As part of this new series, we invite you to readings and concerts in the foyer of the former Waschkaue on selected Thursdays. With drinks at the bar, inspiring texts, and electrifying sounds, Thursday already feels a bit like the weekend. In the fourth edition on December 11, writer Lena Schätte and the Berlin duo Neuzeitliche Bodenbeläge will be guests at PACT.

Lena Schätte debuted in 2014 with the novel ‹Ruhrpottliebe‹, studied Literary Writing and worked a a psychiatric nurse in the Ruhr area. Her autofictional novel ›Father's Hands‹ was longlisted for the German Book Prize 2025 and is about growing up in a family living in so-called modest circumstances where the father's alcohol addiction dominates everyone's life.

After the reading, there will be a concert by Neuzeitliche Bodenbeläge: The Berlin duo consisting of Niklas Wandt and Joshua Gottmanns – both originally from North Rhine-Westphalia – moves musically between Krautrock, NDW, synthpop, and electronic experimentation. Their first releases appeared in 2018 on the label Themes for Great Cities, before their debut album ›Der große Preis‹ followed in 2020 on Bureau B. In 2024, they released their follow-up album ›Neue Kreise‹ on the same label. Their music is characterized by ironic and precise observations of everyday life, playful speech rhythms, and analog sound aesthetics. The band name, inspired by a Berlin shop sign, refers to the laconic humor of the duo, who dissect the zeitgeist with retrofuturistic sound and dry wit without becoming nostalgic. Neuzeitliche Bodenbeläge see themselves as chroniclers of everyday urban life, forming poetic pop miniatures from casual observations.