Premiered in Istanbul at the end of 2024, Above the Clouds: Underground aimed to create a speculative universe at the intersection of literature and theatre—one that opens up a queer space of imagination and breaks away from established narrative structures. Supported by the Goethe-Institut Istanbul, this multi-layered reading performance was developed through a creative writing workshop and expanded with visual and auditory elements. Since its first showing, the performance attracted significant attention, was staged five times in a short span, and resonated widely both for its literary content and performative form.

Directed by İrem Aydın and co-created with Seçil Epik, the performance features artists Bulut Sezer, Jilet Sebahat, Akış Ka, Seçil Epik, and Zeyno Erdost. It now comes to Berlin in the form of an installation using video recordings of the original performance.

Taking place at TOP—Berlin’s transdisciplinary production space and first community-based DIY biology lab—on Friday, July 25th from 18:00 to 22:00, the installation will be accompanied by a live reading of a section from the performance, followed by a conversation with the project’s creators, İrem Aydın and Seçil Epik. Together with the audience, we will explore the creative process behind the project, queer modes of production, and how collaboratively written texts are brought to the stage. A section of the performance will also be presented as a live reading.

To close the evening, Jade and the DJ duo bbs will take over the decks—words give way to sound, the stage to dance.

Free and open to all.

18:00 Doors Open
19:00–20:30 Reading Performance & Talk
20:30–21:15 Jade (DJ Set)
21:15–22:00 bbs (DJ Set)