it soon grew to up to 700 visitors. "It was also a stage for my own texts. At the Campus Reading Night, some Chemnitz authors dared to present their own work for the first time," recalls Brummert, who is delighted that there are now several open stages and reading events in the city throughout the year.

Why has the reading night moved from the Mensa to Tietz?
This is the third time we have organised a reading night at Tietz. I think it's important for the university to have a direct presence in the city. People from Chemnitz have always found their way to the campus for the reading night. But the Tietz is such a wonderful building that it needs further intensive revitalisation. The atrium with the Stone Forest in the centre is perfect for a reading festival. Once again, anyone can write quotes in chalk on the forecourt. The interaction with the institutions of the building, the city library, the adult education centre, the natural history museum and the Neue Sächsische Galerie works. Shortly after Leselust, we get together, evaluate, modify and prepare for the next year.

With Stefan Heym and Stephan Hermlin, we have recognised writers who come from the city. Is there a new generation in sight?
Irmtraud Morgner belongs to the clique of recognised "old-timers". There are many circles, clubs and stages (like the new ones: Komplex und Nichts) where exciting things are happening. Angela Krauß, Kerstin Hensel, Hans Brinkmann, Günter Saalmann are writers who are connected to the city and whose work will remain. I also read a lot of challenging, free, i.e. non-academic, texts by students - there's potential there!

Your lectures are sometimes about love and hate, about colours, and there are even lectures without titles. Does cultural studies always have to exaggerate? Does culture always have to do a bit more to be recognised?
At the beginning of industrialisation, art and technology are closely linked, think of the world exhibitions, the presence of mechanical progress in Impressionist paintings, for example. I have never seen successful innovative technology that does not also meet high aesthetic standards.

What does this mean for Chemnitz, which is known for being strong in technical fields?
The theoretical development of new technologies and the practical mechanical and entrepreneurial realisation in the production of goods have always gone hand in hand in Chemnitz, which has shaped the collective memory. Herbert Esche was only able to invite Henry van de Velde and Edvard Munch because he was a successful industrialist like Karl Ernst Osthaus in Hagen. This fruitful interaction should be emphasised much more strongly in Chemnitz. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's father came to Chemnitz because of the flourishing industry. The artists' group Die Brücke was formed here in this city from the "natives" and the "newcomers". Clara Mosch in Karl-Marx-Stadt was revolutionary; the artists who are still alive continue to shape the world, like Carsten Nicolai, Osmar Osten and Uwe Mühlberg of the following generation.

Do we realise this enough? Do people out there in the world realise it? Why is that?
Chemnitz is a mountain city. There is always something (naturally) secluded about that. There is no major thoroughfare here, such as a via regia, only a secondary route to Santiago de Compostela; the old salt road from Halle (Saale) to Prague passed to the east of the city. And this is currently painfully evident: Chemnitz's indisputable connection to long-distance transport. Whether the railway line to Leipzig is electrified is of secondary importance, but trains should run to Leipzig every 30 minutes. DB Bahn and the city must rise to this challenge. Suddenly crossing Espenhain from the motorway at a distance of 50 km - a prank for residents and travellers. Chemnitz becomes a secret wonder city - behind the seven mountains. If you manage to lure people here, most of them are surprised and completely thrilled.

Do you work on the Chemnitz image yourself with your students?
Our projects have resulted in three jointly produced photo catalogues, among other things: I particularly like to see. Stadtphotographien, Chemnitz zur Jahrtausendwende, Lichtzeichen and Plaue. bestand im wandel, about the Saxon textile industry and about the former cotton mill in Flöha in particular. The Department of Romance Cultural Studies cooperates closely with all the museums in the city and is also involved in their projects. Chemnitz is very present in my research. You do research where you live. The city reflects.

An important project for you was and is "14-18 Was War", which focuses on the First World War. Since 2014, you have been working with students to unearth memories and place them in the present day. Have you succeeded so far?
We will only be able to say at the end of the project, which cites the four-year duration of the war (www.14-18warwas.de). So we are showing an exhibition at Tietz that will last for a correspondingly long time, in which a new picture from the Schloßberg Museum's collection will be presented every month - with an informative mini vernissage. With the project most excellent! Ausgezeichnet! project, we confronted ourselves with heroic symbolism and the culture of honours. Another highlight was the concert Es umspannt die ganze Welt Weihnachten 2015, which presented letters, texts and compositions from 1915 and their transformation up to the present day.

The next mini vernissage of the exhibition Shot with Light will unveil another historical photograph on 3 May at 1 pm at Tietz. The photographs document what the people of Chemnitz saw in the corresponding month of the war 100 years ago - from everyday life in Chemnitz to the events of the war on the front lines. Brummert will also be taking part in the Theater Chemnitz Undetected Neighbours project on right-wing extremism here locally and its (non-)perception.

What is life like as a cultural person in Chemnitz?
I actually wanted to study mechanical engineering (laughs). I have a very good life here. I like the wide range of on- and off-culture events. In sound, spoken word, exhibitions and small art projects. Of course, I could imagine it being even more networked. At Balkonbalett, I was fascinated and delighted to meet people from virtually all cultural and social backgrounds. That's why I also took part in the follow-up project mittwochnachmittag.

What do students like about Chemnitz?
The campus is like a rivalling international second city. The original city as such remains hidden at first. It is very underground. You first have to go through three backyards and then you find what you're looking for or something completely unexpected.

Do you have a favourite place?
I like the river, the Chemnitz, because I've always imagined a life by the river. My dream came true because I live right next to the Chemnitz. Originally I had thought about the Garonne or the Seine (laughs), but now it's the Chemnitz. It's a bit smaller, so when I mock it, I apologise to it. It seems cheerful, but it can also mutate into an angry, violent monster. Normally the river is transparent, stony, light on its feet, changing colours like its trout. Nocturnal herons, proud swans and cheeky gulls love it. I once spotted a kingfisher here. I like the castle pond, which was created by the Benedictines as a carp pond and was staunchly defended when investors wanted to drain it in the 19th century, as a very lively place. It is accepted by everyone. I love the buildings on Theaterplatz: the shells and the interiors. I would give the ensemble a little more greenery!

Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
Why? Everything that makes a city a city is there. Why aren't the people of Chemnitz as relaxed as they could be? People in Chemnitz are always looking towards Leipzig and Dresden, which have a completely different history. Chemnitz is very fascinating, affable and also brittle. The upheavals to which the city was subjected were brutal and still have an impact. Sometimes this tension simply has to be endured.