Klangzelle

“Hello and welcome! You are now in the ‘Sound Cell of Human Rights – Mission Hope!’ No matter where you come from or who you are, you have opened the door to the sound cell, and everything here is happening just for you! And through you! Do you see the blue telephone receiver with the dial underneath? Now hold it to your ear...”

With these words, visitors are welcomed and invited into the sound cell, a bright red art installation in the form of a telephone booth, which will be located on Opernplatz in front of the Theater Duisburg from September 20 to December 17, 2025, inviting visitors to linger, listen, reflect, and make their own statement.
The theme? Human rights, of course – the major theme of the season opening at Theater Duisburg: Starting on September 10, Leonore in “Fidelio” will open at the Mercatorhalle, exploring what it means to be human and to stand up against injustice and cruelty. This will be followed on September 20 by the performance “Der Menschheit Stimme” (The Voice of Humanity) on Opernplatz, in which hundreds of Duisburg citizens, together with guests and the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, will bring the “giant of human rights” back to life.

And in the course of this performance, the Klangzelle (sound cell) will also be impressively unveiled. At its heart are 13 telephone dials. Each dial activates different elements: for example, interviews recorded by the Klangzelle team with people who are inspired by human rights, who have grappled with them, or who have recorded the ideals that unite them. But opera singing, soundscapes, texts, and musical interpretations of human rights, light, and special effects are also hidden behind the individual numbers. Together, they form an experiential cosmos of what human rights can mean in the 21st century.
And finally, the audience itself can also become part of this cosmos of reflection on this inalienable and protectable asset: join in! Leave us your message on this topic.

"And you? What do you think? Which human right is most important to you? Here we give you your stage – now select number 1 on the dial 'Clear the stage!"