Katapult 2.0

About five years ago, Declan and Oli realised that there were not enough development possibilities available for contemporary performance artists in Berlin and decided to do something about it.

Berlin has long been world-famous as a major city for dance, circus and contemporary performance art. Both of us moved here to improve our artistic skills. We realised that there was a lack of space dedicated to workshops, residencies or masterclass possibilities in Berlin. We selected a location in Marzahn away from the centre of the city, where we thought artists could work in solitude and concentration, where they could work late without worrying about noise constraints, where workshops could take place with a 'retreat' style vibe, yet still be somewhat in the city.

Our current location in Marzahn/Lichtenberg is not sufficient for the needs of the community. The new location will have the possibility for open training as well as residency space, alongside co-working possibilities, and much more.

Katapult is run by artists, for artists.

Our mission is to create a world-class centre for training and development in contemporary performance art. We aim to offer a space for the community that is a hub where any artist can come to train; to make new connections; to create and develop work; and to watch great shows.

We believe strongly in the open and inclusive spirit that runs deep in the circus community, and for this reason we aim to make the space open and affordable for all. Already in the first two years, our resident artists, teachers and workshop students have travelled from all over Europe and the world, even from as far as Brazil, Thailand and Argentina.

Whatever your style, wherever you come from, if you want to grow your art, Katapult is the space for you.

Berlin needs an open training space like this - a place for artists to train at affordable prices, meet others for collaboration, to create in peace, and to learn with concentration.

The new space will have around 350sqm of useable training space, half of which will be mainly dedicated to residencies and workshops, and half to open training.

We aim to make the new Katapult a place where you can come for the whole day, and mix your training with all the rest of the work you do, alongside meeting others passing through.

Come to watch creative and experimental shows, learn from some of the best teachers in the world, or take quiet time to work on your art.

We are not going to lie to you. We are going to do this, whatever happens. We think Berlin really needs a place like this.

The thing is, we spent all the money we had doing it the first time around. Back then, we put in 15,000€ from our own savings to start the original Katapult, because we didn't feel confident to ask others to help finance our dream. After two years of hard work, and with the backing of an amazing team of volunteers, performers and helpers, we feel that it is the right time to reach out to the community.

With your support, we can really make Katapult 2.0 something extra special, right from the start.

Our first funding goal is the budget for renovation and redecoration: painting, electrics, installing new dance floors, kitchen, new toilets, building smaller areas, replacing the main door, electrics, installing heating, a storage container. This money will make the space professional yet cosy, and help keep it clean and warm. It will provide for extra spaces, so that more people will be able to use the space at the same time.

Our second funding goal is the icing on the cake - budget for installing aerial rigging and good quality sound/light tech. We have a plan to increase the ceiling height while installing rigging possibilities, by replacing some of the wooden roofing with steel. This would change the useable height from 5m to 6.5m on average.

A relatively small tech budget could turn our residency space into a mini-theatre, allowing our guest artists to work on music and lighting during creation, which would be a drastic step up on our existing setup.