secret agency

The Bank of Burning Money, the Alibi Agency, the Casino of Tricks, the Assembly of Real and Other Pirates, the Black Bank, Women of the Seven Seas – secret agency produces situations and institutions that appear to be fictional but then nonetheless withstand the test of reality. The performances of secret agency create another reality rather than confirming the old world in critical gestures. They open escape routes from austerity and take you on a trip with the improbability drive. secret agency creates forums for unheard voices and explores the pleasures of future togetherness. secret agency is working anonymously, transdisciplinarily and internationally. It was founded to use artistic means and resources beyond the accumulation of individual fame. secret agency is an independent label, an open collective and a practical exercise in the „art of being many“.

Das Wettbüro: Alles oder alles. geheimagentur vs. Oberhausen, 2013

„Ladies and Gentlemen, we betted against each other. We won, we lost. And often the wager was a kind of insurance against the propable. And very often we did not even need this insurance. Ladies and Gentlemen, we made it into the evening news. We went on protests together. We played table tennis against each other. We launched politcal careers. We fulfilled children’s dreams. We pushed our luck. We made money. And we remained sportsmenlike – because now it is evident: we have to congratulate Oberhausen for the overall victory. The pay-out begins. See you at the bar.“

When you are betting, the improbable promises the highest profit. So we went all in, because no matter how probable or improbable it may look to us today: When the future finally arrives, it does so with a 100 percent. In Oberhausen, where austerity measures have made the future scarce, for two weeks in June 2013 the “Wettbüro” produced improbable futures: future for everyone! In the “Wettbüro”, visitors could place a bet against geheimagentur: people from Oberhausen suggested wagers, geheimagentur accepted some of them. We played for cash. And: no matter what the event was that we were betting on – as soon as the wager was accepted, geheimagentur felt obliged to either make it possible or prevent it from happening. When before it didn’t seem to matter what would happen tomorrow, suddenly it made a difference.