“You feel the heat. Clothing sticks to your skin. Moisture is dripping from the ceiling, your sweat mixes with that of others. Close with another you move through the euphoric crowd. Then: coolness in your toes. You sit and sip tea. Later, taking a walk. You don‘t have to look at yourself in the mirror anymore, you still know your face from the last video conference. Touching is so 2019.

Distance has entered our everyday life quite suddenly. What seemed natural for all our lives suddenly seems fragile, almost unreal. We become aware of what we have always known: human beings are of flesh and blood who experience things by moving through space and time in all their transience.

Sound waves hit eardrums, make you shiver and your eyes tear. Head and foot tap to the beat, your mood lifts, even if you may not even particularly like the music. Spa resorts are flooded with relaxing healing sounds, driving beats encourage high performances in the gym. Vocal chords vibrate in chorus, while hands clap on leather-clad thighs during the Schuhplattler. Disciplined music-making bodies precisely remember the smallest movements and practice self-optimiza- tion with a wide variety of instruments. They know hurting limbs as well as the heartbeat backstage and the feelings of happiness when thunderous applause begins. Musicians set trends and imitate them. They shape their bodies to please, provoke, and protest. As in all social spheres, they are admired, eroticized and exoticized, consciously marginalized or simply igno- red because of their size, gender or skin color. Some therefore dare neither to enter the spotlight nor the light of day, hardly believing - in agreement with ever- yone else - in their own existence.”