Over the Whitsun weekend, the UWE Festival took place for the second time in a maker hub of the European Capital of Culture 2025.
The former Etzdorf substation was once again transformed into a living work of art over the past few weeks. Amazing works of art could be found in every nook and cranny, created by 40 international artists before and during the festival. The installations, street art and sculptures were framed by a wide range of activities for participating, crafting and being creative.
Silvie Jacobi from the London School of Mosaic worked with visitors to create their own patterns and figures from ceramic stones. The individual works will soon be displayed on a wall of the industrial building, forming a complete mosaic work created by many hands. The main project, Makers, Business & Arts, conveyed the artistic exchange from Great Britain. In addition to a colourful stage programme, the makers used every creative method to appeal to all senses of participation: Visitors were able to print linocuts and screen prints, create turntables, carve gnomes and sew tulips from leftover jeans. The Fabmobil, FabLab and tekArt brought a wealth of technology and makers to the Saxon region, and at the Hat Festival stand, guests painted pennants in various sizes that will be flown in Chemnitz city centre next weekend.
1.000 visitors attended the festival in just two days. They were welcomed with the help of cheerful volunteers from the Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 and were able to enjoy the extraordinary afternoon in the countryside.
Many thanks to the organisers and to our unique volunteers. We look forward to the next UWE Festival in the Capital of Culture year 2025!
A key objective of Makers, Business & Arts, a main project for Chemnitz 2025, is to promote creative tourism offerings and cross-sector collaboration between industry and creative professionals. The project is being implemented by the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 gGmbH in cooperation with the Saxony State Association of Cultural and Creative Industries.
