Berlin artists' colony finds creative answer to shutdown

In her sun-soaked Berlin living room, Ingrid Ihnen-Haas belted out Edith Piaf songs into a microphone -- part of a collective effort to help entertain a country confined to their homes by the coronavirus pandemic.

"Especially for elderly people who have to stay at home, the concept of 'concerts in your living room' is brilliant," said Ihnen-Haas, 71.

With concert halls, restaurants and most shops shut, public life in Germany has ground to a halt as the population is urged to stay home to help contain the spread of the virus.

Ihnen-Haas and fellow residents of an "artists' colony" in southwest Berlin have joined voices to record albums, audiobooks or readings to share online.

The former social worker who sings regularly in small venues across the capital has now turned her living room into a recording studio.

Outside in a common area, comedian Cornelia Schoenwald is sitting on a bench, reading aloud from a short story by Erich Kaestner, a classic of German children's literature.

Her reading, accompanied by the chirping of sparrows, is being filmed by Christian Sekula, one of the leaders of the association that manages cultural life in the colony.

He will later edit the recording and put it up on the website of the association, which usually stages plays and other cultural activities.

"Right now I don't have any bookings," said Schoenwald, whose calendar quickly emptied as Berlin's cultural life came to a standstill over the past few weeks.

But far from lamenting her fate, she's convinced there are benefits to this time when everyone is being forced to take their foot off the pedal.

It's "enriching because it allows us to focus on what's really important," she said.

"Perhaps, as artists, we have a different relationship with the highs and lows of existence. We are more used to them," she added, referring to the precarious nature of work as an artist.

The artists' colony in Wilmersdorf was founded in 1927 when two artists' associations bought three buildings and turned them into affordable accommodation for the city's musicians, actors and writers.

Back then, the arts were thriving in Berlin, with theatres and nightclubs buzzing with scenes like those from the musical "Cabaret."