Knocking holes in the wall of the neoliberal city: a case study on creative activism in Leipzig, Germany

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article seeks to map the empirical value of approaching counter-hegemonic creative activist practices with the concept of what David Harvey calls ‘spaces of hope’. It takes up the question of ‘how can these practices foster “spaces of hope” in the neoliberal city?’ by unpacking two case studies of publicly accessible, creative activist events in Leipzig, Germany: (1) GSO, an electronic music parade and (2) PROtest, a participatory art project. Six creative activists were asked to speak about their dedication, the creative practices used and their perceptions of the course of events. While Leipzig has a long activist tradition, attempts to situate the city as ‘creative’ and, consider cultural and creative industries as a promising business sector, are relatively new. Cultural artefacts and creative practices are cornerstones of Harvey’s concept: their particularity – in opposition to the homogeneity presupposed by commodity production – facilitates oppositional politics. This study takes up ‘particularity’ with Harrebye’s creative activist principles of ‘irony’ and ‘utopia’. The paper’s specific approach to ‘spaces of hope’ illuminates the context specific aspects of these creative practices and the ways in which the activist events challenges urban neoliberalism in their particular way with an eye for their origins, practices, and failures.