Oooo: Bolognese (die Playlist)
24. September 2025, 18:00
Overbeck Pavilion

The finale of the O program invited the Overbeck Society to a special event entitled BOLOGNESE (the playlist). Artist and sociologist Eric Otieno Sumba presented an extraordinary music project that originated in the Italian city of Bologna in 2018.
During a stay on Via Zamboni, Otieno Sumba asked passersby to contribute a song to a shared playlist. A total of 51 people accepted this invitation. The result was a unique musical snapshot – probably Bologna’s only city playlist. The playlist documents the “soundtrack of an Italian summer” and has been carried around by Otieno Sumba every day since then. The event at the Overbeck Society offered the audience the opportunity to listen to this playlist. The listening experience was accompanied by personal anecdotes about the creation of the collection and sociological reflections on the role of playlists in today’s and tomorrow’s music culture. It became clear how listening to and sharing music has changed in the digital age – away from individually curated collections and toward algorithm-driven recommendations.
With BOLOGNESE (the playlist), Eric Otieno Sumba addresses not only music, but also questions of memory, participation, and cultural practice.
The audience consisted of artists and members of Lübeck’s cultural scene. We were also able to attract a young audience from Lübeck’s creative scene, as well as members and volunteers, to this event. There was a lively exchange that linked personal stories with social developments—an impressive example of how everyday culture can be reflected upon artistically and sociologically.