Patrons: Detlef Diedrich, Karin Gundlach, Gabriele Heenemann, Lutz Peters (†), Peter Schüler, André Stoye, Elke Stoye

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Commission: Across Europe, coastal fishing is in crisis, heading towards extinction. As fishermen lose their livelihoods or their profession changes, memories fade, and valuable knowledge is lost. That is why we, the New Patrons of Ummanz, want to commission a production that, with confidence and humor, acknowledges the achievements of coastal fishermen and their families—making them accessible to everyone. After all, the fish may be silent, but the fisherman is not!

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Mediator: Susanne Burmester

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Artist: Amanda Piña

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Period: 2025 ongoing

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Partner: Kulturstiftung des Bundes

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Program: Citizen-Commissioned Dance and Performance

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The island of Ummanz, west of Rügen, was a center of local coastal fishing for centuries. But now, like in many other places across Europe, this tradition is on the verge of disappearing. Industrial large-scale fishing, agriculture, and climate change are disrupting the ecological balance, catch quotas are declining, and the economic foundation of many independent fishermen is crumbling.

The traditional craft of small-scale coastal fishing, with its sustainable fishing methods, barely provides a livelihood for fishermen and their families anymore. Yet coastal fishing is more than just an economic sector—it is a centuries-old cultural heritage that has profoundly shaped the island and its people—their language, daily life, and traditions.

"The fish is silent. If fishermen lose their livelihood or their profession changes, memories fade, and valuable knowledge is lost."

From the commission

The New Patrons of Ummanz want to bring coastal fishing into focus—with an artistic production that makes its history, knowledge, and transformation tangible.

Coastal fishermen share a deep understanding of ecological interconnections and natural cycles, as well as craftsmanship and entrepreneurial intuition. As fishing declines, the knowledge passed down through generations is at risk of disappearing. A striking symbol of the end of an era stands where the harbor once was—now an apartment building—and two decommissioned fishing boats were being turned into museum ships, relics of a fading tradition.

Through an artwork, the coastal fishermen and their families shall be honored for their contributions, making their significance visible and accessible to all.

For this commission, the group has found the right artist in Amanda Piña. In her work, she makes suppressed, lost, or overlooked forms of knowledge newly accessible as lived experience. Since 2014, through her long-term project Endangered Human Movements, she has been exploring the connection between the loss of biological and cultural diversity. Her research on ancestral movement practices that have been maintained for centuries and are now at risk of disappearing includes gestures and materials connected to fishing traditions and coastal life.

“I feel closely connected to this commission: In Mexico and Chile, where I come from, marine life and coastal fishing are also severely threatened by the extractive and monocultural industries that drive climate change. This must stop.” 

Amanda Piña

Her performances, films, musical, and sculptural works are rooted in an outlook that understands not only human beings, but also other living beings, objects, landscapes, and forces as co-creators of a shared world — opening up questions of how new forms of responsibility and community might emerge from this.

Her work has been presented internationally in theatres, museums, and cultural institutions, including Kunsthalle Wien, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris, mumok in Vienna, deSingel Arts Campus in Antwerp, Kunsten Festival des Arts Brussels, Museo Universitario del Chopo in Mexico City, and GAM in Santiago de Chile. In 2024, she was Visiting Professor for the Valeska Gert Choreography Chair at Freie Universität Berlin.

"The fish is silent. We want to draw on the knowledge of coastal fishermen to open up new perspectives on coastal fishing for us all."

From the comission

The patrons ask: How does a region change when coastal fishing disappears? How can we preserve its intangible heritage, which stories need to be told, and which images should be kept? How can sustainable ways of working be maintained and further developed? And what new perspectives emerge for our future? They are now looking to Amanda Piña for an artistic response to these questions — one that will endure. This aligns closely with her way of working: in her performative practice, she always considers forms of permanence, too.

Amanda Piña works collaboratively, often in public spaces and beyond traditional stage settings. With a sensual, vivid and often transmedial aesthetic, the inclusion of traditional elements, and the connection between local and global concerns, her works create diverse and compelling points of access. This also reflects a central wish of the commissioning group: the artistic work should engage long-time residents, newcomers, and visitors alike — and speak to future generations as well. It should also work with humour and a sense of hope.

"The fish is silent. We wish for a production that brings to life the stories, experiences, and craftsmanship of coastal fishermen."

From the comission

"We want to hear the voices of the coastal fishermen and preserve the images of their work and lives in our collective memory. Because the fish is silent, but the fisherman is not!"

From the comission