About the Schwarzer Kanal

The Festival will take place at the radical queer wagenplatz Schwarzer
Kanal.

It is the BEST and ONE AND ONLY radical queer wagonplace on the
planet but it’s also an open community project, run not only by the
people who live there, but by a wider community who use it for events,
workshops, art, film evenings, bike fixing, concerts, Vöku, cabaret or
as base for political actions… and!  Schwarzer Kanal is now
threatened with eviction from 1st January 2010 and UP YOUR EARS might
be the last big event taking place there.

This is what it’s written about the project on http://www.schwarzerkanal.squat.net

 Schwarzer Kanal as a queer* political and cultural project

Wagenplatz Schwarzer Kanal is an open community
project, run not only by the people who live there, but by a wider
community who use it for events, workshops, art, film evenings, bike
fixing, concerts, Vöku, cabaret or as base for political actions… and!
For that we have a big stage area, a wagen for hosting workshops, an
open air cinema, a community kitchen wagen, a bike workshop wagen, a
fire and bar area.

All
events are for free of by donation. This means no one is excluded from
attending because they don’t have enough money. Any profit goes to a
variety of causes. Schwarzer Kanal project operates according the DIY
principle: Do It Yourself! The idea is that there are no bosses, no
masters and no one comes just to consume. Everyone who uses the space
helps to keep it running. Whether that be by doing the washing up after
a Vöku, doing a bar shift during a concert, helping to tidy up after a
party, doing press work, or realizing your own ideas for an event…
There are lots of possibilities! To find out how you can get involved
just ask around during an event or if you have a proposal, email schwarzerkanal@squat.net to find out the time of our next meeting.

All – apart from those promoting racist, sexist,or homophobic ideas, – are welcome to come along and take part!

The project extends beyond our physical space in Michaelkirchstr: Schwarzer Kanal meets to go on demonstrations together as a queer block, and supports actions in and around Berlin and further afield. Some examples have been around issues of no borders, antisexism, antifascism and gentrification. Schwarzer Kanal is also a point of contact for many international queers passing through, part of an informal network of anti-capitalist queers. It is also part of a wider network of autonomous spaces, squats and Wagenplatzs in Berlin, Europe and beyond. Like millions of people all over the world Schwarzer Kanal is attempting to build up our own structures from the grassroots while questioning and reflecting on our inequalities.