Bread & Roses moves through the streets of Pinneberg. Drawing on the history of labor movements, the performance addresses the struggle for fair wages, daily bread, and a life lived with dignity. Like children's rights, labor rights were hard won—but remain unevenly realized. In Pinneberg, this history intersects with the town's long-standing rose industry, sustained by precarious labor both locally and in the Global South. A demonstration featuring tableaux vivants, protest banners, and audio contributions makes the tension between the beauty of roses and the exploitation behind them physically tangible.
Following the procession, Tea and Tears invites visitors into a performative tea salon. It offers a space to gather, pause, and share tea. Black tea is brewed and served. It provides warmth while carrying the legacies of colonial history. Tears flow in moments of grief as well as joy. They cleanse and connect through empathy. Through these shared gestures, the salon brings together the personal and the political, inviting to collectively reflect on what care can mean today.
The New Patrons of Pinneberg commissioned an artwork that would make the transformation of their downtown visible and foster a new Pinneberg feeling. Performing the Unfinished by Nuray Demir & Minh Duc Pham is their artistic response. The title points to the fact that many social struggles remain unresolved. Human rights, social achievements, and practices of care must continually be renegotiated, defended, and made visible. Against this backdrop, the work explores questions of children's rights, labor migration, care, and postcolonialism. Over the course of one weekend, it brings together artistic and scholarly contributions in Pinneberg's public spaces while creating opportunities for a renewed sense of community.
Sunday, September 13, 2026
3–4 PM: Bread & Roses
Performative procession from Pinneberg train station to Drosteiplatz
4–6 PM: Tea and Tears
Participatory tea salon, Drosteiplatz, Pinneberg.
Featuring contributions by douniah, much cooler than yours x My Migrant Mama, and Tanasgol Sabbagh
Free of charge and open to the public without registration
On Saturday, September 12, 2026, Performing the Unfinished kicks off with the inauguration of the Pinneberg Square of Children’s Rights. More information is available here.
Credits
Performing the Unfinished by Nuray Demir & Minh Duc Pham for the New Patrons of Pinneberg
Patrons: Saim Kadir (Kasi) Cetinkaya, Heja Ibrahim, Anke Marckmann, Julia Miahipour, Deniz (Bosslo) Salakoslu, Gina Lea Schwan, Cosmo Stadie
Artists: Nuray Demir & Minh Duc Pham
Mediation: Michael Annoff
Contributions: Kien Nghi Ha, Nahed Samour, Meryam Schouler-Ocak, Derya Yıldırım, douniah, much cooler than yours x My Migrant Mama, and Tanasgol Sabbagh
Local Project Lead: Förderverein Stadtmuseum Pinneberg e. V.
Graphic Design: Jihee Lee
Technical Lead: Falk Stapel
Artistic Collaboration: Hava Erica Zeytin
Sound Design Bread & Roses: Frieder Blume
Initiated and premiered within Citizen-Commissioned Dance and Performance, a program of Gesellschaft der Neuen Auftraggeber. Funded by Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation). Funded by the Beauftragter der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media).
