GEDOK 15th June - 22nd June 2025
- helonconning
- Jul 27
- 4 min read
To watch the video accompaning this blog please click on the following link
This past week in Stuttgart has been full of artistic encounters—each one uniquely threaded together by a shared sense of presence, vulnerability, and community. From the quiet repetitive performance to the human need for tranquil spaces, the city’s creative pulse is truly alive.
“I would love to talk about my art, but I have to go to work”
Performance by #cokomousse | MA in Fine Art – Poetics of Performance at Mozartstraße, Stuttgart
In a small performance space tucked away following the well placed signs, #cokomousse delivered a silent yet deeply expressive performance that explored the tension between artistic identity and economic necessity. The artist, without speaking, engaged in the delicate process of making paper fibre artworks—each piece a fragile statement on the labor of creation.
Audience members were invited to participate, holding wet paper frames as they dried, becoming part of the process rather than spectators. This act of shared responsibility transformed the room into a temporary collective, bound by care and quiet attention. The performance’s title—“I would love to talk about my art, but I have to go to work”—lingered like a quiet protest, a reminder of the compromises many artists navigate.
It was a performance that didn’t demand attention, but earned it—through patience, presence, and the beauty of imperfection.
Music for Jazz – Saxophone
Live Performance | Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts | Chamber Music Hall
On Monday evening, after a lovely stew made with love from Ellen and fabulous discussions regarding poetry, music and art. Together we enjoyed at sonic exploration evening of jazz at the Chamber Music Hall. The performance, titled “Music for Jazz – Saxophone”, featured student musicians from the Stuttgart University of Music and Performing Arts—and what a treat it was.
The ensemble delivered a dynamic program that blended jazz standards with contemporary compositions. Interpretations of works by legends like John Coltrane and Charles Mingus were performed with both reverence and fresh energy, while original pieces by university professors added a unique, local voice to the evening. The students’ technical skill was matched by their expressive vibrancy.
It was a reminder that artistry in Stuttgart isn’t confined to galleries and studios—it lives in sound, in collaboration, and in the next generation of performers who are already shaping the city’s cultural future.
On the ground floor of the Gerdok there is a music room and over the last couple of weeks we have listened to the Lindbergh High String Orchestra go through their practicing process! Amazing to hear and see the enthusiasm and dedication from these young people. Their hard work paid off in an awesome concert on Wednesday evening. I felt very cultured indeed! very civilised! I only know what I know about classical music and that’s not much, but I do appreciate beautiful and interesting sounds. I naturally homed in on the double bass players but everyone was on top form.
Klang & Farbe (Sound & Colour)
Exhibition by Heike Liss and Jessica Martin at Kunst Klima Gallery, Stuttgart
The centrepiece was a film composed of contributions from 68 individuals around the world, each sharing a short video of a quiet place where they can reconnect with themselves and nature.
These clips, accompanied by personal reflections, created a mosaic of stillness and introspection. What made the piece especially moving was the tactile care with which it was assembled. Heike Liss typed each participant’s reflection onto cards using an old typewriter. The resulting imperfections—misaligned letters, faded ink—added an extra human to human texture to the work, echoing the authenticity of the voices it represented.
Klang & Farbe was a reminder that even in a fragmented world, we are united by our longing for peace, beauty, and connection.
Together, these two works—one rooted in the physical labour of making, the other in the quiet act of witnessing—offered a deep reflection on what it means to be an artist, a participant, and a human being in today’s world.
Believe it or not I have had time to rest and make some art. The weather has been boiling with today being the hottest 33+ degrees! In the coolness of the ballet studio at GEDOK I and fellow GEDOK resident Clara drew each other as each other’s models. Lots of expressive mark making! I managed a bit of time to do another drawing of Marlow this time in oil pastel! The struggle is real!!
On Friday I took myself to Killesburg to visit the exhibition at the Academy of Arts, Bauhaus Architecture and the Hill Park. I randomly bumped into Benny, a MA Fine Art and Politics student, we had met at Kunst Klima. Benny soon let me know that the galleries were closed so invited me to see the grounds and their student studio space. All students were busy preparing for their final exhibition and dissertations so I was very appreciative of the time he gave me and the interesting topic of living as an artist. Universal dilemma of not letting life get in the way of creativity. Really impressive building and an inspiring studio space with a great view. Luckily the Bauhaus area is right next door so I walked around a little but the heat was a bit intense so took myself off to good old Aldi for some lollieices! I didn;t make it to the park but it is still on my list.
In between all this impressiveness I was invited to two birthday bashes! One was for Barbara which was a night out after the ending of the Klang & Farbe exhibition, enjoying drinks and laughs, oh and a bit of dancing …..not getting home until 4am! Great outdoor venue with a friendly vibe.
Friday night I met up with Heike Liss from some creative pondering and processing life together over some booze! Heike invited me to eat with her and Barbara, cooking a very yummy pasta dish, just when I thought things couldn’t get any cosier!
Then yesterday evening after the blazing sun we enjoyed a party for Julia Hillesheim's birthday. Julia welcomed us into her home and the artwork was fascinating so so eclectic! What a beautiful evening full of conversation, laughs, arty and music chatter and discussing our connections and tiny differences in the way of being here in Germany and back in the UK.
PS I am spreading the Coolio word - it’ll be all over Stuttgart soon!
@helon_conning
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