LauschOrte.sounds&stories – a digital, literary-musical tour of the city centre 

LauschOrte is a literary-musical audio walk developed by Bremer Literaturkontor and the Konsonanz chamber ensemble. The audio pieces are intended to provide new perspectives on various places in Bremen’s city center. All 17 places offer the opportunity to pause for a few minutes, listen and explore the city in a sensual and aesthetic way while learning something about Bremen’s history.

At the LauschOrte, artistic narratives are combined with historical facts and thus enable a multi-perspective, contemporary transfer of knowledge. The finely composed and professionally produced audio pieces are intended to stimulate the desire to discover and arouse curiosity to engage even more intensively with selected places, buildings and locations.

All texts were written specifically for LauschOrte by authors who live in Bremen, were born here or have lived here for a long time. Some authors approach their place very poetically, others with a critical eye or in an endearingly humorous way. All the texts are thus connected to the places in a unique way – always extremely creative and informative at the same time.

Each text has been translated into English and recorded in German and English by actors and voice artists from Bremen. This allows listeners to choose whether they want to hear the German or the English version. As the English and German versions were interpreted and composed with subtle differences and by different artists, it is also worth listening to both versions and comparing them with each other.

The musicians from Bremen’s independent scene comment on the texts musically with baroque and rock music, classical, beats and jazz. Guest musicians from associated cities also contribute their sounds.

By involving so many authors, musicians, translators and voice artists, LauschOrte also provides an insight into the diversity of the local independent arts scene – all the artists involved represent the wide literary and musical range of Bremen as a city of music and as an official UNESCO City of Literature.

In practice, this means:

You will find signs with a QR code at all 17 LauschOrte in Bremen’s city center. Scanning the code, you can listen to the audio with a cell phone or tablet. It is also possible to listen to all LauschOrte via the website at any time and from anywhere.

The project is part of Bremen’s official “Bremen wird neu” action programme to revitalize the city centre. At the same time, the LauschOrte are one of the flagship projects in Bremen’s successful journey to become a UNESCO City of Literature.

More information on Bremen as a City of Literature can be found at:
www.literaturmagazin-bremen.de/city-of-literature/city-of-literature

A project of the Bremer Literaturkontor and the Kammerensemble Konsonanz.

Thanks to the Bremen Senator for Culture.