“We’re freeing the prison, so to speak”

Katrin Vogel and Simon Berz on their subsidised workspace at Lehrter Straße 61

On the 5th of August 2026, Katrin Vogel and Simon Berz from the Hybrid Ensemble Berlin were photographed in their music rehearsal space. Afterwards, over a cup of coffee, we spoke about their art, the social impact of artistic collaboration and the importance of a subsidised workspace in times of cuts to cultural funding.

You’ve both been looking for an affordable workspace in Berlin for a long time. What has being awarded this space meant to you?

Simon Berz: It’s essential. I’d already lost my first studio with APPARAT in Berlin back in 2007, and I’ve now been kicked out of Kreuzberg because I play the drums. There’s hardly any room for drummers on the open market – you don’t want to disturb anyone, yet you still end up being a problem.

Katrin Vogel: Until a year ago, I was permanently employed as deputy principal horn player at the Komische Oper. Alongside that, I’ve been playing the alphorn for 20 years and want to set up my own business doing that. Until now, I’ve been practising at home, with a noise suppressor. A space of my own where I’m really allowed to ‘make some noise’ was long overdue.

When I walk into the rehearsal space, I immediately sense how special this place is – the high ceilings and the light streaming through the old lattice windows. What does this place offer you, specifically?

KV: Above all, its height – acoustically, it’s a dream! For years I worked right at the back of the built-in orchestra pit, in this room, I can finally work on the sound itself. And we can work here as an ensemble.

You also want to open up the large porter’s lodge, which you’re renting as a workspace, to other musicians in the building. What’s the thinking behind this?

SB: Alongside my work with sound – using resonant stones and transdisciplinary art formats – I’d like to establish in Berlin the concept that Joseph Beuys called ‘social sculpture’: the idea that not just professionals, but everyone can engage in artistic creation and, in doing so, help shape society. I work with everyone, regardless of gender, background, age or talent. Katrin and I both came up with the idea independently that this space could become a place for exactly that.

How does it feel to work in a former women’s prison? Is the building’s oppressive history still palpable today?

KV: The energy is surprisingly unburdened. I was there with a friend when I first visited and made a point of looking into the history of the place because it really interests me – that’s a very important question for me. In terms of its atmosphere, however, the space didn’t feel heavy at all. That was a pleasant surprise, as I’m actually quite sensitive. The building has also been used for art in recent years, for example for the Berlin Biennale or for filming ‘Babylon Berlin’. And I think the architectural concept – what has been preserved from the old building and what has been newly built – is very well done. I haven’t had any concerns: I believe that with every sound we play here, its history becomes a little lighter.

SB: For me, it’s a reversal of energy: we’re freeing the prison, so to speak. My previous studio was in the former Telefunken building, where Goebbels once frequented and the ‘Volksempfänger’ was developed. There, I sensed a different, suffocating energy. The fact that I, as a man, now work in a former women’s prison, on the other hand, strikes me as a nice twist.

Whilst walking round the building, I noticed just how much mutual support there is here – from the shared kettle to the communal washing-up liquid in the kitchenette. How has your experience been?

SB: We introduced ourselves on the very first day, and we’ve already set up a shared Telegram group. You can really sense how delighted everyone is to have new neighbours. For me, that’s precisely the role of art: to help shape the world and life itself. This space is like a sort of pilot project for us: how do we, as human beings, want to live together and treat one another?

KV: The opportunity to step into the community, to step back out again, to be recognised and to support one another – to say: “You’ve got experience with this, have a look at it, have a listen” – that has huge potential. That doesn’t mean it turns into social pressure: if someone says, “Sorry, I just have to practise for six hours a day and then look after my family”, that’s perfectly fine too. After more than 30 years in high-culture institutions, where there are certainly connections between people but hierarchies are very much in place, this space is a real stroke of luck for me. I’ve learnt a great deal there and am grateful for it – but bringing precisely this artistic professionalism to such a free, social level is really very important to me.

And where do you see yourselves as Hybrid Ensemble Berlin in a year’s time?

SB: I’m looking forward to lots of projects that have had to be put on hold due to a lack of space. From the 3rd to 13th December, we’ll be performing alongside the dancer Gabriel Obergfell as part of the IMPROSITIONEN exhibition at Kunstraum MeinBlau and screening the ensemble’s film, which was shot this year in the Zen garden of the Lassalle-Haus in Switzerland.

KV: We come from different musical backgrounds, which is why this space is so important to us as an ensemble. The Hybrid Ensemble Berlin has now been around for just over a year. We’ve already had a few performances, but with this particular combination we’re actually still in the early stages: we need time to experiment and rehearse together. And I finally want to pursue my alphorn work on a regular basis and write my own pieces. By next year, we’ll have established our style and secured some exciting commissions.