toxic dreams

At the moment, Warren Buffett is the Earth’s third richest man. His fortune was estimated to be around fifty billion dollars in 2011. His holding company, Berkshire Hathaway, does not produce anything, it invests. Participation in Berkshire Hathaway does not mean you form an alliance, but rather you become a member of a community for whom financial investments serve as a substitute for religion. If you hand your assets over to Warren Buffett, you become part of a capitalist community of faith. Buffet not only promises prosperity for his investors in Berkshire Hathaway, but also the associated purchase of happiness. Neither insider knowledge nor intelligence is expected from members. A little bit of common sense and the pursuit of Buffet’s belief system are completely sufficient in order to increase your wealth by up to twenty per cent each year. Once a year, Berkshire Hathaway organises a shareholders meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. All the stockholders are invited to participate in an event. THE CHURCH OF WARREN BUFFETT – Ein Sermon provides the unique opportunity to participate in a summit of Main Street world capitalism and to hear and see capitalism’s high priest, Warren Buffett, live, led by a master of ceremonies and accompanied by a choir and orchestra.

THE CHURCH OF WARREN BUFFETT – A Sermon takes place within the scope of DIE LETZTE WELTAUSSTELLUNG/ARCHE 2012 [The Last World Exposition / Arche 2012] in Etablissement Gschwandner. The exhibition curated by the artist and designer collective Atzgerei, Stirn Prumzer and Stefan Kreuzer take an interdisciplinary approach to visual, applied and performance art as well as designing the question whether the end of the world proclaimed for 2012 is the projection of an inward catastrophe. World economy, climate or extremism: confronted with a daily flood of negative headlines, the farewell to humanity – Maya calendar, extra-terrestrials or planet constellations – is an expression for the will to finally put an end to it. The end of the world is not what humanity fears, but what it is longing for. www.toxicdreams.at, www.atzgerei.com, www.stefankreuzer.at

Direction and text Yosi Wanunu Warren Buffet Tony Torn Master of ceremonies Anna Mendelssohn Choir Irene Coticchio, Magda Loitzenbauer, Cezary Tomaszewski Orchestra Michael Strohmann, Didi Kern, Philipp Quehenberger Music Michael Strohmann Production Kornelia Kilga

A co-production of toxic dreams and brut Wien in co-operation with DIE LETZTE WELTAUSSTELLUN / ARCHE 2012 and Etablissement Gschwander. With the kind support of the City of Vienna’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture.

Admission free