Geniale Dilletanten (Brilliant Dilletantes) was the deliberately misspelled title of a music festival that took place at the Tempodrom in Berlin in 1981 and which became a synonym for a brief era of artistic awakening. An avant-garde blossomed, in particular in the context of art schools, that was characterized by artistic vehemence, cross-genre experimentation, and the desire for self-organization. Bands such as Einstürzende Neubauten, Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft, Ornament und Verbrechen, Der Plan, Palais Schaumburg, Die Tödliche Doris, or Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle committed themselves to this principle. The catalogue follows the bands, artists, filmmakers, and designers through the clubs, bars, and galleries of their day, enabling even contemporary readers to experience the feeling of emergence into a new era and aesthetic freedom. Touring exhibition of the Goethe-Institut starts at Haus der Kunst, Munich 25.06–11.10.2015 | further venues will follow