In the artist’s game-based installation, you are the player in a speculative universe. Facing choices that contend with biases and exclusions, you gain insights into an archive of voices past and present.

THE SOUL STATION is Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s first solo presentation in Germany, featuring a newly commissioned work and a survey of earlier video games. Through game-based installations and fictional universes, THE SOUL STATION invites you to explore your ethical, political and moral decision-making, and considers the broader structures and histories of marginalisation. A newly commissioned work is presented in two episodes; a second episode is revealed on 13 September 2024, during Berlin Art Week.

Offering a comprehensive survey of Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s oeuvre, THE SOUL STATION includes key works from the past five years. Together they trace the artist's practice, which combines lived experience with speculative fiction in order to shed light on positions and histories that are often simplified or disregarded. The newly-commissioned game, played collaboratively in an installation reminiscent of a public arena, is the culmination of a journey through the exhibition space, which invites you to contend with your own experience, choices and biases. The first episode, YOU CAN'T HIDE ANYTHING, tells the story of a cataclysmic event in a parallel society, where a revolution has been waged against globalised slavery and the enslavers have been overthrown. In the second episode, ARE YOU SOULLESS, TOO?, the audience witnesses the conversations of a new group of characters who have migrated from one universe to another, while also providing a behind-the-scenes look at the real people and conversations that brought the first episode to life.

THE SOUL STATION is complemented by a public programme that includes youth workshops, in-site performances and a thematic library at Halle am Berghain.

SOUL STATIONS are available online and throughout the installation at Halle am Berghain. They accompany you on your journey through Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s games. To register, simply enter your name. You will then receive your personal code, which will allow you to embark on an introspective journey to cleanse your soul. You may access any SOUL STATION in the installation at Halle am Berghain and online before or after your visit by entering your five-digit code. Keep your eyes open for clues, as they will help you to decipher the codes and symbols you are looking for.

Credits

Commissioned by LAS Art Foundation

THE SOUL STATION © Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley

Danielle brathwaite-shirley team

Exhibition team

Organised for LAS by

With thanks to:

LAS team, Connecting the Dots, Norbert Thormann, André Jürgens, Krischan Makswitat, ostgut-Team, Studio Karhard, X:hibit Projects and the visitor service team, Ode, Lifta, Jennifer Brathwaite, Christoph Lehner, Angharad Probert, Vigour Li, Janine Armin, Harriet von Froreich, Aaron Levin Zielinski, Moïse Youmba, Joaquín Villarroel Echaiz, Van at Short Notice, Wisag, Robert Müller-Grünow, SCENTCOMMUNICATION