Edward W. Said sought to understand the world through culture and its dynamic relationship with political and economic power. Culture is used often by authority to suppress, control, and dominate. But culture is also a tool of resistance and subversion and has its own immanent power. In its third annual Edward W. Said Days, the Barenboim-Said Akademie will examine the relationship between culture and power. Through music, lecture, art, and film, students and faculty will embark on an unflinching and critical exploration of, as Said quipped aphoristically, “the power of culture and the culture of power…”. Musical performances will explore the binary of resistance and subservience to power—and often the shades in between—in German, Soviet, Italian and American music.
In addition to lectures and music, the exhibition „Dry“, featuring works by photographer Abdo Shanan, will be on view during the Edward W. Said Days 2020 in the lobby of the Barenboim-Said Akademie.